UEFA Euro 2016 Final
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The UEFA Euro 2016 Final was the final match of
Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
, the fifteenth edition of the
European Football Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...
,
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
's quadrennial competition for national
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
teams. The match was played at the
Stade de France The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...
in Paris, France, on 10 July 2016, and was contested by
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. The 24-team tournament began with a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the
knockout phase A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
. En route to the final, Portugal finished third in
Group F Group F may refer to: * A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing * One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup ** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group F ** 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F ** 2014 FIF ...
, with draws against
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. Portugal then defeated
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
in the last 16 before beating
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in the quarter-final after a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
. They progressed to the final after beating
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
in the semi-final. France finished the group stage as winners of
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...
, beating
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
before drawing with
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. In the knockout rounds, France defeated the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
and Iceland before beating
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 75,868 spectators and was refereed by English official
Mark Clattenburg Mark Clattenburg (born 13 March 1975) is an English professional football referee. Clattenburg is a former member of the Premier League and the Durham County Football Association and also a former FIFA referee. He has refereed a number of nota ...
. Midway through the first half, Portugal's
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
was taken off the pitch on a stretcher injured and was replaced by
Ricardo Quaresma Ricardo Andrade Quaresma Bernardo (; born 26 September 1983) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a winger. He began his career at Sporting CP and went on to play for Barcelona, Inter Milan, Porto (twice), Chelsea, Beşiktaş ...
, leaving Nani playing alone upfront. The first half ended goalless and neither side made any changes to their playing personnel during the interval. Despite opportunities to score for both sides, regular time ended 0–0 and the match went into
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
. The game remained goalless, and three minutes into the second period of additional time,
Raphaël Guerreiro Raphaël Adelino José Guerreiro (; born 22 December 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as left-back or as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Portugal national team. He began his career at Caen, signing in 2 ...
's
free kick A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play. Association football In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offence ...
from around struck the underside of the France crossbar. A minute later, Portugal took the lead through Eder: his low shot from beat France goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris Hugo Hadrien Dominique Lloris (born 26 December 1986) is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Tottenham Hotspur and the France national team. He is a three-time winner of the National Union of Professional Footbal ...
. After two minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle was blown and Portugal won the match 1–0, to claim their first major tournament title. Portugal's
Pepe Pepe is a pet form of the Spanish name José (Josep). It is also a surname. * People Mononyms *Pepe (footballer, born 1935), real name José Macia, Brazilian footballer *Pepe (footballer, born 1983), real name Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira, ...
was named
man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
, and France's
Antoine Griezmann Antoine Griezmann (; born 21 March 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the France national team. A versatile player, Griezmann is known for his attacking, passing, and supportiv ...
received the player of the tournament award. In winning the final, Portugal became the tenth different nation to win the European Championship, twelve years after losing their first final, at home in the 2004 tournament. France became the second host team to lose the final, after Portugal, and suffered their first defeat at a major tournament hosted in the country since the
1960 European Nations' Cup The 1960 European Nations' Cup was the first edition of the UEFA European Championship, held every four years and organised by UEFA. The first tournament was held in France. It was won by the Soviet Union, who beat Yugoslavia 2–1 in Paris afte ...
third-place playoff against
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
. This was the fifth European Championship final to end in a draw after 90 minutes of play, and the second whose winners were decided by extra time, after the inaugural final in 1960. As the winners, Portugal gained entry into their first
FIFA Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, ...
, which was played in Russia in
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
.


Background

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
was the fifteenth edition of the
European Football Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...
,
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
's football competition for national teams, held between 10 June and 10 July 2016 in France. Qualifying rounds were held between September 2014 and November 2015, in which 53 teams were divided into nine groups of five or six, playing each other on a home-and-away
round-robin tournament A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero ...
basis. The top two teams in each group, along with
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, the host team, qualified for the finals, as did
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
who had the best third-place record. The remaining four places were determined via
two-legged In sports (particularly association football), a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or "legs", with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum o ...
play-offs involving the other eight third-placed teams. In the final tournament, the 24 teams were divided into six groups of four with each team playing each other once within the group. The two top teams from each group along with the four best third-placed sides advanced to a knock-out phase. France had previously played in two European Championship finals, winning as tournament hosts against
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
in 1984, and via a
golden goal The golden goal or golden point is a rule used in association football, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sud ...
against
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in the Netherlands in
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
.
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
had played in one prior final, losing to
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
in their own country in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
. The two teams had previously met 24 times, their first encounter taking place in 1926 when France won 4–2 in
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
. Before the final, France had won eighteen of those meetings, Portugal five, and with one draw. Portugal's last victory was in a 1975 friendly in France, after which France won all ten of the subsequent meetings. All three of their previous competitive meetings – in the semi-finals of Euro 1984,
Euro 2000 The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe. The finals tournament wa ...
, and the
2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
– had been French victories. At the start of the tournament, Portugal were listed in eighth place in the
FIFA World Rankings The FIFA Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, led by Brazil . The teams of the men's member nations of FIFA, football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the ...
, while France were seventeenth. The final was held at the
Stade de France The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...
in Saint-Denis, a suburb of
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. The announcement of the venue was made by UEFA, along with the full tournament schedule, on 25 April 2014, following a meeting held in Paris. The French capital had hosted the
finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of two previous European Championships, in
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...
and
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, both at the
Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
. A UEFA Category Four stadium, the Stade de France is the sixth-largest stadium in Europe and was the largest venue of Euro 2016, with a maximum capacity for the tournament of 80,000. The final was the seventh match played in the stadium at Euro 2016, which included the tournament's opening game between France and
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
.


