.jpg) The Stade de France hosted the final | |||||||
| Event | UEFA Euro 2016 | ||||||
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| Afterextra time | |||||||
| Date | 10 July 2016 (2016-07-10) | ||||||
| Venue | Stade de France,Saint-Denis | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Pepe (Portugal) | ||||||
| Referee | Mark Clattenburg (England) | ||||||
| Attendance | 75,868 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny 28 °C (82 °F) 38%humidity | ||||||
←2012 2020 → | |||||||
TheUEFA Euro 2016 final was the final match ofUEFA Euro 2016, the fifteenth edition of theEuropean Championship,UEFA's quadrennial competition for nationalfootball teams. The match was played at theStade de France inParis, France, on 10 July 2016, and was contested betweenPortugal and hostsFrance.
The 24-team tournament began with a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for theknockout stage. En route to the final, Portugal finished third inGroup F, with draws againstIceland,Austria andHungary. Portugal then defeatedCroatia in the last 16,Poland in the quarter-finals after apenalty shoot-out, and progressed to the final after beatingWales 2–0 in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, France finished as winners ofGroup A, beatingRomania andAlbania before drawing withSwitzerland. In the knockout stage, France defeated theRepublic of Ireland in the last 16, Iceland in the quarter-finals, and progressed to the final after beatingGermany 2–0 in the semi-finals.
The final took place in front of 75,868 spectators, and wasrefereed by English officialMark Clattenburg. Following a goalless 90 minutes which saw Portugal captainCristiano Ronaldo depart the match through injury, Portugal then took the lead in the 108th minute through substituteEder, after his low shot from 25 yards (23 m) beat France goalkeeperHugo Lloris. This would prove to be the contest's only goal, as Portugal won 1–0 to claim their first major tournament title.
In winning the final, Portugal became the tenth different nation to win the European Championship, twelve years afterlosing their first final, at home in the2004 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 the1960 European Nations' Cup third place play-off againstCzechoslovakia. This was the fifthEuropean Championship final to end in a draw after 90 minutes of play, and the second whose winners were decided by extra time, after theinaugural final in 1960. As the winners, Portugal gained entry into their firstFIFA Confederations Cup, which was played in Russia in2017.
UEFA Euro 2016 was the fifteenth edition of theEuropean Football Championship,UEFA's football competition for national teams, held between 10 June and 10 July 2016 in France.[1][2]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-awayround-robin tournament basis. The top two teams in each group, along withFrance, the host team, qualified for the finals, as didTurkey who had the best third-place record. The remaining four places were determined viatwo-legged play-offs involving the other eight third-placed teams.[3] 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 aknock-out phase.[2]
France had previously played in two European Championship finals, winning as tournament hosts againstSpain in 1984, and via agolden goal againstItaly in the Netherlands in2000.Portugal had played in one prior final, losing toGreece in their own country in2004.[4] The two teams had previously met 24 times, their first encounter taking place in 1926 when France won 4–2 inToulouse. Before the final, France had won eighteen of those meetings, Portugal five, and with one draw. Portugal's last victory was in a 1975friendly in France, after which France won all ten of the subsequent meetings. All three of their previous competitive meetings – in the semi-finals ofEuro 1984,Euro 2000, and the2006 FIFA World Cup – had been French victories.[5] At the start of the tournament, Portugal were listed in eighth place in theFIFA World Rankings, while France were seventeenth.[6]
The final was held at theStade de France inSaint-Denis, a suburb ofParis. 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.[7] The French capital had hosted thefinals of two previous European Championships, in1960 and1984, both at theParc des Princes.[8] AUEFA Category Four stadium, the Stade de France is thesixth-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 andRomania.[9]
| Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 1–1 |
| 2 | Austria | 0–0 |
| 3 | Hungary | 3–3 |
| R16 | Croatia | 1–0 (a.e.t.) |
| QF | Poland | 1–1 (a.e.t.)(5–3p) |
| SF | Wales | 2–0 |
