Portugal’s victory over France in the
Euro 2016 final on Sunday produced some vindication for criticism of its
style of play, a nice shiny trophy and one more important prize: a
place in next summer’s Confederations Cup in Russia.
The Confederations Cup is not a highly
regarded championship, but it is an important dry run for the following
year’s World Cup, for organizers but also for the teams who qualify.
Entry allows them to have a test run of some of the World Cup venues,
training sites and hotels, and to familiarize themselves with the
experience a year ahead of the World Cup.
The eight-team field is nearly set:
Russia, host
Germany, defending World Cup champion
Australia, Asian Cup champion
Chile, Copa América champion
Mexico, Concacaf playoff champion
New Zealand, Oceania Football Confederation Nations Cup champion
Portugal, UEFA champion
The last place in the field will be
filled by the winner of the 2017 African Cup of Nations in Gabon. The
Cup of Nations kicks off in January; the winner will be crowned February
5.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo during the final
of the European Championships in St. Denis, France, on Sunday. Ronaldo
left the match against France with a knee injury in the 24th minute.
Portugal (Yes Portugal) Is the Euro 2016 Champion.
ST.-DENIS, France — Cristiano Ronaldo was
crying, his chest heaving, his knee throbbing, his heart aching like
never before. Ronaldo, prone on the turf, sat up slowly and did what he
surely never imagined having to do in a game like this: He wrapped his
captain’s armband around a teammate as his eyes clouded over. Then he
lay back, shimmied onto a stretcher and was carried to the locker room.
That moment, just 24 minutes into the
final of the European Championships at the Stade de France, felt
critical. One of the biggest stars in the sport going off after less
than half an hour? It was the sort of twist that can — that should —
define an entire match. And it did.
Portugal, faced with the loss of its
leader and its motor and its man who is always in lights, did not wither
or wilt or wobble. Instead, the Portuguese dug in, carried the match
into extra time and — with Ronaldo hobbling up and down the sideline —
stunned France with a goal in the 109th minute, beating the hosts, 1-0,
to claim Portugal’s first major soccer trophy.
“We said we would win it for him,” Pepe,
the Portuguese defender, said of Ronaldo. Pepe grinned. “And we just
managed to win it for him.”
Portugal’s soccer team returned home on Monday after winning the Euro 2016. Thousands of fans greeted them in the streets. 
No comments :
Post a Comment