Dimitri Payet has said he had no intention to cause injury to Cristiano Ronaldo after the France forward’s tackle forced his opponent to leave the pitch in Sunday’s Euro 2016 final.
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Ronaldo, who had his struggles in the tournament and left the final in the first half with a knee injury, did his part in helping the Portuguese in their famous run.
“I’m so happy – very happy”.
However their captain’s absence seemed to galvanise Portugal, who held firm against France’s attacking riches before claiming the victor in extra time, former Swansea striker Eder hitting a low shot past Hugo Lloris.
“Although I’ve got nothing that I can hold against my players, they gave absolutely everything tonight”.
It could be an uncomfortable few months ahead for Eder, the unheralded striker who will return shortly to French club Lille after breaking French hearts with his 109th-minute goal. I’d like to thank my team-mates, our coach, our wider team at this EURO, and the Portuguese people cheering us on. “I asked God for another chance at this because we deserved it”, he told reporters.
In the second half, unmarked Antoine Griezmann’s glancing header went just over the bar from close range, before substitute Andre-Pierre Gignac hit the post in stoppage time.
“But we needed someone to play up front and to let the team come up”. This was something I’ve wanted for a long time now, ever since 2004. We said we were going to win for Cristiano and we did!
They also said Ronaldo who is an ex-player of Manchester United, carried the traits of his former coach, Alex Ferguson.
In the meantime, a highly-emotional Ronaldo couldn’t hide his joy, as he unabashedly cried while lifting the championship trophy, the Denver Port reported.
The victory for Portugal represented a bit of a shock as not many had fancied them ahead of the final and following the historic night, defender Pepe revealed that a lot of hard work went into Selecao’s eventual triumph.
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“Despite that, we had chances to score”.
