It was also Portugal’s maiden triumph in a major championship.
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“I’m very proud of what these players have achieved and we must not throw everything that we’ve done away, but we lost a great chance to be European champions: not the only one, perhaps, but a great one”.
Four Portuguese players and three from Germany were named in the team of the tournament.
“His presence in the changing-room was really important thanks to the way in which he supported me and he said it was our day.he believed as much as I did that it was our day”.
“They have quality and ability, along with our coach’s strategy to win”.
Ricardo Quaresma has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as the only person in football he admires after Portugal’s Euro 2016 victory. I’ve always said I wanted to win a trophy with the national team and make history.
“We hit the post, I had chances as well and I nearly scored”.
“We knew that the Portuguese people were behind us”.
Griezmann’s rise began once manager Didier Deschamps let him play as a forward, which is where he lines up for Atletico Madrid. “We have a young generation and I think the future has to be bright”. They gave everything tonight. Wherever we’ve gone there have always been Portuguese fans.
The coach also lauded skipper Ronaldo. “Our skipper put in an vast effort, he has awesome team spirit”. Now we have to come back stronger.
“When you lose the best player in the world Ronaldo, you know you have to change things”.
“When he came on he told me he would score”, Santos added. “The ugly duckling went and scored. Now he’s the handsome swan!” the coach added.
“It was an fantastic moment. Congratulations to every single one of us”.
Portugal surprised the home favorite France with a goal from unheralded striker and substitute Eder in extra time.
“He gave us a lot of confidence and he said, “Listen people, I’m sure we will win this Euro so stay together and fight for it”.
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A tearful Ronaldo held the trophy in the Correio da Manha newspaper, which trumpeted: “The Euro is ours, we are the champions”.
