PORTUGAL WINS EURO 2016 - WELL DONE CRISTIANO RONALDO

[Cristao II]

I see 'after the facts' analysis blaming Didier saying he was lucky. Some people sef.

[theYemster]

Nothing more to be said, see below:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36760331

Portugal Euro 2016 win was for Cristiano Ronaldo - Pepe

Portugal won the Euro 2016 final against hosts France for the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, said defender Pepe.

Their captain went off in tears on a stretcher after 25 minutes following Dimitri Payet's tackle.

But Portugal went on to win their first major tournament thanks to substitute Eder's 25-yard strike in extra time.

"It was tough to lose our main man, the man who could at any moment score a goal. We said we would win it for him and we managed to do that," said Pepe.

"He could make the difference but we were warriors on the pitch," added the defender, who is a team-mate of Ronaldo at Real Madrid. "There was a lot of suffering, it was a very intense game."

Although Portugal had never won a major tournament before, this was their fourth European Championship semi-final or final in the past five tournaments - reaching the quarter-finals the other time.

They lost their only previous final - as Euro 2004 hosts - when underdogs Greece spoiled the party to leave a 19-year-old Ronaldo in tears. However, Sunday's final at the Stade de France saw roles reversed with Portugal this time upsetting the hosts to win the final.

Ronaldo, the most capped and prolific player in Portugal's history - with 61 goals in 133 caps - was in tears when he initially came off the pitch following Payet's tackle.

After some treatment he came back on for a few minutes, but had to admit defeat and came off on a stretcher, again in tears, as he threw his captain's armband to the ground before handing it to Nani.

The 31-year-old has won three Champions League titles and been named World Player of the Year three times, but had never lifted a trophy for his country,

"I am very happy," said the forward, who cheered on his team-mates and shouted instructions from the sidelines in animated fashion during the frantic final moments of extra time.

"I have been looking for this for a long time, since 2004. I asked God for another chance at this because we deserved it. Today I was unfortunate, I was injured but I always believed that these players, together with the strategy, would be strong enough to beat France.

"This is one of the happiest moments in my career, I always said I'd like to win something with Portugal."


Portugal hero Eder, who came on as a substitute, joined Swansea last summer but moved on to Lille after failing to score in 15 appearances. His strike against France was his first competitive international goal.

Ronaldo had given him some words of encouragement at half-time in extra time, four minutes before his winner.

"Cristiano told me I would score the winning goal," said the 29-year-old. "He gave me strength and positive energy. A lot of hard work went into it.

"With the injury to Ronaldo, we went through a tough time because he's very important for us but he gave us all his courage and his strength. We were able to win it for him and all the Portuguese people."

Portugal, who were 20-1 to win the tournament, only won one of their seven matches in 90 minutes - the 2-0 semi-final win over Wales.

They qualified for the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams having drawn against Iceland 1-1, Austria 0-0 and then Hungary 3-3.

Fernando Santos' side beat Croatia 1-0 in extra time in the last 16 and Poland on penalties in the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw. They are the first team to go to three extra times in one European Championship.

Portugal and Southampton defender Jose Fonte said: "I was playing League One a few years ago. It defies description - this could be a Hollywood movie.

"France are an amazing team. We lost our skipper, who is the best player in the world, but we believed to the end. Portugal has a shiny future."

Santos took charge of his native Portugal in September 2014. The Iberians have not lost any of his 14 competitive games in charge.

"I am very happy, of course," he said. "First of all I'd like to thank God for being with us, my wife, my mother, my grandson. My father, wherever he is - he's probably having a few beers.

"Cristiano is an amazing example. Today he tried to remain on the pitch. He was very strong in the locker room, he helped all of the boys, that's the definition of team-work. We have a bright future but right now we need to celebrate."

Really? So had Ronaldo not gotten injured they wouldn't have wanted to win it?

Nonsense!!!

[Coach]

@Vince, WE blamed Tottenham for England's exit, when Koscielny loses his battle and is thrown about the park like a frisbee, it's a systematic failure. Everybody else's fault. Plain and simple. Lloris for not being taller, Umtiti for not knowing how casually Koscielny gets Drogba'd, Aron Gunnarason sp. for not being of Gaulic ancestry. B*llocks, if Koscielny stops his man, nothing happens. When France needed him most, he was Drogba'd.

There's a video with re-runs of Eder manhandling Koscielny to a backdrop of Ludacris' Move B*tch Get Out The Way floating around Whatsapp. Comical.

Drogba'd.

