The finals of Euro 2016: The night of contradictions, the night of Pepe

Juuso Kilpeläinen

28th July 2018 | 10:57 PM

The final of Euro 2016 served as the perfect stage a man who was fighting eleven men and his own reputation. It was Pepe’s night.
“The past is glory, the present is history”. On a night when their brightest star fell abruptly, Portugal had Pepe to haul them home.

10 July 2016. Portugal v France. Final of the Euro 2016.

Portugal’s road to the final in Stade de France was an unorthodox one. First, they stumbled over the first hurdle by finishing third behind Hungary and Iceland in their respective group. Progression, however, would not have been possible without an expanded format and Iceland’s injury time goal against Austria. They then reached the quarter-finals by defeating an increasingly impressive Croatia in the dullest game of the tournament, before toppling Poland through penalties and coasting past Wales in the semi-finals.

Portugal’s journey to the final was a performance that no team in a major final had any right to give. It seemed as if defending was the height of their ambition, lacking any creativity and fluidness on the forefront of the pitch. Apart from Ronaldo fans and the Portuguese people, everyone entertained the thought of Portugal packing their bags and taking the first flight home.

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