The Portuguese need to play the underdog and upset the heavily favored host nation, a mirror image of the 2004 EUROs when Greece beat Portugal, and play united.
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“I’ve played against Griezmann several times in Spain”, he continued.
“They are, in my opinion, favourites because they are playing at home and that’s a big advantage”, Ronaldo said.
Portugal fans and former players believe it is time to end that quest, but history says France have the edge. Portugal will come out and use the us against the world mentality, but Giroud and Griezmann have played well together and have capitalized on their chances. “And together, they make a very strong team”. He’s a calm and quiet player, and I have no worries about him. We’ve done a great deal of work to get into a final six years later. Portugal have looked best when they’ve outworked the opposition and defended as a unit.
“We have players who give us advice at certain moments in the match”, Mario said, without providing names.
What to expect: This final is France’s to lose.
Ronaldo, who guided Portugal to their major football final with a convincing win against Wales last Wednesday, has exhibited sublime form in the month-long event that culminates with the final against the 1998 FIFA World Cup champions. The side is tactically disciplined and all the players help one another.
Portugal and Iceland were the last teams to kick off, on Tuesday, June 14 in Saint-Etienne, while France had been resting since opening the tournament on Friday, June 10 at the Stade de France against Romania. He said: “It’s their attributes first and foremost and also the mindset”.
“They are very experienced and Didier Deschamps is also a very experienced manager”.
Paul Pogba went into the tournament as the heir apparent to Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane.
Both goals in France’s semifinal victory over World Cup holder Germany were scored by Griezmann, who managed to convert a penalty to ease the pain of missing one in the Champions League final in May.
Bruno Sousa:”We have seen a huge change in Portuguese team during the tournament”.
“He is a very talented, clinical player and that is important for the team”.
With the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo and a midfield diamond created to offer the Real Madrid man scoring opportunities, a committed defensive performance will be required from all French players.
The Euro 2016 final will feature a duel between boyish poster boy Antoine Griezmann and preening superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to be the dominant number seven. The playmaker has been linked with a post-Euro 2016 move from Sporting Lisbon to Inter Milan.
“Obviously, we had a hard time this year, whether by this dramatic event or non-sport stories”.
Hugo Lloris is between the sticks ahead of Rui Patricio, with the France skipper pulling off a number of incredible saves throughout the tournament.
Ronaldo, by contrast, had to soak up a lot of criticism after lackluster showings by his high standards before playing a decisive role by scoring a goal and setting up another in a 2-0 semifinal win over Wales.
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Let’s close this episode with a video doing the rounds on the Internet. In the quarter final, following a 1-1 score after 120 minutes (Renato Sanches scored), they beat Poland in a penalty shootout.