After qualifying for Euro 2016 as winners ofGroup I with seven wins and a defeat in their eight matches, Portugal were drawn inGroup F for the finals tournament. Their first group game was againstIceland at theStade Geoffroy-Guichard inSaint-Étienne on 14 June.Gylfi Sigurðsson had two early chances to put Iceland ahead but both shots were saved by Portugal goalkeeperRui Patrício, beforeNani gave Portugal the lead in the 31st minute after across fromAndré Gomes. Five minutes into the second half, Iceland equalised whenBirkir Bjarnason scored from aJóhann Berg Guðmundsson cross that had been missed by Portugal'sVieirinha. 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.[10][11] Portugal's second opponents wereAustria at the Parc des Princes four days later. The first half ended goalless, but late in the second half, Portugal were awarded apenalty kick.Cristiano Ronaldo, who became his country'smost-capped player in that game, was fouled in Austria'spenalty area by defenderMartin Hinteregger but missed the penalty, striking the foot of the goalpost. He also had aheader disallowed foroffside and the match ended 0–0.[12][13]
In their final group match, Portugal facedHungary at theParc Olympique Lyonnais inDécines-Charpieu on 22 June.Zoltán Gera gave Hungary the lead in the 19th minute with avolley, before Nani struck a low shot pastGábor Király in the Hungary goal following a pass from Ronaldo to level the scores.Balázs Dzsudzsák 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 withSlovakia, theRepublic of Ireland andNorthern Ireland.[14][15]
In the round of 16, Portugal facedGroup D winnersCroatia at theStade Bollaert-Delelis inLens on 25 June. The match was described by theBBC Sport's Saj Chowdhury as "a turgid affair", and noted as a game that "won't live long in anyone's memory" byBarry Glendenning inThe Guardian.[16][17] 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 byDanijel Subašić, the Croatia goalkeeper, butRicardo Quaresma headed in the rebound from close range to give Portugal a 1–0 victory.[16][18]
Portugal's quarter-final opponents, at theStade Vélodrome inMarseille on 30 June, werePoland, who took an early lead whenKamil Grosicki's cross was struck into the Portugal goal byRobert Lewandowski 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 played aone-two with Nani and struck a shot that deflected offGrzegorz Krychowiak 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 apenalty shoot-out. Ronaldo, Sanches andJoão Moutinho scored their penalties for Portugal, while Lewandowski,Arkadiusz Milik andKamil Glik replied for Poland to make it 3–3. Nani then put Portugal ahead beforeJakub Błaszczykowski's strike was saved by Rui Patrício. Quaresma scored Portugal's fifth penalty to seal the win and progression to the semi-finals.[19][20]
Portugal returned to the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on 6 July to faceWales, who were participating in their first major tournament since the1958 FIFA World Cup. After a goalless first half, Portugal took the lead five minutes after the interval, when Ronaldo headed pastWayne Hennessey, 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.[21][22]
| Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romania | 2–1 |
| 2 | Albania | 2–0 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 0–0 |
| R16 | Republic of Ireland | 2–1 |
| QF | Iceland | 5–2 |
| SF | Germany | 2–0 |
Having qualified for Euro 2016 automatically as hosts, France were placed inGroup A for the finals. In their first group match, they faced Romania at the Stade de France on 10 June.Antoine Griezmann 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 whenOlivier Giroud headed inDimitri Payet's cross. Seven minutes later,Patrice Evra fouled Romania'sNicolae Stanciu in the France penalty area andBogdan Stancu levelled the scores from the resulting penalty kick. With a minute of the match remaining, Payet scored from 20 yards (18 m) to give France a 2–1 victory.[23][24]
France's next opponents wereAlbania, against whom they played five days later at the Stade Vélodrome. Albania defended well and came close to taking the lead whenLedian Memushaj'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 inAdil Rami's cross. Six minutes into stoppage time and with the final kick of the match, Payet scored and France won 2–0.[25][26] In their final group match, France playedSwitzerland at theStade Pierre-Mauroy inVilleneuve-d'Ascq on 19 June.Paul Pogba hit the frame of Switzerland's goal twice, while Payet also hit the crossbar.Bacary Sagna pulled the shirt of Switzerland'sBlerim Džemaili 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.[27][28]
