A bad final to end a modest tournament. Perhaps it was
fitting, then, that its winners — via an extra-time goal from a former Swansea
striker — are a team who finished third in their group and lifted the trophy
after winning just one game out of seven over 90 minutes.
Portugal deserve credit for their pluck, but that is about
it. They lost their captain and best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, to a knee
injury caused by a Dimitri Payet challenge midway through the first half. It
was bad luck, nothing else. It was a firm challenge by the West Ham player, but
not a foul.
After that, Portugal simply hung on and hoped that they may
get a break. They didn’t. They hoped that they may get to extra-time. They did,
and then somehow they won it.
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