Quaresma replaced Ronaldo in the first half of the final on Sunday against France after the captain had to be stretchered off with a knee injury following a tackle from France’s Dmitri Payet.
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Crowds of supporters, some donning French or Portuguese flags, gathered at the base of the Paris landmark before and after Portugal’s stunning victory over France after they were refused entry to the fan zone which was packed to its 90,000 capacity, Paris police said.
“This was something I have wanted for a long time now, ever since 2004”.
After twice going off for treatment and trying to come back, Ronaldo was definitively carried off, covering his face as the tears welled up. Denmark’s 2-0 win over Germany in the Euro 92 final does: only because it gave us the opportunity to gloat at an unpopular behemoth being cut down to size.
Eder scored the only goal of the game in the second period of extra-time to secure the silverware for Fernando Santos’ side.
“Cristiano told me I would be scoring the winning goal”, Eder said. I asked God to give me another chance. One of the moths infesting the national stadium fluttered over Ronaldo’s tearful right eye. That ended goalless but even finals of this type settled by a single goal (Germany’s two World Cup wins over Argentina in 1990 and 2016) leave the memory bank nearly as soon as they have concluded.
Full name Ederzito Antonio Macedo Lopes, he has never played for any of the big three clubs in his homeland.
France’s Moussa Sissoko stepped into the spotlight vacated by Ronaldo, driving a left-foot shot over the bar and then stinging Rui Patricio’s palms after nutmegging Adrien Silva with a slick Cruyff turn. His early header drew a finger-tip save from Rui Patricio.
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Portugal rode their luck at times, notably when France substitute Andre-Pierre Gignac hit the post in stoppage time, but hit the woodwork themselves in extra-time through Raphael Guerreiro’s free-kick.
