“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 semi-final win over Wales.
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An intense security operation will be in place over the weekend ahead of the final, to safeguard against any hint of complacency, but Griezmann insists that the France players have played in the tournament without fear of further attacks disrupting the competition.
The Atletico Madrid striker has now scored six goals in the tournament and is leading the golden boot race. His ability to simply glide past players and also finish off the chances presented to him is an absolutely-deadly combination, and one that France now use as their main weapon.
Les Bleus are just one game away from matching the success of the 1984 and 1998 cup-winning sides by going all the way on home soil.
By blowing themselves up at France’s national stadium, suicide bombers created a link, indelibly marked in blood, between football and extremist terror – things that, in normal circumstances, are worlds apart. Can they turn the weight of expectation against their fancied hosts?
Of course the parallels are not ideal.
“But putting together a great team takes a lot of time”.
There has been no update from Portugal on the condition of Real Madrid’s Pepe, who was doing ball work with a member of the Portuguese staff on Friday at the team’s training base south of Paris.
I think the fans weren’t really all into the tournament during the group stage, but they did start to get into it as soon as the games really began to mean something, so when the knockout stage began.
The second half will be different and showcased the potent French team who would double the mark at the hour mark again by Griezmann.
For the second time in the year, kids came back from school with notes to inform their parents that they’d be observing a moment of silence, as they did after the attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in January. “I hope that he is changing his mind”.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, too, is also with nine goals in European Championships and will be crossing swords with Griezmann in the final.
Loew and his players were bitterly disappointed at the defeat having had the lion’s share of possession in a game in which France beat Germany in a major tournament for the first time since the 1958 World Cup.
Portugal have won three of their four penalty shoot-outs at major tournaments (75 per cent).
Midfielder Adrien Silva lived in France until the age of 12, when he moved to Portugal with his family. Santos’ preferred system is a very controlled and cautious 4-4-2, with Ronaldo and Nani up front and very little space in between the lines.
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Though Platini is banned from any football duties until 2019 by FIFA’s ethics committee, he could go to see France vs. Portugal at the Stade de France without getting involved in official business. Now the French are appreciating Griezmann’s quality in France – unlike his teenage years, when he was rejected by several clubs and went to Spain to make it as a professional.