Route to the final


Portugal

After qualifying for Euro 2016 as winners of
Group I Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...
with seven wins and a defeat in their eight matches, Portugal were drawn in
Group F Group F may refer to: * A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing * One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup ** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group F ** 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F ** 2014 FIF ...
for the finals tournament. Their first group game was against
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
at the
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is a multi-purpose stadium in Saint-Étienne, France. It is used primarily for football matches, and tournaments such as the UEFA Euro 1984 and 2016, the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. It i ...
in
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...
on 14 June.
Gylfi Sigurðsson Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson (; transliterated as Gylfi Thor Sigurdsson; born 8 September 1989) is an Icelandic professional footballer who last played as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Everton. Gylfi began his professional caree ...
had two early chances to put Iceland ahead but both shots were saved by Portugal goalkeeper
Rui Patrício Rui Pedro dos Santos Patrício (; born 15 February 1988) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A team Roma and the Portugal national team. He is often nicknamed "São Patrício" (''Saint Patrício'') for ...
, before Nani gave Portugal the lead in the 31st minute after a
cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
from
André Gomes André Filipe Tavares Gomes (; born 30 July 1993) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lille, on loan from club Everton. He played three years at Benfica, where he won the domestic tr ...
. Five minutes into the second half, Iceland equalised when
Birkir Bjarnason Birkir Bjarnason (born 27 May 1988) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor and the Iceland national football team, where he is their all-time leader in appearances. Club ca ...
scored from a
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (born 27 October 1990) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Burnley and the Iceland national team. Jóhann began his senior career at Breiðablik for a single season before movin ...
cross that had been missed by Portugal's
Vieirinha Adelino André Vieira de Freitas (born 24 January 1986), known as Vieirinha (), is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a winger or a full-back for Greek club PAOK, for which he is captain. Ambidextrous, he started playing for ...
. Despite having the majority of the possession and more shots throughout the match, Portugal were unable to retake the lead and the game ended 1–1. Portugal's second opponents were
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
at the Parc des Princes four days later. The first half ended goalless, but late in the second half, Portugal were awarded a
penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
.
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
, who became his country's most-capped player in that game, was fouled in Austria's
penalty area The penalty area or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends 16.5m (18 yd) to each side of the goal and 16.5m (18 yd) in front of it. Wit ...
by defender
Martin Hinteregger Martin Hinteregger (born 7 September 1992) is an Austrian footballer who plays for an amateur club SGA Sirnitz. A centre-back renowned for his aerial ability, Hinteregger gained a cult following among fans and was referred to as ''Hinti''. Hinter ...
but missed the penalty, striking the foot of the goalpost. He also had a header disallowed for offside and the match ended 0–0. In their final group match, Portugal faced
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
at the
Parc Olympique Lyonnais Parc Olympique Lyonnais, known for sponsorship reasons as Groupama Stadium, is a 59,186-seat stadium in Décines-Charpieu, in the Lyon Metropolis. The home of French football club Olympique Lyonnais, it replaced their previous stadium, Stade de ...
in
Décines-Charpieu Décines-Charpieu (; frp, Dessines) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. The name of the city is often shortened and simply called Décines. Geography Décines is located near Grand Large res ...
on 22 June.
Zoltán Gera Zoltán Gera (; born 22 April 1979) is a Hungarian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He played for Fulham, Pécsi Mecsek and Harkány SE, as well as enjoying two spells at Ferencváros and West Bromwich Alb ...
gave Hungary the lead in the 19th minute with a volley, before Nani struck a low shot past
Gábor Király Gábor Ferenc Király (; born 1 April 1976) is a Hungarian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In his 25-year-long playing career, Király spent most of his career in Germany and England. He signed for Hertha BSC in 199 ...
in the Hungary goal following a pass from Ronaldo to level the scores.
Balázs Dzsudzsák Balázs Dzsudzsák (; born 23 December 1986) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays for Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Debreceni VSC. Dzsudzsák began his career at his hometown club Debreceni VSC, winning consecutive league titles in e ...
restored Hungary's lead two minutes after half-time with a deflected shot, only for Ronaldo to make it 2–2 three minutes later. Dzsudzsák scored his second deflected strike in the 55th minute, but Ronaldo equalised once again, this time with a header in the 60th minute. The match ended 3–3, and with a late winning goal from Iceland against Austria, Portugal ended the group stage in third place. Only four of the six third-placed teams qualified; Portugal were ranked third of the six and progressed along with
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. In the round of 16, Portugal faced
