Euro 2016 - Well done Portugal

When Cristiano Ronaldo left the stage, which meant so much for him, I felt sad. The electric environment at the Stade de France lost one of the greatest footballer of this era and somehow, it was a relief for the French players and fans as without Cristiano Ronaldo, this Portugal team’s confidence would be lessened by at least 70% and a French victory has been just a matter of time. Even if Cristiano Roanldo is not involved with the team so actively while playing, his presence is always a confidence-booster for his men.

But those who claim, CR7 is a selfish fellow and plays only for himself, they had ended up with eggs on their face last night. CR7 is a leader and he is capable of leading his side from the off the field as well. Some players can be from a different planet, but leaders are born on mother earth and neither on Mars nor in Neptune.   

Peter Stauton stated, “Ronaldo, one-legged, was directing his troops from the dugout, walking alongside his coach, trying to affect the play in any way he could. Before extra time and again at the switch over, Ronaldo was there with his men, talking to them and inspiring them. There was nothing he could contribute on the field following Dimitri Payet's awkward first-half challenge which brought him to tears. He was powerless”.

The tears of CR7 stimulated Portugal and they faced the challenge of overturning the history and stats which were against them from the start of the match. CR7 has proved, he is the definition of a champion and leader. The press always insults him to glorify a player from different planets, but one thing they forget, until and unless you deliver the best for your country, you are just the best of a generation, but not the all-time best footballer. Winning tournaments like the FIFA World Cup and Euro is the ultimate accolade. CR7 took his greatness to a new level after winning the Euro last night. 

France had a wonderful record against Portugal. Since 1976, Porugal have not fared well against them while they were blessed with home advantage and a competent squad, but I stated few days back, this French team was never tested by a solid defensive unit and lacks the cutting edge to dismantle any solid defensive units.

Portugal’s park-the-bus-style has been widely criticized and even, at times, I was annoyed by their defensive tactics. But I and others forget, if you are not blessed with a brilliant squad, then, there are no other options than to park-the-bus and then go for the counterattack. But above all, your defence should be a well-drilled one. Picking up rubbish products like Carlos Dunga won’t help you at all.

The French pushed forward and created opportunities, but still failed. They lost the match in the midfield where it was neutralized by the Portuguese midfielders who either shut it down or won the ball back whenever France tried to build up a play. Didier Deschamps must admit, his ploy to utilize Pogba as a deeplying playmaker was not the right move as it shifted him from those areas in which he is best at doing things.

The French were predictable and failed to deliver that ultimate vim which is much needed to lift a trophy.

The French were lucky, but why luck deserted them? Many of us fail to understand, in majority of the times, our luck is created by our own actions and Deschamps’ men failed to perform whereas, Portugal managed to grab the attention of lady luck as because, they never gave up even when the circumstances were against them. The substitutions of Fernando Santos tells you, how he was inspired by the proverb” No risk, no gain” and surfaced, those players whose abilities  were not well known by the opposition other than the coach himself. Last night, during the extra-time, with the French unit feeling the pressure, a perfect number 9 was needed for the cutting edge. Santos brought on Eder and the rest is history.

Lastly, Rui Patricio and Pepe deserve a lot of credit for their excellent display throughout the match last night and tournament

Thank You

Faisal Caesar