France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

[Mumpo]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

I didn't watch the final cause I was still sulking about Germany getting knocked out, but it seemed like the ideal outcome - dull game, France beaten, Ronaldo absent for most of it but still managing to make an arse of himself.

What is it with Real Madrid strikers and their ability to summon insect familiars?

[Duncan Gardner]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

The party in Norn Iron's Little Lisbon (not Lisburn but Dungannon) is still going on, the local Timorese diaspora to the fore.

An exuberant community who live life to the full. There was an incident a few years ago when one of them looked a bit funny at a next door Latvian's bird/ car/ pint. They had to throw both of them in the cells until an interpreter arrived from Manchester to sort it out

[steveeeeeeeee]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Borracho wrote: Jim Beglin on RTE says: "Moutinho coming in. I think that's a positive move." Is he genuinely unaware Moutinho is a defensive midfielder?

Moutinho isn't a defensive midfielder. Either centre midfield, Number 10 or played on the right.

[steveeeeeeeee]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Forgot, of course, to mention Rui Patricio. A goalkeeper who is regularly a source of great merriment for Benfiquistas.

He was just a different player during this tournament. I've watched him for years and can't recall him ever catching a cross or corner with both hands. Yet, he was doing it for fun in this tournament.

[steveeeeeeeee]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Ferguson's wait is as heart-warming as Ronaldo's genuine happiness to see him.

He's carried his national team for a decade

We really need to define "carry" here. If carry means carry the burden of publicity for the team, press conferences, formal engagements, acting as spokesman for the players, setting an incredible example of professionalism, just ensuring all the players can concentrate on playing whilst he takes care of the circus, then yes, he's been carrying them for years now.

If we're saying Ronaldo has been carrying the national team because he's the only decent player in it, then that is nonsense and the kind of nonsense highlighted undoubtedly by Portugal's performance in the final. There have always been quality supporting players in the Ronaldo-era and I would say 2014 was the only really bad tournament because Pepe, Nani and Moutinho were playing poorly at the time and the team really was just Ronaldo + 10.

I think there was a danger of that happening this year, but Pepe and Nani were consistently playing great football, William found his best form again and the introduction of Renato Sanches gave Portugal a plyer nobody else in the tournament could match. Then, the latter stages cameos by Quaresma and especially Moutinho made a huge impact on games. Ronaldo was inconsistent, but his presence was vital on and off the pitch. Finally, I'm starting to feel the tide of opinion is finally starting to turn in his favour (something Ray de Galles and I have appreciated for years). Yes, he's a huge ego, yes, he's not the person you'd want to hang out with - but as a professional, as an example of giving absolutely everything to achieve your goals, he is possibly one of the most admirable human beings of my lifetime.

[Ray de Galles]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Strange to think warmly of Ferguson but I thought this was a nice touch.

[Sam]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Yeah, agreed. I missed the final (I was travelling back from Montevideo), and was saddened when I heard the result, but on seeing the highlights I found myself quite surprised by how I actually felt quite happy for Ronaldo. He's carried his national team for a decade, had an awareness of himself as the star that's seemed* to be born from an honest assessment of his worth to the team rather than pumped-up arrogance, and quite clearly, in spite of his enormous wealth and all the club trophies he's won, this meant a tremendous amount to him.

I can overlook the fact he seems to be a bit of a bellend, largely because that only really applies to trivial stuff that doesn't really matter; yes there's the tearing off of shirts after European Cup wins when he's been pretty awful in the final, yes there's that ridiculous shouting into the mic after winning the Ballon d'Or and so on, and no I wouldn't want to invite him to a dinner party or anything, but in many, many other ways - all the stuff we know about how he lives his off-pitch life, that is - he basically seems like a decent enough chap. He's a hard player to love at club level, but for Portugal it feels very different.

Plus Lisbon's a wonderful city and every Portuguese person I know or have met has been very nice. And France's collection of individuals winning it would've been a shame in a way.

*A friend of mine worked for the official broadcasters during Euro 2012, following Portugal around, and did daily interviews with him during the tournament, so this is first-hand information.

[jason voorhees]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

LOVE THIS VID of C-Ron coaching.

You really see how he helped his team to win. It looks like a high school game, with the little whippersnapper and the grizzled coach who's constantly having to push him aside but probably enjoys the company.

Keeping the crowd in the game, keeping his team in the game. It should be shown for how to be a leader when you can't play.

[jason voorhees]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

linus wrote:
Cheers JV. I guess they must be celebrating pretty hard in Newark and other parts of Jersey tonight.