Group D Group D may refer to: * FIA Group D - International Formula racing cars: ** Formula Two ** Formula Three ** Formula 3000 * One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup ** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D ** 2018 FIFA World ...
winners
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
at the
Stade Bollaert-Delelis The Stade Bollaert-Delelis () is the main football stadium in Lens, France, that was built in 1933. It is the home of RC Lens. The stadium's capacity is 38,223 – about 7,000 more than the city's population. The stadium was originally named af ...
in
Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
on 25 June. The match was described by the
BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...
's Saj Chowdhury as "a turgid affair", and noted as a game that "won't live long in anyone's memory" by
Barry Glendenning Barry Glendenning (born 12 March 1973) is an Irish sports journalist who holds the position of deputy sports editor on the ''guardian.co.uk'' website run by UK newspaper ''The Guardian''. Glendenning was born in Birr, County Offaly and atten ...
in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''. Regular time ended goalless without a single shot in the first 24 minutes, a European Championship record. With three minutes of extra time remaining, Ronaldo's shot was kept out by
Danijel Subašić Danijel Subašić (born 27 October 1984) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Hajduk Split. Subašić began his career in Croatia with Zadar and Hajduk. In January 2012, he joined Monaco, and went on to make 292 ...
, the Croatia goalkeeper, but
Ricardo Quaresma Ricardo Andrade Quaresma Bernardo (; born 26 September 1983) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a winger. He began his career at Sporting CP and went on to play for Barcelona, Inter Milan, Porto (twice), Chelsea, Beşiktaş ...
headed in the rebound from close range to give Portugal a 1–0 victory. Portugal's quarter-final opponents, at the
Stade Vélodrome The Stade Vélodrome (; oc, Estadi Velodròm, ), known as the Orange Vélodrome for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1 since it opened in 1937, ...
in
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
on 30 June, were
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, who took an early lead when
Kamil Grosicki Kamil Paweł Grosicki (; born 8 June 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ekstraklasa club Pogoń Szczecin and the Poland national team. A full international for Poland with over eighty caps since 2008, he repres ...
's cross was struck into the Portugal goal by
Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski (; born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. Recognised for his positioning, technique and finishing, Lewandowski is co ...
within the opening two minutes, the second-fastest goal scored in the history of the tournament at the time. With 17 minutes of the first half remaining,
Renato Sanches Renato Júnior Luz Sanches (; born 18 August 1997) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain and the Portugal national football team, ...
played a
one-two One-two, 1-2, 1 & 2 or 1+2 may refer to: Sports * Push and run, in association football * One-two combo, in boxing Music * ''One, Two'', album by Sister Nancy * ''1 + 2'' (album), album by Recoil * ''Volumes 1 & 2'' (The Desert Sessions album) ...
with Nani and struck a shot that deflected off
Grzegorz Krychowiak Grzegorz Krychowiak (; born 29 January 1990) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab, on loan from Krasnodar, and the Poland national team. Beginning his senior career in France ...
into the Poland goal to level the scores at 1–1. The second half of the match was goalless, as were the two halves of extra time, so the game went to a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
. Ronaldo, Sanches and
João Moutinho João Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho (; born 8 September 1986) is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Portugal national team. Moutinho began his professional career ...
scored their penalties for Portugal, while Lewandowski,
Arkadiusz Milik Arkadiusz Krystian Milik (; born 28 February 1994) is a Polish professional association football, footballer who plays as a striker (association football), striker for Serie A club Juventus F.C., Juventus, on loan from Ligue 1 club Olympique de M ...
and
Kamil Glik Kamil Jacek Glik (Polish pronunciation: ; born 3 February 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie B club Benevento and the Poland national team. The previous clubs Glik played for include Piast Gliwice fro ...
replied for Poland to make it 3–3. Nani then put Portugal ahead before
Jakub Błaszczykowski Jakub Błaszczykowski (; born 14 December 1985), also known as Kuba, is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Wisła Kraków, businessman and Wisła Kraków's part owner. He started his professional football at Wisła Krakó ...
's strike was saved by Rui Patrício. Quaresma scored Portugal's fifth penalty to seal the win and progression to the semi-finals. Portugal returned to the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on 6 July to face
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, who were participating in their first major tournament since the
1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Brazil be ...
. After a goalless first half, Portugal took the lead five minutes after the interval, when Ronaldo headed past
Wayne Hennessey Wayne Robert Hennessey (born 24 January 1987) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Wales national team. Hennessey's first professional games saw him set a new Football ...
, the Wales goalkeeper, following a short corner. Three minutes later, Nani diverted a long-range shot from Ronaldo past Hennessey to give Portugal a 2–0 victory and progression to the UEFA European Championship final.