France faced the third-placed team fromGroup E, the Republic of Ireland, at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on 26 June. In the second minute, Pogba fouledShane Long in the France penalty area andRobbie Brady 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 was shown ared card in the 66th minute for aprofessional foul on Griezmann and although France won the match 2–1, both Rami andN'Golo Kanté were unavailable in the next round, having picked up two bookings in the tournament.[29][30]
France's quarter-final opponents were Iceland, who had knocked outEngland 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 30 yards (27 m), before Griezmann increased the lead further with a lob overHannes Þór Halldórsson, the Iceland goalkeeper, to make it 4–0 just before half-time.Kolbeinn Sigþórsson 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.[31][32]
In the semi-finals, France facedGermany, the2014 FIFA World Cup 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 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 afterManuel Neuer had failed to clear a cross from Pogba.Joshua Kimmich 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 byHugo Lloris. The match ended 2–0 to give France their first victory over Germany in a major tournament since the 1958 FIFA World Cup.[33][34]
The official match ball for the knockout phase and final was theAdidas Fracas, provided by German sports equipment companyAdidas. 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).[35]
On 8 July 2016, the UEFA Referees Committee announced the officiating team, led by English refereeMark Clattenburg ofThe Football Association. His compatriots Simon Beck and Jake Collin were chosen as assistant referees, and fellow EnglishmenAnthony Taylor andAndre Marriner the additional assistants. HungarianViktor Kassai was chosen as the fourth official, and his fellow countryman György Ring as the reserve assistant. Clattenburg became the second official to referee both aUEFA Champions League final and European Championship final in the same season, afterPedro Proença in 2012. This made it ahat-trick of cup finals for Clattenburg, after the2016 FA Cup Final and the2016 UEFA Champions League Final, all within a seven-week span. Clattenburg,FIFA-listed since 2007 and a UEFA Elite referee, also officiated the2012 Olympics gold medal match and the2014 UEFA Super Cup. He became the first English European Championship final referee sinceArthur Holland in 1964. The match was Clattenburg's fourth appointment at Euro 2016.[36]
In the hours leading up to the final, there were clashes between fans trying to access theEiffel Tower fan zone and police attempting to prevent overcrowding.[37] 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 theChamps-Élysées as the area was not safe.[38]
Before the start of the match, the closing ceremony was held at 8:45 p.m. It featured 600 dancers and a live rendition of "Seven Nation Army" by various musicians including members of theParis Fire Brigade, theFrench Republican Guard, and the Choir ofRadio France, before French DJDavid Guetta and Swedish singerZara Larsson performed the official tournament song "This One's for You".[39] Before the match started, the stadium was invaded bysilver 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.[40][41]
France's starting line-up was unchanged from the semi-final, while Portugal brought back Pepe andWilliam Carvalho, who missed the semi-final through injury and suspension respectively, forBruno Alves andDanilo. France adopted a4–2–3–1 formation while Portugal played as a4–1–3–2.[22] Before the match, Portugal'smanager,Fernando Santos reacted to the criticism his side had received during the tournament, stating "I want it to continue ... I want us to win [the final] without deserving it!"[42]
Portugalkicked off the final at around 9:00 p.m.CEST on 10 July 2016 in front of an attendance of 75,868, in sunny conditions with a temperature of 28 °C (82 °F) and 38%humidity.[43][44] After early mistakes from bothJosé Fonte and Carvalho, in the fourth minute,Cédric Soares sent a long pass to Nani whose shot went over the France crossbar from 15 yards (14 m). Two minutes later, a header out from Fonte fell to France'sMoussa Sissoko 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.[22] 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 halfJoão 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, SissokonutmeggedAdrien Silva before striking a shot which was kept out by Rui Patrício. Cédric was then shown ayellow card 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 intostoppage time, João Mario's cross towards Nani passed wide of the far post and the half ended goalless.[45]