[Rogermilla]

Lol at sell done Ronaldo lol lol

Tell me abt it. Only one forumer could be that stupid. When you have guys like Carvalho, Pepe, Fonye and many others who left it all on the field and the only player you can think of is one who did not participate in the game, then clearly all isn't well upstairs

The TV cameras also ignored the guy who scored the winning goal and the players who actually played the match. Instead, the cameras focused on Ronaldo after the match (even before the match ended). Then, we have a radio pundit claiming that "Ronaldo is now one of the greats" (based on a match he did not play).

he played a part to get them there.

Anyway e dey pain all you Tax Cheat fanboys.

He's retired.....innit

My able Ghana In law, yi di pain them too much. Ronaldo made an impact both on and off the pitch. Wish a certain number 10 could do same lol

[Rogermilla]

Cristiano Ronaldo has proven to be successful everywhere that he has gone.

...and he pays his taxes too

[Rogermilla]

Lol at sell done Ronaldo lol lol

Tell me abt it. Only one forumer could be that stupid. When you have guys like Carvalho, Pepe, Fonye and many others who left it all on the field and the only player you can think of is one who did not participate in the game, then clearly all isn't well upstairs

They wouldn't have been in the final without Ronaldo.

This is a tournament not a friendly match.

lol but they would have made it without that defense and young Carhvalo in the mid huh.

I'm really not hating here but Ronaldo did absolutely nothing special all tournament. He played furthest foward and ended with 3 goals and same did Nani.

His three goals were very significant plus his assists helped Portugal to win the Championship.

[Coach]

^Could be argued, his premature departure from the game forced Portugal to dig deep and find the stars within themselves. Such adversity can prove fine motivation. The 11 men on the field, played their part fabulously and needless to say, with Ronaldo on the pitch, are less likely to have been so resolute. All that aside, the Championship will be remembered for 2 things, Gignac for Giroud, one of the most baffling moves repeated times over and DidiEder Drogba.

[camex]

1. Congrats to Portugal, although they barely deserve it.
2. I feel sorry for the French players
3. Serves Deschamps right for leaving out Benzema, one of the best strikers in Europe
4. Very annoying to see the TV cameras following Ronaldo around despite doing absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, they ignore the man who actually scored the winning goal and the keeper who kept Portugal in the game in normal time.

Give it a rest bro,
1) He is their biggest star and will be foolish not to follow him around..Did not Camera man following Messi in Copa finals even when chili were the winner?
2) France target was to stop Ronaldo and after they injured him they forget basic tactics and Ronaldo was in touch line direct his boys.That is class and he has won a major international trophy with average team something Messi and his world class team mate have not done even in Copa that is easy to win than euro.
Lastly congratulations to Portugal and you should give the man his due.Figo and other great portugal side has never done this to lead their teams.

Congratulations to Portugal!!!

I never understood either France did not bring Benzema to the championship.

[oloye]

Goal came from a French Throw-in. Shocking defending all round. It truly was sheer misery. Watching Sissoko and you see why Pogba was remonstrating with him angrily after the goal. But truth be told, it was a catalogue of errors, right from the French not being set and in position for the throw-in.

You are still living in denial my good friend,how Sissoko a player so far from the action gets any blame can only be because you are trying so hard not to accept the truth. To start with Sissoko was no where near Eder, no two, Sissoko was not a DM, so how could he follow or track a player that was already being marked by Kos, no three, the responsibility of marking Eder was on the centerhalfs, that is why they are on the field,to pick up the striker. At the time of the so called throwing KOS was on Eder, he shrugged him off., tje next defensive responsibility falls on the DMs and Umititi. In fact one can argue that Kos left Eder because he was confident that his partner was still in position, we call that handing your man over , i steas Umititi backed off.
Someone said he backded off because he does not want to be dribbled, it is dumber to back off into your box while giving the attacker the room to shoot at the edge of your box. No one said rush in, he should close down the shooting space, there is a reason people donr shoot when you are standing in their face, they need the space to so. Closing down an opponent is not rushing in, you simply do so to narrow his shooting range. Backing off into the box does two things both which favor the striker...the defender unsights his keeper and he allows the striker a free shot at goal. The most annoying is a defender who rather than spread himself big with the aim of blocking the shot,instead turns his back making himself smaller in the process.

Now there is a video there , feel free to cross check all the points i made. Lloris saw the ball late, he was shofting as Eder was shifting , he saw the action late because he was partly unsighted.

That Pogba was shouting at Sissoko does not mean he was blaming Sissoko, in situations like this players react, sometimes there are players you cannot talk to directly and you voice your disgist aloud to the ones you talk to, the aim being to allow everyone to hear.

Anyone blaming Sissoko while leaving the two defenders whose primary duty is to shut off a striker from turning and taking a shot in front of their box, either such is refusing to acknowledge the truth or they do npt understand what they are watching.

Whenever a striker scores from the middle the cd's look at themselves in the mirror,they failed in their primary duties.

