FOLKS, ARE YOU
READY?
Defence-heavy
Portugal must check flexible France in midfield
Euro 2016 final
preview: Portugal v France Euro 2016 final: France
v/s Portugal – live streaming and where to watch on TV in India
Ronaldo v/s Griezmann. Portugal v/s France. This is going to be one big
clash.
And after a thrilling
tournament it’s time for the big one. France v/s Portugal. Griezmann v/s
Ronaldo Part 2 (They met in the all-Madrid UEFA Champions League final). Of
course all eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo, as commentators and pundits
alike, beat the same drum about how you can’t be a ‘Greatest of All Time’
unless you win something with your nation. The fact that his great rival Lionel
Messi failed to do so with Argentina in the Copa America 2016 final (and then
shockingly called time on his international career) means Ronaldo has the best shot
he will ever get to win this. Not that it will be easy, as Griezmann and the
French boys are hell-bent on winning it on home soil.
Match timing: 00:30 IST in
July 8
In India you can see the
live coverage of the match on TV channels SONY SIX and Sony ESPN. The live
commentary is also available in – Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. Check out the complete squad list.
In case you don’t live in
India, you can check out the TV channel broadcasting the Euro 2016 matches live here. You can check out
more coverage on dna’s page for Euro
2016.
Match Preview
France's Antoine Griezmann
will look to outshine Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo in title clash tonight
Paris: With France's
baby-faced poster boy Antoine Griezmann going up against preening Portugal
superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the Euro 2016 final will feature a duel between
two very different number sevens.
Griezmann, 25, is the
tournament's top scorer and is bidding to deliver success for the home nation
in his first major international final.
Ronaldo wept teenage tears
after Portugal's 1-0 loss to Greece in the Euro 2004 final and at 31, he knows
he may not get a better chance of success with his country.
"Euro 2004 was special
— I was just 19 and it was my first tournament," Ronaldo said after
scoring a magnificent header in Portugal's 2-0 semifinal win over Wales.
"Now we are in the
final again and we hope we will win it. I hope that we'll be smiling and that
it will be tears of joy in the end."
Griezmann has already had a
tearful tournament exit, having cried on the pitch at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana
after France lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals.
He appeared close to tears
again six weeks ago following Atletico Madrid's Champions League final defeat
by Real Madrid, in which he blasted a second-half penalty against the bar.
He atoned, partially, in
the penalty shootout, but Ronaldo had the last laugh, tucking away the fifth
and final spot-kick to secure his third European title.
It is Griezmann, however,
who has captured imaginations at the Euro and he provided another exhibition of
his talents with a brace in the 2-0 semi-final win over Germany.
"He's a great
player," said France coach Didier Deschamps. "In this Euro, he's been
decisive for us. He can score and he can help others score."
Disappointing in France's
opening 2-1 win over Romania, Griezmann came off the bench to head in a crucial
late goal in the 2-0 defeat of Albania.
But having started the
tournament on the right flank, it was only after being moved behind Olivier
Giroud at half-time of the last 16 clash with the Republic of Ireland that his
tournament sprang to life.
He scored twice in the
second half, found the net again in the 5-2 last 16 defeat of Iceland and
downed Germany almost single-handedly in Marseille on Thursday.
Paul Pogba went into the
tournament as the heir apparent to Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane. But
L'Equipe newspaper dubbed the team the "Griezmann Generation"
following the defeat of Germany.
Griezmann is the first
player to score six goals at a Euro since Platini, who netted nine times when
France triumphed as hosts of the 1984 tournament.
Ronaldo's goal against
Wales saw him equal Platini's record of nine goals at Euro finals, but whereas
it took the Frenchman one tournament to set his mark, it has taken the Portugal
captain four to equal it.
Like Griezmann, Ronaldo
made a slow start to the tournament.
He was widely ridiculed for
accusing Iceland — population 3,30,000 — of having a "small
mentality" after the 1-1 draw between the teams and then slammed a penalty
against the post as Portugal drew 0-0 with Austria.
