“This is one of the happiest moments in my career, I always said I’d like to win something with Portugal”.
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“Cristiano could score at any moment and sort everything out on his own, but I always said we are a team – we win as a team”, Santos added.
Cafe worker Luis Silva, age 32, said the atmosphere at the cafe had been really upbeat with neighbouring shop owners coming in to congratulate them.
It was the first time 24 teams have competed at the tournament, and it led the way for more nations to make their debuts.
Griezmann and midfield schemer Dimitri Payet were included in the UEFA team of the tournament named Monday, as was Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo, who was stretchered off injured and in tears after a crunching tackle by Payet. After tinkering throughout the group stage and failing to figure out what he wanted to do, Deschamps finally put Griezmann underneath Olivier Giroud when the knockout stages started the goals followed.
The victory marks a healing of sorts for Portugal after their shock defeat in the Euro 2004 final when they lost 1-0 to unfancied Greece in on home turf. France, the host of the tournament, dominated the game for the most part, but thanks to Portuguese substitute Éder’s fantastic goal in extra time, it was Lisbon instead of Paris partying well into the night.
“I came in for a tackle, full stop”, Payet told reporters at full-time.
But it was Portugal skipper Ronaldo who hobbled up the steps to lift the trophy beneath a shower of silver tickertape.
“CHAMPIONS! The greatest! Congratulations!” the former Inter Milan, Real and Barcelona star wrote. But my players gave me everything tonight.
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Griezmann, who finished with six goals, opened his Euro account with a 90th minute effort against Albania in the second match.