[oloye]

1. Congrats to Portugal, although they barely deserve it.
2. I feel sorry for the French players
3. Serves Deschamps right for leaving out Benzema, one of the best strikers in Europe
4. Very annoying to see the TV cameras following Ronaldo around despite doing absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, they ignore the man who actually scored the winning goal and the keeper who kept Portugal in the game in normal time.

Give it a rest bro,
1) He is their biggest star and will be foolish not to follow him around..Did not Camera man following Messi in Copa finals even when chili were the winner?
2) France target was to stop Ronaldo and after they injured him they forget basic tactics and Ronaldo was in touch line direct his boys.That is class and he has won a major international trophy with average team something Messi and his world class team mate have not done even in Copa that is easy to win than euro.
Lastly congratulations to Portugal and you should give the man his due.Figo and other great portugal side has never done this to lead their teams.

Congratulations to Portugal!!!

I never understood either France did not bring Benzema to the championship.

He was in the previous tournaments and they did not get this far. He would have controbuted no doubt but that is no guarantee for anything, he was kept out of the team for a reason..the reason that borders on team spirit.

[camex]

1. Congrats to Portugal, although they barely deserve it.
2. I feel sorry for the French players
3. Serves Deschamps right for leaving out Benzema, one of the best strikers in Europe
4. Very annoying to see the TV cameras following Ronaldo around despite doing absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, they ignore the man who actually scored the winning goal and the keeper who kept Portugal in the game in normal time.

Give it a rest bro,
1) He is their biggest star and will be foolish not to follow him around..Did not Camera man following Messi in Copa finals even when chili were the winner?
2) France target was to stop Ronaldo and after they injured him they forget basic tactics and Ronaldo was in touch line direct his boys.That is class and he has won a major international trophy with average team something Messi and his world class team mate have not done even in Copa that is easy to win than euro.
Lastly congratulations to Portugal and you should give the man his due.Figo and other great portugal side has never done this to lead their teams.

Congratulations to Portugal!!!

I never understood either France did not bring Benzema to the championship.

He was in the previous tournaments and they did not get this far. He would have controbuted no doubt but that is no guarantee for anything, he was kept out of the team for a reason..the reason that borders on team spirit.

Ok. I heard something like that but was not quite sure about the whole story.

[Cristao II]

1. Congrats to Portugal, although they barely deserve it.
2. I feel sorry for the French players
3. Serves Deschamps right for leaving out Benzema, one of the best strikers in Europe
4. Very annoying to see the TV cameras following Ronaldo around despite doing absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, they ignore the man who actually scored the winning goal and the keeper who kept Portugal in the game in normal time.

Give it a rest bro,
1) He is their biggest star and will be foolish not to follow him around..Did not Camera man following Messi in Copa finals even when chili were the winner?
2) France target was to stop Ronaldo and after they injured him they forget basic tactics and Ronaldo was in touch line direct his boys.That is class and he has won a major international trophy with average team something Messi and his world class team mate have not done even in Copa that is easy to win than euro.
Lastly congratulations to Portugal and you should give the man his due.Figo and other great portugal side has never done this to lead their teams.

Congratulations to Portugal!!!

I never understood either France did not bring Benzema to the championship.

He was in the previous tournaments and they did not get this far. He would have controbuted no doubt but that is no guarantee for anything, he was kept out of the team for a reason..the reason that borders on team spirit.

KPOM!!

[Dammy]

Rewatched the game. *Matuidi tears and agony. oh so yummy


Matuidi- A useless player from Ivory Coast that almost amputated Onazi in 2014.

Watching the clumsy Matuidi cry, was sweet revenge for WC2014.

[tfco]

Nothing more to be said, see below:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36760331

Portugal Euro 2016 win was for Cristiano Ronaldo - Pepe

Portugal won the Euro 2016 final against hosts France for the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, said defender Pepe.

Their captain went off in tears on a stretcher after 25 minutes following Dimitri Payet's tackle.

But Portugal went on to win their first major tournament thanks to substitute Eder's 25-yard strike in extra time.

"It was tough to lose our main man, the man who could at any moment score a goal. We said we would win it for him and we managed to do that," said Pepe.

"He could make the difference but we were warriors on the pitch," added the defender, who is a team-mate of Ronaldo at Real Madrid. "There was a lot of suffering, it was a very intense game."

Although Portugal had never won a major tournament before, this was their fourth European Championship semi-final or final in the past five tournaments - reaching the quarter-finals the other time.

They lost their only previous final - as Euro 2004 hosts - when underdogs Greece spoiled the party to leave a 19-year-old Ronaldo in tears. However, Sunday's final at the Stade de France saw roles reversed with Portugal this time upsetting the hosts to win the final.