But he scored twice in the
3-3 draw with Hungary that secured Portugal's last 16 place and after two games
without a goal, he settled the semi-final against Wales with a goal and an
assist for Nani.
With his great rival Lionel
Messi's Argentina career up in the air — the Barcelona star announced his
international retirement following a defeat on penalties by Chile in the Copa
America final — Ronaldo has an extra incentive to win on Sunday.
Like Messi, he has never
won a World Cup or continental tournament with his country.
Lead Portugal to a first
major title, and a fourth Ballon d'Or — the prize he covets above almost all
others — would swim tantalisingly into view. —AFP
QUOTE
Antoine is still a young
player, even if he has had a very great season. Ronaldo has been at the summit
for seven or eight years. If there's an anti-Ronaldo plan, no-one's found it
—Didier Deschamps, France
coach
NZONE
10
No. of consecutive games
France have won against Portugal, their best current run against any team after
their 13 consecutive wins against Luxembourg
1
No. of goals Portugal have
scored against France in their last five games, a penalty by Ricardo Quaresma
in October 2014
13
No. of goals France have
scored this tournament in their six games, the most by any team
2
No. of European
Championships France have won. Only Germany and Spain have won more (3)
1
No. of goals Portugal have
conceded in their last five knockout games at the European Championships, it
was against Poland in this year’s quarterfinals
13
No. of games under Fernando
Santos in which Portugal are unbeaten (W9, D4). Eight of those nine wins were
decided by a single goal
43
No. of direct free-kicks
Ronaldo has taken at major tournaments. He has failed to score any. All nine of
his goals at the European Championships have been scored from inside the box
DID YOU KNOW?
This will be France’s fifth
major tournament final. They have won three of their previous four (Euro 1984
& 2000, World Cup 1998), losing the last one they were involved in (World
Cup 2006)
Portugal’s last victory
against France dates back to April 1975, in a friendly (2-0)
This is Portugal’s second
major tournament final after Euro 2004 which they lost against Greece (0-1) –
however, it’s their first final outside Portugal
Portugal have played the
most games in the history of the European Championships without ever winning
the tournament (34)
Didier Deschamps could
become the second person to win the Euro as a player and manager after Berti
Vogts (unused sub in 1972, winning manager in 1996). Deschamps was the winning
captain for France at World Cup 1998 and Euro 2000
Head-to-head
Played: 24
Portugal: 5 (28 goals)
France: 18 (49 goals)
Drawn: 1
Road to final
Portugal
Drew with Iceland 1-1
Drew with Austria 0-0
Drew with Hungary 3-3
Beat Croatia 1-0
Beat Poland 5-3 on
penalties
Beat Wales 2-0
France
Beat Romania 2-1
Beat Albania 2-0
Drew with Switzerland 0-0
Beat R. Ireland 2-1
Beat Iceland 5-2
Beat Germany 2-0
DEADLY DUEL
Cristiano Ronaldo
Age: 31, Position: Striker,
Caps: 132, Goals: 61
Antoine Griezmann
Age: 25, Position: Winger,
Caps: 33, Goals: 13
PREDICTED XI
Portugal
Rui Patricio, Cedric,
Fonte, Pepe, Guerreiro, Sanches, Carvalho, Joao Mario, Adrien Silva, Ronaldo,
Nani
France
Lloris, Sagna, Umtiti,
Koscielny, Evra, Pogba, Matuidi, Sissoko, Griezmann, Payet; Giroud
QUOTE SHOOT
Euro 2004 was special — I
was just 19 and it was my first tournament. Now we are in the final again and
we hope we will win it. I hope that we'll be smiling and that it will be tears
of joy in the end
—Cristiano Ronaldo,
Portugal captain
We have come through a
crisis in French football. We have climbed back up the slope, we have done it
step by step. Tomorrow (Sunday) we have the chance to go into French football
history, it is a unique time in a player's career
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