EURO 2016

[Tennis_Hands]

I agree. But this title and the manner in which it was won (against the host nation and with all odds stacked against us) will be remembered forever.

Not really (apart from the population of Portugal).

See what happened to Greece.

Their title was even more surprising than that of Portugal IMO and noone could tell you who the players were or what kind of football they played.

I don't pretend to understand the current football trends however (see my failed predictions here ), so maybe I am wrong and underestimate the impact from that team.

 

[ScentOfDefeat]

Not really (apart from the population of Portugal).

See what happened to Greece.

Their title was even more surprising than that of Portugal IMO and noone could tell you who the players were or what kind of football they played.

I don't pretend to understand the current football trends however (see my failed predictions here ), so maybe I am wrong and underestimate the impact from that team.

Good enough for me.
In tennis, I'm not a Rafter/Ivanisevic/Edberg fan because they're the best of all time. I like them because they're my favourites.
I don't need my preferences to be legitimised by world history (and we all know how fickle history can be).

 

[Chanwan]

Fair enough. Who wouldn't love to win with a team like 1970 Brazil?

I think Portugal's "problem" in terms of getting support from the neutral viewer is, that we still remember the offensive inspired Figo-teams. And we look at your players and see Ronaldo, Nani and who not and go like - why do they need to play like that?
Whereas with Wales and especially Island, it's perfectly clear why they need to play like that.
But Portugal is in a position where they can play both and ain't small enough to count as a small country. So they don't get the 'oh, they are so small and cute, let's cheer for them'-supporters.

Anyways, the title is what counts.

 

[ScentOfDefeat]

Portugal were the only team that could handle the new rules.

I'm sure they will be fondly remembered over in Portugal

East-Timor, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe and Cape Verde have also joined the celebrations. The Portuguese-speaking world is loving this.

 

[ScentOfDefeat]

I think Portugal's "problem" in terms of getting support from the neutral viewer is, that we still remember the offensive inspired Figo-teams. And we look at your players and see Ronaldo, Nani and who not and go like - why do they need to play like that?
Whereas with Wales and especially Island, it's perfectly clear why they need to play like that.
But Portugal is in a position where they can play both and ain't small enough to count as a small country. So they don't get the 'oh, they are so small and cute, let's cheer for them'-supporters.

Anyways, the title is what counts.

Yes, a few days ago I said (I think it was here) that we weren't big enough nor small enough to have all that neutral support.
But that's ok.

 

[NewOrder]

Do I win something for being the only person who voted for Portugal?

I must say I agree with almost everything Scent Of Defeat said. I don't feel the need to say anything else really.

For those of you who are unhappy and found all of this absolutely dull and unfair, I invite you to see Benni McCarthy losing his cool over Portugal:

Amazing!

 

[Deleted member 21996]

Congrats. I'm not French and I was rooting against them on Thursday. But they were the vastly better team yesterday for the first 90 minutes and the vastly better team over the past month. They could not do the most important thing in football though -> get the ball into the goal and Portugal capitalized.

My comment was not about luck in the past which I regard as utterly irrelevant to the here and now (but tbh, I don't recall France being lucky in 98 or 2000).
My comment was about the actual match, where Portugal neither wanted nor couldn't produce any attempt on goals for 90 minutes.
That's not football for me (but I do realize, smaller countries need to play their chance this way) and for that reason, the wrong team won imo.
Nevertheless, congrats.

@Gorecki - you're on ignore, so don't bother. Cheers

Doesnt suprise me a cretin like you would chicken Out on the argument...

Like every other french, you went Petain

 

[Deleted member 21996]

wasn't a critic, it's a fact.

Someone explain this idiot the diference between fact and opinion, cause I am too busy celebrating in the face of frogs and pork pies....

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Someone explain this idiot the diference between fact and opinion, cause I am too busy celebrating in the face of frogs and pork pies....

I would love to hear your opinion then. Did they dominate and destroy everyone in the tournament maybe?

 

[Deleted member 21996]

I would love to hear your opinion then. Did they dominate and destroy everyone in the tournament maybe?

They won... that is my opinion and coincidentaly, its a fact

Idiots like you probably think Germany won with tactics, Italy won with cattenacio and Greece won because they were a sensation. But Portugal.... oh noes.... they were unjust winners....

now get in line to visit the argentinian midget in prison, while we celebrate

 

[Tiki-Taka]

They won... that is my opinion and coincidentaly, its a fact

Idiots like you probably think Germany won with tactics, Italy won with cattenacio and Greece won because they were a sensation. But Portugal.... oh noes.... they were unjust winners....

now get in line to visit the argentinian midget in prison, while we celebrate

Did anyone say they didn't win? Where and when did I ever call them unjust winners? You are desperate to portrait other people as haters even during your nation's biggest football success rather than truly celebrating it. Thanks for the laughs though.

As for the midget remarks, what can I say... Very classy.

