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Finals: France vs Portugal

Who will lift the trophy?

  • France

    Votes: 22 40.0%
  • Portugal

    Votes: 13 23.6%
  • John Terry

    Votes: 20 36.4%

  • Total voters
    55
  • Poll closed .

Led's Zeppelin

Can't Re Member
May 28, 2013
7,333
20,178
Portugal did a Leicester City. The fairytale is a horror story.

It's the thing to do though, and it's spoiling football as a spectacle: defend the shit out of a game, bore the arseholes off everyone with an 8-1-1 formation that wants as little of the ball as it can get away with, and when everyone's knackered and mistakes are inevitable, lump the ball forward and get the only goal of a game that basically contained nothing that a sane person could call entertaining.

It's inevitable that, when you extend the idea that the result is all that matters to its logical conclusion, that you'll go through this stage until someone works out how to beat it by actually scoring early goals against a double back line that is barely interested in trying to attack.

It stinks.

Well done Portugal.
 

Shanks

Kinda not anymore....
May 11, 2005
31,159
18,914
I posted some stuff about how great it was that the likes of Bale put the team first.

Not going to lie, Ronaldo has really impressed me this tournament. He delivered. Regardless of performance last night, they won.

Not only did he show passion, he was going around, driving his team and the players forward.

Fair play to the portugal team, I'd love to see my national team lift a proper trophy!
 

tiger666

Large Member
Jan 4, 2005
27,978
82,214
Not only did he show passion, he was going around, driving his team and the players forward.

He was sat on the bench doing nothing until they scored. Only then when they had a chance to win was he up and encouraging them. But yes, well done Portugal.
 

Shanks

Kinda not anymore....
May 11, 2005
31,159
18,914
He was sat on the bench doing nothing until they scored. Only then when they had a chance to win was he up and encouraging them. But yes, well done Portugal.
Not quite, he was geeing them up at the breaks as well - half time and full time.
 

brendanb50

Well-Known Member
Jul 21, 2005
4,483
3,890
Portugal did a Leicester City. The fairytale is a horror story.

It's the thing to do though, and it's spoiling football as a spectacle: defend the shit out of a game, bore the arseholes off everyone with an 8-1-1 formation that wants as little of the ball as it can get away with, and when everyone's knackered and mistakes are inevitable, lump the ball forward and get the only goal of a game that basically contained nothing that a sane person could call entertaining.

It's inevitable that, when you extend the idea that the result is all that matters to its logical conclusion, that you'll go through this stage until someone works out how to beat it by actually scoring early goals against a double back line that is barely interested in trying to attack.

It stinks.

Well done Portugal.

Agree with your analysis of how Portugal set up to play in this final and a lot of people will definitely share your sentiment. But against (up till last night) the best team in the tournament and home advantage, i think they were right to be cautious.

The team that failed to deliver on their tactics for me were France. They were also too cautious for me and lacked any real aggression and speed of passing from midfield. No idea why they didn't bring in Kante/Cabaye and get Pogpa further forward - he offered little from deep and as a result i felt Greizmann dropped deeper as well, making them less effective.

They missed some good chances that would have definitely changed the game and probably to their advantage as Portugal would have had to attack but finals aren't won on chances, they're won on goals and the only player who took advantage was bizarrely Eder, with a great finish.

Not the right footballing result, i agree with you, but the right result based on the team who got it right on the night for me.
 

Led's Zeppelin

Can't Re Member
May 28, 2013
7,333
20,178
I posted some stuff about how great it was that the likes of Bale put the team first.

Not going to lie, Ronaldo has really impressed me this tournament. He delivered. Regardless of performance last night, they won.

Not only did he show passion, he was going around, driving his team and the players forward.

Fair play to the portugal team, I'd love to see my national team lift a proper trophy!

They certainly improved as soon as he went off.

This is not knocking Ronaldo in any way, but I've sometimes wondered whether Real might play better as s team if they didn't concentrate quite so much on getting the ball to him at every opportunity. Portugal are not as good as Real Madrid so they could afford the experiment even less but I think it worked in their favour.

I was very sorry to see him go off. It was probably the first time I have ever felt sorry for Ronaldo in my life. But I seriously doubt whether Portigal would have won had he not had to go off. The game would have been very different anyway.
 

WalkerboyUK

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2009
21,658
23,476
He was sat on the bench doing nothing until they scored. Only then when they had a chance to win was he up and encouraging them. But yes, well done Portugal.

He didn't leave the dressing room until the 90th minute.
At that point he came out and motivated the players, almost more than the manager. He probably said a few things in the dressing room at half time too.
He was definitely more of a team player than I imagined him to be, and the footage of him before the penalty shoot out against Poland also highlighted that.

A lot of negativity towards Portugal because they drew all 3 group games and only won once inside 90 mins.
Guess what - they didn't lose at all.... therefore they deserve to win the trophy.

It won me the sweepstake at work too - £48 in my pocket!!
 

tiger666

Large Member
Jan 4, 2005
27,978
82,214
I had to compromise with the wife... she watched love island, I turned over at 10 for the start of extra time, which was pretty decent.

So she watched her programme and you missed the start of yours. That's not a compromise Shanks! :D
 

WalkerboyUK

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2009
21,658
23,476
I had to compromise with the wife... she watched love island, I turned over at 10 for the start of extra time, which was pretty decent.

That's where tablets etc. come in handy... Drug the wife with the tablets, watch the TV as you wish...:D

Obviously not what I really meant... Tablet handy for watching the football, or alternatively get the Mrs to watch her shite on it.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,341
87,796
giphy.gif


:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

glacierSpurs

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2013
16,163
25,472
woah, now saw the goal, really felt so bad for our Hugo.. he was fingertips away from tipping it around the post surely...
 

Col_M

Pointing out the Obvious
Feb 28, 2012
22,637
45,672
Jesus, I saw this thread and thought they were still playing out a goalless draw.
 
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