Neither side made any changes to their playing personnel during the interval and France kicked off the second half.[45] 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 30 yards (27 m). There was a brief delay to the match while apitch invader was removed by security. In the 56th minute, João Mario's cross was headed behind bySamuel Umtiti and Quaresma's subsequent corner was headed clear by Evra. Three minutes later, France made their first substitution of the game withKingsley Coman 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 6 yards (5.5 m).[46]
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 coming on for Giroud, andEder replacing Renato Sanches. Nani's mis-hit cross was pushed away by Lloris before he caught Quaresma's subsequentoverhead kick. Umtiti was then booked and Nani's 25-yard (23 m) left-footed strike went over the France crossbar.[46] In the 84th minute, Sissoko ran with the ball, shooting from around 25 yards (23 m), 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.[47]
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 35 yards (32 m) and Pepe headed it wide although he was offside.Raphaël Guerreiro was then booked for a foul on Sissoko beforeBlaise Matuidi 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 was shown the yellow card for handball (although television replays appeared to show the ball had actually struck Eder's hand)[48] and Guerreiro's subsequent free kick from around 25 yards (23 m) 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 25 yards (23 m) with a low shot that beat Lloris to his right. France immediately brought onAnthony Martial 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.[47]
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[36] | Match rules[51]
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Portugal's Pepe was namedman of the match.[50]ESPN said that the winning strike was "brilliantly taken" and "one that deserved to win any final".[53] 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.[2] The match was Portugal's first competitive win against France, first overall win against France since 1975, and gave Portugal their first major trophy.[5][40] The win also qualified Portugal for the2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, marking their first appearance in the competition, and the first time that three countries from the same confederation participated in the competition (hostsRussia, world champions Germany, and European champions Portugal).[54]
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 the2004 tournament.[1] France became the second host team to lose the final, after Portugal in 2004.[1] This was the fifth European Championship final to end in a draw after 90 minutes of play and the first to finish goalless.[2][55] It was also the second whose winners were decided by extra time, after the inaugural final in 1960.[55]
Signed fromBenfica a few weeks before the tournament,Bayern Munich'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.[56] Ronaldo described the victory as "one of the happiest moments of my career ... This is a unique moment for me. It's unforgettable."[57] 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!"[57] He remarked that his team were "as simple as doves, and as wise as serpents."[58] His counterpart,Didier Deschamps, was downcast, noting "the overriding emotion is huge disappointment. It's cruel to lose the final like that."[57] He remarked that "we've missed a unique opportunity to win a Euros in our own country. There are no words."[42] 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."[57]
Portuguese newspaperJornal de Notícias suggested the victory was "the greatest moment in the history of Portuguese football",[59] andA Bola announced every Portugal player to be a "hero".[59] France'sL'Équipe 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".[59]Le Parisien took solace from the fact that Griezmann ended the tournament as top scorer, with the highest total sinceMichel Platini inEuro 1984.[59]Diario AS 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'sCorriere della Sera reported that "they fully deserved this triumph".[59]Le Monde 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.[60] The same publication listed the 2016 final as 10th in its top 30 Euro matches.[61]
In the next international tournament, the2018 FIFA World Cup, Portugal were eliminated in the first knockout round byUruguay, after finishing thegroup stage in second place behind Spain.[62] France, led once again by Deschamps, won the tournament, beating Croatia 4–2 in thefinal.[63] Portugal failed to defend their European Championship title atUEFA Euro 2020, 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.[64]
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