Previews
DOM 10.07.2016
The Stade de France in Saint-Denis will be the stage for tonight's EURO 2016 final, to be contested between hosts France and Portugal from 21:00 CET.
The match has been widely billed as a shootout between Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, the joint-highest scorer in European Championship history, and this edition's leading marksman, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.
Portugal, who have never won the competition before, will be looking to condemn France to a defeat on home turf akin to the one that they themselves endured at the hands of Greece in the EURO 2004 final in Lisbon. Ricardo Carvalho and Ronaldo are the only survivors from the squad that suffered that heartbreak a dozen years ago and will be out to heal those painful wounds with victory in Saint-Denis.
Recent history does not favour Portugal, though, as they have lost their last 10 meetings with France. However, Fernando Santos's men have improved as the tournament has gone on and after squeaking through the group stage with three draws, they knocked out buoyant Croatia, Poland and Wales sides to make it through to the showpiece, in which everybody knows that the form book goes out of the window.
Countdown!
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) July 9, 2016
Ronaldo Griezmann, man-of-the-match winners face off in the #EURO2016 final https://t.co/gxt3Xu3ycH pic.twitter.com/7hpawIgVkM
Although they have had a few scares of their own, Griezmann and Adil Rami'sFrance have certainly been the more impressive of the two teams en route to the final. Didier Deschamps' charges have won five of their six matches, netting 13 times, which makes them the tournament's top scorers.
In spite of their status as favourites, no one in the Les Bleus ranks is taking anything for granted. "The team are calm. We can't get carried away by the euphoria that we felt after beating Germany. We have to forget it. We're ambitious. We said that we were up to the task from the outset and now we've only got this one last match to go, against a great Portugal side with great players," said France captain Hugo Lloris in the build-up.
Meanwhile, defender Pepe, one of three LaLiga players in the Portugal squad (alongside Ronaldo and Andre Gomes), highlighted his side's ambition. "We want to give the Portuguese people something to celebrate. There will be 11 million people supporting the 11 players on the pitch and the substitutes. We want to make history for Portuguese football," he noted. He also singled out Griezmann for praise: "The French players are extremely talented, Griezmann chief among them. He's a very important figure for France."
Whichever team comes out on top and succeeds Spain as the European champions, one thing is for sure: at least two LaLiga players will be living a dream by lifting a longed-for trophy.
© LALIGA - 2016