France

Having qualified for Euro 2016 automatically as hosts, France were placed in
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...
for the finals. In their first group match, they faced Romania at the Stade de France on 10 June.
Antoine Griezmann Antoine Griezmann (; born 21 March 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the France national team. A versatile player, Griezmann is known for his attacking, passing, and supportiv ...
came closest to scoring in a goalless first half when he struck the Romania goalpost with a header. Thirteen minutes into the second half, France took the lead when
Olivier Giroud Olivier Jonathan Giroud (born 30 September 1986) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for club AC Milan and the France national team. Regarded for his work-rate, strength, acrobatic strikes, shot power, consistent goal-s ...
headed in
Dimitri Payet Dimitri Payet (; born 29 March 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays for Ligue 1 club Marseille. A set-piece specialist, known for his accurate, bending free kicks, he primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, and is described a ...
's cross. Seven minutes later,
Patrice Evra Patrice Latyr Evra (; born 15 May 1981) is a French football coach and former professional player. Originally a forward, he primarily played as a left-back. Evra served as captain for both Manchester United and the France national team. His m ...
fouled Romania's Nicolae Stanciu in the France penalty area and
Bogdan Stancu Bogdan Sorin Stancu (; born 28 June 1987) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Stancu started his professional career at Argeș Pitești, and had a brief loan spell at Mioveni. Due to an irregularity in his contract he ...
levelled the scores from the resulting penalty kick. With a minute of the match remaining, Payet scored from to give France a 2–1 victory. France's next opponents were
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, against whom they played five days later at the Stade Vélodrome. Albania defended well and came close to taking the lead when
Ledian Memushaj Ledian Memushaj (born 7 December 1986) is an Albanian professional football coach and a former central midfielder. He is the head coach of the Under-19 squad of the Italian club Pescara. Club career Early career Memushaj joined A.S.D. Sarzane ...
's shot hit the post. France scored in the last minute of normal time with the game's first shot on target when Griezmann headed in
Adil Rami Adil Rami (born 27 December 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Troyes, for which he is the captain. Rami began his football career playing for amateur club Étoile Fréjus Saint-Raphaël, then known ...
's cross. Six minutes into stoppage time and with the final kick of the match, Payet scored and France won 2–0. In their final group match, France played
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
at the
Stade Pierre-Mauroy The Stade Pierre-Mauroy, also known as the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre-Mauroy for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-use retractable roof stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq (Métropole Européenne de Lille), France, that opened in August 2012. It has ...
in
Villeneuve-d'Ascq Villeneuve-d'Ascq (; pcd, Neuvile-Ask) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants and 50,000 students, it is one of the main cities of the Métropole Européenne de Lille and the largest in area ( ...
on 19 June.
Paul Pogba Paul Labile Pogba (born 15 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays for club Juventus and the France national team. He operates primarily as a central midfielder, but can be deployed as a left winger, attacking midfielder, de ...
hit the frame of Switzerland's goal twice, while Payet also hit the crossbar.
Bacary Sagna Bacary Sagna (born 14 February 1983) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right back and is mostly known for his time at Arsenal. He also played for the France national football team. Sagna's former manager at Arsenal, ...
pulled the shirt of Switzerland's
Blerim Džemaili Blerim Džemaili ( sq, Blerim Xhemaili, ; mk, Блерим Џемаили; born 12 April 1986) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays for Super League club Zürich as a midfielder. He began his career at FC Zürich, where he won the Swi ...
in stoppage time in France's penalty area but no penalty was awarded, and the match ended 0–0. France ended as Group A winners and progressed to the round of 16. France faced the third-placed team from
Group E Group E may refer to: * E-Group: E-Groups are unique architectural complexes found among a number of ancient Maya settlements * Group E (vase painting) Group E (or E Group) was a group of Attic vase painters of the black-figure style. They were a ...
, the Republic of Ireland, at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on 26 June. In the second minute, Pogba fouled
Shane Long Shane Patrick Long (born 22 January 1987) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Reading and the Republic of Ireland national team. He also played hurling for the Tipperary county team in his early ...
in the France penalty area and
Robbie Brady Robert Brady (born 14 January 1992) is an Irish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger for Preston North End F.C., Preston North End and the Republic of Ireland national football team, Republic of ...
scored the resulting penalty to give the Republic of Ireland a 1–0 lead. Griezmann scored the equaliser with a header for France twelve minutes after half-time, before scoring his second four minutes later to make it 2–1.
Shane Duffy Shane Patrick Michael Duffy (born 1 January 1992) is an Irish professional association football, footballer who plays as a defender (association football), defender for club Fulham F.C., Fulham and the Republic of Ireland national football tea ...
was shown a
red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...
in the 66th minute for a
professional foul In various sports, a professional foul is a deliberate act of foul play intended to bring about an advantage for the perpetrator's team. Professional fouls are usually committed to prevent an opponent from scoring. Various sports contain provisi ...
on Griezmann and although France won the match 2–1, both Rami and
N'Golo Kanté N'Golo Kanté (born 29 March 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Chelsea and the France national team. Considered by many to be one of the world's best midfielders, Kanté is widely praised ...
were unavailable in the next round, having picked up two bookings in the tournament. France's quarter-final opponents were Iceland, who had knocked out
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the previous round. Giroud put France into the lead after 12 minutes with a low shot before Pogba doubled his side's advantage with a header eight minutes later. Payet scored in the 43rd minute with a low shot from around , before Griezmann increased the lead further with a lob over
Hannes Þór Halldórsson Hannes Þór Halldórsson (born 27 April 1984) is an Icelandic filmmaker and former professional footballer. He was a member of the Iceland national team where he was capped 77 times and appeared at UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. ...
, the Iceland goalkeeper, to make it 4–0 just before half-time.
Kolbeinn Sigþórsson Kolbeinn Sigþórsson (; born 14 March 1990) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a forward. Currently a free agent, he most recently played for Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg. Before being signed by Ajax for a fee of €4.5&n ...
scored for Iceland eleven minutes after the interval, before Giroud restored France's four-goal lead with a header from a Payet free kick. Bjarnason scored a headed goal with six minutes of the match remaining, but that proved to be the final goal as the game ended 5–2. In the semi-finals, France faced
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
winners, at the Stade Vélodrome on 7 July in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup quarter-final (won 1–0 by Germany). Two minutes into first-half stoppage time,
Bastian Schweinsteiger Bastian Schweinsteiger (; born 1 August 1984) is a German former professional footballer who usually played as a central midfielder. Earlier in his career, he primarily played as a wide midfielder. Schweinsteiger is regarded as one of the great ...
was adjudged to have handled the ball when he challenged Evra in the penalty area, and Griezmann scored the resulting penalty to give France a 1–0 lead at half-time. With 18 minutes of the match remaining, Griezmann scored from close range after
Manuel Neuer Manuel Peter Neuer (; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and captains both club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the ...
had failed to clear a cross from Pogba.
Joshua Kimmich Joshua Walter Kimmich (; born 8 February 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or right-back for club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Known for his complete playstyle, versatility, aggressio ...
almost pulled a goal back for Germany, but his shot hit the frame of the France goal and his header on the rebound was saved by
Hugo Lloris Hugo Hadrien Dominique Lloris (born 26 December 1986) is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Tottenham Hotspur and the France national team. He is a three-time winner of the National Union of Professional Footbal ...
. The match ended 2–0 to give France their first victory over Germany in a major tournament since the 1958 FIFA World Cup.