Ronaldo, the most capped and prolific player in Portugal's history - with 61 goals in 133 caps - was in tears when he initially came off the pitch following Payet's tackle.

After some treatment he came back on for a few minutes, but had to admit defeat and came off on a stretcher, again in tears, as he threw his captain's armband to the ground before handing it to Nani.

The 31-year-old has won three Champions League titles and been named World Player of the Year three times, but had never lifted a trophy for his country,

"I am very happy," said the forward, who cheered on his team-mates and shouted instructions from the sidelines in animated fashion during the frantic final moments of extra time.

"I have been looking for this for a long time, since 2004. I asked God for another chance at this because we deserved it. Today I was unfortunate, I was injured but I always believed that these players, together with the strategy, would be strong enough to beat France.

"This is one of the happiest moments in my career, I always said I'd like to win something with Portugal."


Portugal hero Eder, who came on as a substitute, joined Swansea last summer but moved on to Lille after failing to score in 15 appearances. His strike against France was his first competitive international goal.

Ronaldo had given him some words of encouragement at half-time in extra time, four minutes before his winner.

"Cristiano told me I would score the winning goal," said the 29-year-old. "He gave me strength and positive energy. A lot of hard work went into it.

"With the injury to Ronaldo, we went through a tough time because he's very important for us but he gave us all his courage and his strength. We were able to win it for him and all the Portuguese people."

Portugal, who were 20-1 to win the tournament, only won one of their seven matches in 90 minutes - the 2-0 semi-final win over Wales.

They qualified for the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams having drawn against Iceland 1-1, Austria 0-0 and then Hungary 3-3.

Fernando Santos' side beat Croatia 1-0 in extra time in the last 16 and Poland on penalties in the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw. They are the first team to go to three extra times in one European Championship.

Portugal and Southampton defender Jose Fonte said: "I was playing League One a few years ago. It defies description - this could be a Hollywood movie.

"France are an amazing team. We lost our skipper, who is the best player in the world, but we believed to the end. Portugal has a shiny future."

Santos took charge of his native Portugal in September 2014. The Iberians have not lost any of his 14 competitive games in charge.

"I am very happy, of course," he said. "First of all I'd like to thank God for being with us, my wife, my mother, my grandson. My father, wherever he is - he's probably having a few beers.

"Cristiano is an amazing example. Today he tried to remain on the pitch. He was very strong in the locker room, he helped all of the boys, that's the definition of team-work. We have a bright future but right now we need to celebrate."

[camex]

I just noticed that the portuguese captain was born in Cape Verde. This is another example of integration of immigrants leading to a victory.

[tfco]

I just noticed that the portuguese captain was born in Cape Verde. This is another example of integration of immigrants leading to a victory.

who is the captain?

[nianiote]

[/video]

[tfco]

best month of sports for me

1. Cavs defeat Dubs

2. USA get spanked by Argies

3. The Swede wins f*ck all (and sends Chief Contributing Clickbait Blogger into hiding)

4. England KTFO

edit: 5. CR7 wins what The Tax Cheat Swede has not been able to win

update.

This summer has indeed been good.

[Vincent.]

Lol at sell done Ronaldo lol lol

Tell me abt it. Only one forumer could be that stupid. When you have guys like Carvalho, Pepe, Fonye and many others who left it all on the field and the only player you can think of is one who did not participate in the game, then clearly all isn't well upstairs

The TV cameras also ignored the guy who scored the winning goal and the players who actually played the match. Instead, the cameras focused on Ronaldo after the match (even before the match ended). Then, we have a radio pundit claiming that "Ronaldo is now one of the greats" (based on a match he did not play).

he played a part to get them there.

Anyway e dey pain all you Tax Cheat fanboys.

He's retired.....innit

What are you talking about? I know Messi has inflicted a lot of pain on you and your team over the past 10 years, but you need to learn to mask your pain

What I am saying is that Eder and Patricio (the keeper) did not deserve to have their moments of glory taken away from them just to focus all the attention on someone who was not even playing. Eder was the hero. The last time I checked, Ronaldo, Eder, and Patricio are all Portuguese and not Argentine.

By the way, I would say the same thing if Huguain scored a title-wining goal with Messi injured on the bench: the cameras should focus on Higuain in that case and not on someone who did not play.

[camex]

I just noticed that the portuguese captain was born in Cape Verde. This is another example of integration of immigrants leading to a victory.

who is the captain?

Ronaldo handed the band to Nani.

[nianiote]

[tfco]

[marko]

It was just like watching the african nations cup final, france, nigeria, portugal cameroon! Finesse versus sheer brute force, thats how cameroon used to beat nigeria