Euro 2016 - 'Mr Muscles, the man for the big occasion': How the pundits saw Portugal's triumph
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Updated 11/07/2016 at 08:18 GMT
The great and the good from British football punditry and journalism were in attendance at the the Euro 2016 final to see Portugal triumph over France. Here’s how they reacted to to last night’s action.
Cristiano Ronaldo somehow loses his shirt at Euro 2016
Image credit: Reuters
Understandably, much of the focus was on Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury and eventual triumph.
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Henry Winter, in the Times, captured the moment of Ronaldo’s celebration when he held the trophy aloft:
"Ronaldo limped across to the Portugal fans at the end, returning without his shirt, providing a glorious opportunity for the hordes of photographers. He hobbled up the stairs, a Portuguese flag wrapped around his waist, taking centre stage as he awaited the trophy.
Ronaldo seized it, and lifted it jubilantly to the heavens, as his team-mates crowded round. He showed it to the cameras, and the supporters, and shook it again. It meant so much.
His arch rival, Lionel Messi, has never savoured such an experience, getting to hold a trophy aloft for his country."
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Image credit: AFP
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The Sun’s Neil Ashton didn’t forget how Ronaldo had dragged his side to the final before succumbing to Dimitri Payet’s tackle in the first half:
Mr Muscles is usually the man for the big occasion. He saved Portugal by scoring twice in their final group game — a 3-3 draw against Hungary — that feels like a lifetime ago.
"The guy is ageless, leaping into the air to score with a brilliant header in the semi-final against Wales. Normally he would have bounced off Dimitri Payet’s seventh-minute challenge. This time, his night was over."
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Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with team mates and the trophy after winning Euro 2016
Image credit: Reuters
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Barney Ronay, in the Guardian, covered the tactical failings of Didier Deschamps last night. The midfield, with Paul Pogba at the base of the midfield rather than France’s attacking impetus, was muted and frustrated throughout the game:
"Paul Pogba was a huge disappointment, not least to himself. He passed neatly, but seemed a little lost, all his best qualities subsumed into an eager but slightly unconvincing impression of a passing central midfielder.
Here Pogba spent the last half-hour in a state of visible distress. Stabbing the ball out for a corner after a series of pointless jinks, he let out an huge roar and slapped himself on the cheek. In the aftermath of Portugal’s winning goal he screamed at his team-mates, communicating only panic.
"Pogba had a poor match, but he was also in a role that seemed to dull his one really outstanding quality, the ability to surge and play with abandon. France had the players to win this match, but not the style, with a clogged and knotted midfield that has never been properly untangled by Didier Deschamps."
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Pogba, Payet et Sissoko face à l'Islande
Image credit: AFP
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That analysis of Pogba's night seems spot on, which makes you wonder why nobody contacted Jamie Carragher to see if he wanted to update his phoned-in Daily Mail article before it was published at 10.30pm last night:
"Paul Pogba started Euro 2016 quietly but with every game his star quality has shone even more brightly," wrote the former Liverpool player.
"He has such an aura about him in midfield and now I want to see him dazzle in the Premier League."
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The Telegraph’s Sam Wallace believed that it was Portugal’s resilience and aptitude for avoiding defeat which saw them resist France, and overcome the early disadvantage of Ronaldo’s injury:
"It not just a victory because of Eder, although he provided the moment of quality. They missed Ronaldo, but without him Portugal had still been able to concentrate on what they do best – which is avoiding losing games, something they have become quite simply the European leaders at."
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The Daily Mirror’s John Cross noted that while France has been in a state of emergency for many months, they nonetheless came together to boo Michel Platini:
"It was their tournament and, after the final whistle, a big picture of Michel Platini was shown in the stadium with a message of thanks to the disgraced former UEFA president.
"That prompted loud boos from all corners of the ground [aimed at] the man credited with delivering the tournament to France."
Cross signed off with a criticism of the quality of the tournament as a whole.
"The problem was that France were never that convincing in a tournament which never really delivered good football. Good stories with Wales and Iceland, but the quality of games and football was poor. "
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