Pre-match

The official match ball for the knockout phase and final was the Adidas Fracas, provided by German sports equipment company
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
. Announced during the tournament, the ball was officially launched on 20 June. This was the first time a match ball was not used exclusively for the final, and the first time multiple ball designs were used throughout the tournament (excluding the final). On 8 July 2016, the UEFA Referees Committee announced the officiating team, led by 41-year-old English referee
Mark Clattenburg Mark Clattenburg (born 13 March 1975) is an English professional football referee. Clattenburg is a former member of the Premier League and the Durham County Football Association and also a former FIFA referee. He has refereed a number of nota ...
of
The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
. His compatriots Simon Beck and Jake Collin were chosen as assistant referees, and fellow Englishmen Anthony Taylor and
Andre Marriner Andre Marriner (born 1 January 1971)
the additional assistants. Hungarian
Viktor Kassai Viktor Kassai (''Kassai Viktor'', Hungarian pronunciation: ; born 10 September 1975) is a Hungarian football official and a former referee who is the current head of refereeing department of the Bulgarian Football Union. He participated in the ...
was chosen as the fourth official, and his fellow countryman György Ring as the reserve assistant. Clattenburg became the second official to referee both a
UEFA Champions League final The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of European ...
and European Championship final in the same season, after
Pedro Proença Pedro Proença Oliveira Alves Garcia (; born 3 November 1970) is a retired Portuguese football referee. Proença has refereed a number of notable matches including the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, Taça de Portugal finals, Taça da Liga fi ...
in 2012. This made it a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
of cup finals for Clattenburg, after the
2016 FA Cup Final The 2016 FA Cup Final was an association football match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United on 21 May 2016 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, organised by the Football Association (FA). It marked the 135th final of the Football ...
and the
2016 UEFA Champions League Final The 2016 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League, the 61st season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 24th season since it was renamed from the European Champion ...
, all within a seven-week span. Clattenburg, FIFA-listed since 2007 and a UEFA Elite referee, also officiated the 2012 Olympics gold medal match and the
2014 UEFA Super Cup The 2014 UEFA Super Cup was the 39th edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League ...
. He became the first English European Championship final referee since Arthur Holland in 1964. The match was Clattenburg's fourth appointment at Euro 2016. In the hours leading up to the final, there were clashes between fans trying to access the
Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "'' ...
fan zone and police attempting to prevent overcrowding. Police carried out a controlled explosion on a package left near the stadium complex, while fans set litter bins alight. The disruption was under control by the second half, but after the match, fights broke out between fans outside the stadium. Police advised people not to travel to the Eiffel Tower or the
Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is lo ...
as the area was not safe. Before the start of the match, the closing ceremony was held at 8:45p.m. It featured 600 dancers and a live rendition of "
Seven Nation Army "Seven Nation Army" is a song by American rock duo the White Stripes. It is the opening track on their fourth studio album, ''Elephant'' (2003). V2 Records released the song to American alternative radio on February 17, 2003, as the lead single f ...
" by various musicians including members of the
Paris Fire Brigade The Paris Fire Brigade (french: Brigade des sapeurs-pompiers de Paris, BSPP) is a French Army unit which serves as the primary fire and rescue service for Paris, the city's inner suburbs and certain sites of national strategic importance. The ...
, the
French Republican Guard The Republican Guard (french: Garde républicaine) is part of the French National Gendarmerie. It is responsible for special security duties in the Paris area and for providing guards of honour at official ceremonies of the French Republic. Its ...
, and the Choir of
Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety of ...
, before French DJ
David Guetta Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...
and Swedish singer
Zara Larsson Zara Maria Larsson (, ; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish pop singer. In 2008, at the age of 10, she won the second season of the talent show '' Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got Talent'' format. Since then she has received recogni ...