Slightly subdued, especially compared to the raucous Spain celebrations 4 years ago, but I'm sure there are better vids somewhere else.

edit - HERE's the Parade.

[jason voorhees]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

steveeeeeeeee wrote: Haven't been able to read the thread yet, but Rui Patricio's performance has been covered, right? He played a thousand times better than I've ever seen him play. The whole team were incredible, but he was phenomenal.

Very funny one with Arsene for any Arse-haters.

[SouthdownRebel]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Ray de Galles wrote:

should have penos before ET. make last 30 mins somewhat exciting. so whomever wins penos would win if a draw after ET.

That is continually hawked around and is one of the crappest ideas I have ever heard.

Terrible, gimmicky, artificial non-football (even more non-football than penalties themselves) nonsense and far worse than the current format.

It also would do nothing to solve the problem of teams playing defensively in extra time. The team that won the penalty shoot out would then park the bus for 30 minutes.

[Snake Plissken]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Why are you all talking about it being over? Have you seen what is happening back in Bordeaux?

[steveeeeeeeee]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Haven't been able to read the thread yet, but Rui Patricio's performance has been covered, right? He played a thousand times better than I've ever seen him play. The whole team were incredible, but he was phenomenal.

[G-Man]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

I don't care if it's true or not, but I go with linus here. Only because I wanted France to lose as a result of a wrong handball decision*. This sort of gives me that satisfaction.

* Henry. Not Schweini.

[linus]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

It was the view of the TSN analysts, and they made a very good case, using footage from different angles not included in the live feed that showed Lloris hitting the post and hobbling about in the two-minute stretch between his collision with the post and the goal conceded.

Their coverage and halftime/postgame analyses have been consistently solid, a lot better than the American and French panels, surprisingly so.

The handball call itself might have been the worst call of the tournament, you don't see that kind of misatributed handball error very often.

[ursus arctos]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Bad mistake.

Not outcome determinative unless one adopts the linus view of Lloris' suboptimal reaction to Eder's shot.

[Reed John]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

My nephew was very upset about the handball mistake. He's still at that age where he gets very upset about officiating. I didn't see it. Was it a crucial error?

[linus]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

jason voorhees wrote: Goodnight.

Poo Too Gaow Allez. Commiserations, Linus, Renart, and Les Blues Krewe.

Cheers JV. I guess they must be celebrating pretty hard in Newark and other parts of Jersey tonight.

[linus]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

jason voorhees wrote: Linus, picture #4 is the most damning in the first set.

Absolutely shitty positioning. His dive was good enough. It was way too late, and because of his poor angling he was guarding a 10-yard-wide goal instead of an 8-yard one.

Like I said, the difference between winning a title or not. Knee or not.

Watch the shot again, particularly the very last replay, which was taken from behind the net and shows very well Lloris' dive from the point where he's still leaning sideways, his right foot still planted. It shows that he got very little extension from his pivot right foot pushing off the ground, about a foot's worth, when you'd expect two or three. His dive was nowhere near good enough.

TSN Canada showed the entire footage of his previous dive through to the Eder shot. He goes up trying to save the freekick, and lands banging his right knee on the post with his right leg planted, it looked painful. He hobbles around for a minute, then gets ready for Eder's shot. The footage showed that he had clearly not recovered, he got very little side lift off his dive.

[jason voorhees]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Goodnight.

Poo Too Gaow Allez. Commiserations, Linus, Renart, and Les Blues Krewe.

[jason voorhees]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Linus, picture #4 is the most damning in the first set.

Absolutely shitty positioning. His dive was good enough. It was way too late, and because of his poor angling he was guarding a 10-yard-wide goal instead of an 8-yard one.

Like I said, the difference between winning a title or not. Knee or not.

[jason voorhees]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Then finally, Pogba yelling because Umtiti was taking as leisurely a stroll as he also was.

[linus]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

jason voorhees wrote: I'll drop the GK Adv thing, but this is the difference between a goalkeeper that can win you a title and one that can't.

Stuck in the mud, not beginning his dive until the ball was well on its way, and out of position = Lose The Final.

Watch the replay of the phantom handball freekick right before the goal, JV. Lloris banged his right knee pretty hard on the post, and did not recover in time for the Eder shot. He doesn't get nearly as much power and quick thrust off his right leg, and is a few inches short.

He's made more difficult saves all through the tournament.

[jason voorhees]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Then Samuel Umtiti's Bravery and Being A Better Door Than A Window played into it...
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[Uncle Ethan]

France - Portugal, Sunday evening football

Maybe you mean the Austria match where he missed a penalty? He scored two goals against Hungary to keep Portugal in the competition.

Yes, you're right Calvert, Austria it was.