So that’s that then. After fifty-one games, it turns out that Portugal are the best team in Europe. Who would have predicted that? Particularly after they lost their first qualifying game to Albania. Literally no-one fancied Portugal even with their superstar striker. But this is obviously the year when strange things happen in football. No doubt the Portuguese version of Gary Lineker is preparing to present their football highlights programme in his underpants.
I started supporting the Portuguese after Ronaldo’s injury. Up to that point, I’d wanted France to win because they were the better team and it was in France and also, I thought it would be funny to see Cristiano Ronaldo crying. But when he got injured and taken off after fifteen minutes and actually cried, I felt terrible. I felt like I’d in some way contributed to this man’s lifetime dream being shattered in front of the eyes of the world. I hadn’t of course. Dimitri Payet had done that with what could be classed as a firm tackle.
At that moment, I switched sides. I wasn’t actively cheering them on you understand. I was just less against them winning. I find it weird that I can dislike a team for playing exactly the same way as the Italians even though I really like the Italians. I think it’s got a lot to do with the play acting which Portugal seem to excel at. Particularly Pepe. But there’s been very little of that at this tournament and as the game wore on, I slowly started to warm to them. They’d lost their one world class player but they kept plugging away and they had the odd chance as well.
It was also because France did not go for the jugular. The French have an exciting array of talent at their disposal but they were a bit conservative. Any team that brings on Gignac before Martial is a bit too pragmatic for my liking. I’d like to have seen a bit more derring do. Sissokho had a good turn and shot in the first half, Grieszman should have scored a header in the second half and France almost won it in injury time when Gignac left Pepe on his arse and mishit a shot that hit the post. And that was it.
During extra time, nothing much happened and we all thought that this rather tame affair would end in penalties. And then out of nowhere, Eder turned Laurent Koscielny and thumped the ball into the bottom corner from twenty yards. A dull game won by an excellent goal.
Ronaldo might be a selfish individualist but there was no disguising his desperation for the final whistle to go and his joy when it did. Although he didn’t play much of a part in the final, he still got three goals in the tournament. He deserves this moment as much as any of the others. I’m sure that in that moment, it crossed his mind that Lionel Messi has never won a senior title with Argentina.
As for France, they’ll go away and lick their wounds. It wasn’t the healing victory that they would’ve hoped for but the tournament passed off without any major incidents and I think if you’d offered them that at the beginning, they’d have taken it.
Highpoints - Wales victory over Belgium was brilliant. In fact the whole Wales adventure was great. Closely followed by Irelands late winner against Italy. Such a beautiful moment. I also enjoyed Hungary striker Adam Szalai ending his forty-four game barren spell by scoring the winner against Austria in front of his own fans and most of Iceland’s unexpected run to the quarter finals.
Lowpoints - The one bit of Iceland’s run I didn’t enjoy was of course England’s defeat to them in the last sixteen. England have been bad at tournaments in the past but this was a new low. One of the worst performances I’ve ever seen. It won’t make me stop supporting England completely but at the World Cup, I think I’ll hold back on fully committing until I see something worth fully committing to. I’ve been let down once too often. Also, the crowd violence in Marseille. England fans are a lot better behaved than they ever used to be but we still have a minority that makes most of us embarrassed. But the Russians have taken it to another level completely and that needs seriously looking at. I really can’t imagine why anyone would want to go to the World Cup there in two years time.
As for the tournament as a whole, it never really got going and there wasn’t a single great game although Wales v Belgium was compelling viewing. I’m not sure international football is all that good anymore although I imagine Welsh fans might disagree. I just don’t think it’s as exciting as the later stages of the Champions League although that has its own issues. There are too many negative tactics and it might be worth it for UEFA to look at ways of incentivising teams to make them go for it a bit more. I also think that missing a semi-final for two yellow cards in five games is a bit harsh.
That’s also it for this blog. Thanks for reading it. The Premier League season starts in thirty-three days.
No comments:
Post a Comment