performed the official tournament song " This One's for You". Before the match started, the stadium was invaded by silver Y moths, which caused some irritation to the players, staff and coaches. Workers at the stadium had left the lights switched on the day before the match which attracted huge swaths of insects. The players and coaches of each team during the warm-up tried swatting the moths, and ground staff used brushes to clean moths from the walls, ground and other areas. France's starting line-up was unchanged from the semi-final, while Portugal brought back Pepe and
William Carvalho William Silva de Carvalho (born 7 April 1992) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and the Portugal national team. He spent most of his career with Sporting CP since making h ...
, who missed the semi-final through injury and suspension respectively, for
Bruno Alves Bruno Eduardo Regufe Alves (; born 27 November 1981) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a central defender, currently being sporting director of Super League Greece club AEK Athens. He began and spent most of his professional ...
and
Danilo Danilo is a given name found in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Serbian. Notable people with the name Danilo include: Athletes Footballers * Danilo (footballer, born 1979), Brazilian footballer Danilo de Andrade * Danilo (footballer, born 19 ...
. France adopted a 4–2–3–1 formation while Portugal played as a 4–1–3–2. Before the match, Portugal's
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
, Fernando Santos reacted to the criticism his side had received during the tournament, stating "I want it to continue... I want us to win
he final He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
without deserving it!"


Match


Summary


First half

Portugal kicked off the final at around 9:00p.m.
CEST CEST or cest may refer to: * Central European Summer Time (UTC+2), daylight saving time observed in the central European time zone * Cognitive-Experiential Self-Theory * Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer, a subset of Magnetization transfer in ...
on 10 July 2016 in front of an attendance of 75,868, in sunny conditions with a temperature of and 38%
humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...
. After early mistakes from both
José Fonte José Miguel da Rocha Fonte (born 22 December 1983) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Lille and the Portugal national team. Fonte started his professional career with Sporting CP B, moving to ...
and Carvalho, in the fourth minute,
Cédric Soares Cédric Ricardo Alves Soares (born 31 August 1991), known simply as Cédric (), is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, right back for club Fulham F.C., Fulham, on ...
sent a long pass to Nani whose shot went over the France crossbar from . Two minutes later, a header out from Fonte fell to France's
Moussa Sissoko Moussa Sissoko (born 16 August 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as midfielder for club Nantes and the France national team. He plays as a box-to-box midfielder in the centre of the pitch, and is capable of playing in eith ...
whose volley was off-target before Griezmann struck a half-volley wide of the Portugal goal. In the eighth minute, Payet put in a strong tackle on Ronaldo who subsequently appeared to be in pain. In the 10th minute, a mistake from Pepe allowed Payet to cross for Griezmann whose header was saved by Rui Patrício. Giroud's attempt to score from the subsequent corner was also saved by the Portugal goalkeeper. In the 18th minute, Ronaldo left the pitch for medical attention and returned after a period of Portugal possession with a strapped knee before Sissoko struck a shot that was deflected just over the crossbar. Midway through the half João Mário volleyed wide of the France goal before Ronaldo, taken off the pitch on a stretcher, was substituted for Quaresma, and Portugal changed to a 4–1–4–1 formation with Nani playing alone upfront. In the 34th minute, Sissoko
nutmegged A nutmeg, also known by dozens of national and regional variations, is a skill used mainly in association football, but also in field hockey, ice hockey, and basketball. The aim is to kick, roll, dribble, throw, or push the ball (or puck) between ...
Adrien Silva Adrien Sébastien Perruchet da Silva (; born 15 March 1989) is a professional footballer who plays for UAE Pro League club Al Wahda. A central midfielder, he is known for his dribbling and passing skills. He began his career with Sporting CP, ...
before striking a shot which was kept out by Rui Patrício. Cédric was then shown a
yellow card Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...
for a foul on Payet. Three minutes later, Nani passed to Adrien Silva who was tackled in the France penalty area. From the resulting corner, Fonte headed over the crossbar. With four minutes of the half remaining, Payet's shot was blocked by Pepe. Two minutes into
stoppage time Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
, João Mario’s cross towards Nani passed wide of the far post and the half ended goalless.


