Well Portugal deserve to win the Euro, depending on how you see it. Though they were drab in most of the matches, they did not just sit back and defend, their counters were decisive and were not afraid of going forward when it matters. Things started taking a turn in that match against Croatia when in extra time they won 1-0.
To think that Fernando Santos has not lost a competitive match yet for Portugal is just an amazing feat coming into the final against France and beating them 1-0. Roy Hodgson can learn a lot from Santos, his substitutions throughout the tournament were sensible and when he brought on Eder for Renato Sanches - to say it was a master stroke would be an understatement, Sanches was pushed around by the French defenders and midfielders, he was no match for Sissokho, Matuidi and even Pogba.
Eder came in as a striker and Nani was pushed backed to midfield in a 4-1-4-1 and Eder delivered, nobody however would have expected Ronaldo to go out after 25 minutes by a clumsy tackle by Payet on him and even at this Santos adapted.
This is not the old Portugal, there was more team work and less individual play it was more of a sprinkle of individual play like the goal by Renato Sanches against Poland when Nani gave a nice back heel that opened up for Sanches to score a cracker.
Eder gave it a right go with his shot from outside the box, but when Ronaldo sat on the field with the moth flying around his face, it was a surreal moment and it would have taken a brave man to bet against France when Ronaldo came out, strangely Portugal seem to come alive even more after that, Mothman Prophecies?
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