 

[Emperor of Belgrade]

how it must suck to be this daft

Doesnt suprise me a cretin like you would chicken Out on the argument...

Like every other french, you went Petain

Someone explain this idiot the diference between fact and opinion, cause I am too busy celebrating in the face of frogs and pork pies....

They won... that is my opinion and coincidentaly, its a fact

Idiots like you probably think Germany won with tactics, Italy won with cattenacio and Greece won because they were a sensation. But Portugal.... oh noes.... they were unjust winners....

now get in line to visit the argentinian midget in prison, while we celebrate

All of this suggests you never started truly celebrating. You do know people put an asterisk on pretty much every European/World champion in one way or another (even the dominant Spain of the previous few years had to deal with that), don't make it sound like poor little Portugal are the first champion to be in that position.

 

[Deleted member 21996]

All of this suggests you never started truly celebrating. You do know people put an asterisk on pretty much every European/World champion in one way or another (even the dominant Spain of the previous few years had to deal with that), don't make it sound like poor little Portugal are the first champion to be in that position.

Thanks for your input. Now please fold it in 4, insert it where it fits best....

 

[Dilettante]

Cristiano crying yet again.

At least this time there were moths.

 

[Slice'n'dice]

I think they're one of the best teams to have won the European Championship. Not only did it win the Championship with (arguably) the best player in the world (a team with the best player in the world can hardly be called the worst team), but they also won it without him (which proves the team itself was good enough to win it without its star player). The team showed mental fortitude unheard of in past Portuguese teams and there's no evidence to suggest England is "considerably better", since most of the Portuguese players who weren't as well known as some of the English players will as a result of this be considered if not as good, then better than many players on the English team. Any way you cut it - even if you look at participation in recent Euros - Portugal's record rivals and even surpasses (especially when compared to England) most of the other teams. You need a combination of factors to come together for a team to be successful at this level, and a "competent manager" is certainly not the only one. Football is about ebbs and flows, the football that generated titles a few years ago was all about possession, now it's the other way round (look at Leicester). When it was Iceland doing it (and they did it against Portugal too, lest we forget), everyone was praising them. If it's Portugal using a more defensive approach to the game (while still creating a lot of chances), the criticism suddenly appears.

Portugal won this Euro with a little bit of luck on their side (every winning team needs a little luck), I'm not denying it, but they were also the team who changed and adapted the best to their opponents and had a more flexible approach to the game (they didn't play the same in the group stages and then in the knockout phase). That is the opposite of boring. I agree with your final paragraph, although I believe you underestimate the talent in the Portuguese team.

Having one of the best players in the world is good but he's not that player for Portugal, and nor was he in the Euros (don't know why the hell he's captain seems crazy just because he's the best player). In the final they looked much better once he'd actually gone off. Not many of those players are top players, quite a few good ones though I guess overall in terms of quality players I would put them slightly below the likes of England with maybe 5 or 6 teams that should've been ahead of those sides .

They did not look good in the tournament, lucky to qualify from the group stage couldn't beat anyone in 90 minutes until Wales in the semis. Mental fortitude is good and obviously was crucial they are absolutely to be praised for how they dealt with the crucial moments, but they are not a great side and they didn't look like one. Of course there are many factors but the fact that Portugal have basically ground out a major tournament win, Iceland were praised because they were a team of minnows a population of 300,000 or whatever of the whole country (finishing above Portugal in 2nd actually winning one of their group games) with no real star players other than Gylfi and then beat one of the supposed favourites (not something I ever agreed with but it's impressive nonetheless). Portugal as you say have one of the best players in the world and quite a few other good players and a reasonable history of being at least in the knockout stages of most tournaments. So people playing like they did and going so far and winning it is not going to be praised and enjoyed because people don't like that style, if it's the plucky underdog they accept it.

But anyway well done to Portugal as I've said, were not the popular choice nor the best team in the tournament but the best team doesn't always win the tournament and that's the way it is and always has worked in a sport like football, they took their chance and that is to their credit.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Doesnt suprise me a cretin like you would chicken Out on the argument...

Like every other french, you went Petain

Shut up, Canucklehead.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Someone explain this idiot the diference between fact and opinion, cause I am too busy celebrating in the face of frogs and pork pies....

Look at Gorecki. Probably had a couple too many glasses of Porto, and his racist true colors come spewing out of his chorizo-eating mouth. Nice fella.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Thanks for your input. Now please fold it in 4, insert it where it fits best....

You probably can fit a Winnebago in there, right?

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Do I win something for being the only person who voted for Portugal?

I must say I agree with almost everything Scent Of Defeat said. I don't feel the need to say anything else really.

For those of you who are unhappy and found all of this absolutely dull and unfair, I invite you to see Benni McCarthy losing his cool over Portugal:

Amazing!

Love your Hail to the Thief avatar.

#RadioheadIsGOAT

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Cristiano crying yet again.

At least this time there were moths.

That slimy basturd should act in a telenovela when he retires from soccer.