Second half

Neither side made any changes to their playing personnel during the interval and France kicked off the second half. Four minutes in, Sissoko fouled Pepe, who then dispossessed Payet before he could shoot. In the 53rd minute, France won a corner after a clearance from Pepe which Rui Patrício caught on the second attempt. Pogba then struck a shot high over the Portugal crossbar from around . There was a brief delay to the match while a
pitch invader A pitch invasion (known in North America as field storming or rushing the field) occurs when a person or a crowd of people spectating a sporting event run onto the competition area, usually to celebrate or protest an incident, or sometimes as ...
was removed by security. In the 56th minute, João Mario's cross was headed behind by Samuel Umtiti and Quaresma's subsequent corner was headed clear by Evra. Three minutes later, France made their first substitution of the game with
Kingsley Coman Kingsley Junior Coman (; born 13 June 1996) is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Bayern Munich and the France national team. Trained at Paris Saint-Germain's academy, Coman moved to Juventus in 2014 on the exp ...
coming on to replace Payet. Coman's first significant contribution was to pass to Griezmann whose shot was caught by Rui Patrício. In the 62nd minute, João Mario was shown the yellow card for tripping Giroud and four minutes later Pogba's pass found Coman who sent in a cross which Griezmann headed wide from . Portugal then made their second substitution, with João Moutinho replacing Adrien Silva. With 17 minutes remaining, Coman played a one-two with Giroud but Coman's cross into the Portugal penalty area failed to find any of his teammates. Two minutes later, Coman passed the ball to Giroud in the Portugal box who struck it low but his shot was saved by Rui Patrício. In the 78th minute, both sides made their third substitutions,
André-Pierre Gignac André-Pierre Christian Gignac (born 5 December 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Liga MX club Tigres UANL. Gignac is described as a "powerful and dangerous" striker who is known for his "aerial presence". He i ...
coming on for Giroud, and Eder replacing Renato Sanches. Nani's mis-hit cross was pushed away by Lloris before he caught Quaresma's subsequent
overhead kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...
. Umtiti was then booked and Nani's left-footed strike went over the France crossbar. In the 84th minute, Sissoko ran with the ball, shooting from around , but his strike was kept out by Rui Patrício. Two minutes into stoppage time, Evra played in a low cross to Gignac, who beat Pepe and struck the ball against the inside of the Portugal goalpost. Regular time ended with the score still 0–0 and the match proceeded into extra time.


Extra time

France kicked off the first half of extra time and four minutes in, Eder won a free-kick after being fouled by Umtiti. Quaresma sent in a curling pass from around and Pepe headed it wide although he was offside.
Raphaël Guerreiro Raphaël Adelino José Guerreiro (; born 22 December 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as left-back or as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Portugal national team. He began his career at Caen, signing in 2 ...
was then booked for a foul on Sissoko before
Blaise Matuidi Blaise Matuidi (born 9 April 1987) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He most notably played for Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and the France national team. Matuidi began his football career playing for ...
was shown the yellow card for fouling Eder. Carvalho was booked a minute later for a professional foul on Coman. A minute before half time, Portugal won a corner which was taken by Quaresma. Eder headed the ball goalwards and Lloris pushed it away before his defence cleared it. Three minutes into the second half,
Laurent Koscielny Laurent Koscielny (born 10 September 1985) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre back. Born in Tulle, Koscielny began his football career playing for a host of youth clubs before moving to Guingamp in 2003, where he q ...
was shown the yellow card for handball (although television replays appeared to show the ball had actually struck Eder's hand) and Guerreiro's subsequent free kick from around struck the underside of the France crossbar. A minute later, Portugal took the lead through Eder: he received the ball, held off Koscielny before running infield, and struck it from with a low shot that beat Lloris to his right. France immediately brought on
Anthony Martial Anthony Jordan Martial (; born 5 December 1995) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the France national team. After playing youth football for Les Ulis, Martial began his pr ...
to replace Sissoko. Rui Patrício then caught a cross from Evra before Nani shot high after Portugal had made a break from a France corner. In the 114th minute, Pogba was booked for pushing João Mario. With four minutes remaining, Nani's cross was cleared by Sagna, who also made a tackle on João Mario in the final minute of extra time. After two minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle was blown and Portugal won the match 1–0.


