Saint-Denis (France): With Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the field early due to an injury, France was in a stronger position to beat Portugal but the extra time goal by substitute Éder secured his country first football title.
Portugal defeated France 1-0 in the European Championship final on Sunday as Eder cut through the French defence and struck a low shot from 25 metres (yards) past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the 109th minute at the Stade de France.
Twelve years after losing to Greece on home soil in their last final appearance, it was Portugal’s turn to spoil the host nation’s party. And they achieved it by winning only one of their seven games at Euro 2016 inside 90 minutes.
The victory ended Portugal's run of 10 straight defeats against France, who had eliminated them at Euro 1984, Euro 2000 and the 2006 World Cup.
It was dull and stodgy at times but the record books will only show that Portugal went from third-place in its group to champion, with little help from Ronaldo in its last match.European football’s biggest match lost its biggest name midway through the first half of a cagey final on the outskirts of the French capital.
Ronaldo went down under Dimitri Payet’s ninth-minute challenge and was twice forced off to receive treatment on the touchline.
However determined Ronaldo was to lead Portugal to glory, his left knee could cope no more and he was carried off on a stretcher midway through the first half.
Ronaldo was in tears but he returned just before extra time to address his weary teammates. They seemed to be inspired by Ronaldo’s re-emergence and the Real Madrid forward was soon leaping off the bench in celebrations.
Then he was lying on the turf again at the final whistle, this time in disbelief rather than pain.
Victory was above all sweet for Ronaldo, despite his early exit.
He had shed tears on the pitch as a 19-year-old after Greece's win in Euro 2004 in Lisbon, cried as he was carried off on Sunday and shed more tears as he raced on in celebration at full-time.
"It was tough because we lost our main man and we had all our hopes pinned on him because he's a player who can score a goal at any minute," Portugal defender Pepe said. "When he said he couldn't go on, I tried to tell my teammates that we have to win it for him. That we were going to fight for him."
And they did.
Red and green confetti descended from the roof onto Ronaldo and his victorious teammates as supporters of the hosts flooded out of the stadium, denied a third victory on French soil to add to Euro '84 and the 1998 World Cup.
"Football can be very cruel," said Lloris, France's captain. "The overriding emotion is a lot of sadness."
It was a mostly dull and stodgy final but the record books will only show that Portugal went from third-place in its group to champion, and with little help from Ronaldo in its last match.
European football's biggest game lost its biggest name after 25 minutes of a cagey final on the outskirts of the French capital.
"Today I had bad luck because I had a small injury in the beginning of the teams, but my colleagues did their part — they run, they fight ... nobody believed in Portugal but we won," Ronaldo said.
After years of planning, the championship's first 24-team tournament became a reality over the last month, but the quality of football deteriorated. Such a sterile showpiece — the first European Championship final to be scoreless after 90 minutes — seemed a fitting climax.
Even France forward Antoine Griezmann, the tournament's leading scorer, couldn't rise to the big occasion. There was no seventh goal of Euro 2016 from the Atletico Madrid forward, who also lost out in the Champions League final six weeks ago to Ronaldo's Real Madrid.
Griezmann was the first player to find the target, buthisa header was tipped over by Rui Patricio, who was formidable in the Portugal goal. When an inviting cross from Kingsley Coman was delivered in the 66th, Griezmann missed with a free header.
(AP inputs)