Details

, style="width:60%; vertical-align:top;", Match rules *90 minutes *30 minutes of
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
if necessary *
Penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
if scores still level *Maximum of three substitutions


Statistics


Post-match

Portugal's Pepe was named
man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
.
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
said that the winning strike was "brilliantly taken" and "one that deserved to win any final". Griezmann was given the player of the tournament award, and six players, four from Portugal and two from France, were named in the UEFA team of the tournament. The match was Portugal's first competitive win against France, first overall win against France since 1975, and gave Portugal their first major trophy. The win also qualified Portugal for the
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup was the 10th and final edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup, a quadrennial international men's football tournament organised by FIFA. It was held in Russia, from 17 June to 2 July 2017, as a prelude to the 20 ...
in Russia, marking their first appearance in the competition, and the first time that three countries from the same confederation participated in the competition (hosts
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, world champions Germany, and European champions Portugal). In winning the final, Portugal became the tenth different nation to win the European Championship, twelve years after losing their first final at home in the 2004 tournament. France became the second host team to lose the final, after Portugal in 2004. This was the fifth European Championship final to end in a draw after 90 minutes of play and the first to finish goalless. It was also the second whose winners were decided by extra time, after the inaugural final in 1960. Signed from Benfica a few weeks before the tournament,
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
's Renato Sanches became the youngest player to win the European Championship at 18 years and 328 days. Sanches was later named the Young Player of the Tournament by UEFA. Ronaldo described the victory as "one of the happiest moments of my career... This is a unique moment for me. It's unforgettable." Portugal manager Santos praised the Portugal supporters, suggesting they had "lifted our souls", and reflected on Eder: "The ugly duckling scored! Now he's the beautiful swan!" He remarked that his team were "as simple as doves, and as wise as serpents." His counterpart,
Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, E ...
, was downcast, noting "the overriding emotion is huge disappointment. It's cruel to lose the final like that." He remarked that "we've missed a unique opportunity to win a Euros in our own country. There are no words." His captain, Lloris, explained that his side had not made the best of their opportunities but was magnanimous in defeat, praising his opposition: "We need to congratulate Portugal as they were very strong mentally throughout the tournament." Portuguese newspaper ''
Jornal de Notícias ''Jornal de Notícias (JN)'' (; meaning ''News Journal'' in English) is a Portuguese daily national newspaper, one of the oldest in Portugal. History and profile ''JN'' was founded in Porto and was first published on 21 June 1888. It was one of ...
'' suggested the victory was "the greatest moment in the history of Portuguese football", and ''
A Bola ''A Bola'' (; en, literally "The Ball", in this context "The Game of Football") is a Portuguese sports newspaper published in Lisbon. History and profile ''A Bola'' was founded in 1945 by Cândido de Oliveira and Ribeiro dos Reis, and was ...
'' announced every Portugal player to be a "hero". France's ''
L'Équipe ''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby football, rugby, motorsport, and cycle sport, ...
'' declared that they were "devastated" and viewed the future of the side with pessimism, suggesting "it's far from certain that they will bounce back quickly". ''
Le Parisien ''Le Parisien'' (; French for "The Parisian") is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH. Histor ...
'' took solace from the fact that Griezmann ended the tournament as top scorer, with the highest total since
Michel Platini Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, ...
in Euro 1984. ''
Diario AS ''Diario AS'' () is a Spanish daily sports newspaper that concentrates particularly on football. Profile ''Diario AS'' is part of PRISA which also owns '' El País'' and ''Cinco Días''. The paper particularly covers news of the Community of M ...
'' in Spain criticised Portugal's approach, suggesting they "certainly didn't play football to go down in the annals of the beautiful game" while Italy's ''
Corriere della Sera The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015. First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...
'' reported that "they fully deserved this triumph". ''
Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'' later reported that the tournament had generated €1.22 billion in revenue to the country in contrast to the cost of hosting it, estimated at less than €200 million. The same publication listed the 2016 final as 10th in its top 30 Euro matches. In the next international tournament, the
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
, Portugal were eliminated in the first knockout round by
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, after finishing the
group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concent ...
in second place behind Spain. France, led once again by Deschamps, won the tournament, beating Croatia 4–2 in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. Portugal failed to defend their European Championship title at
UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
, losing to Belgium in the round of 16, and France were also eliminated at that stage, suffering defeat to Switzerland in a penalty shoot-out.


References


Bibliography

*


External links


UEFA Euro 2016 official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uefa Euro 2016 Final
Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
Portugal national football team matches France national football team matches Sport in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis
Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
July 2016 sports events in France France–Portugal relations