 "Euro 2016: When fervid desire trumped disjointed skill")
With six minutes remaining for the conclusion to this wildly engrossing concerto grosso, Paul Pogba lunged into a pillaging Joao Mario near the centre circle, cynically bringing him down. An on-rushing Mark Clattenburg, genial as ever, quietly brandished a yellow card. Pogba then beat the ground in apparent disgust, before sulkily walking away from the scene of the crime. Just moments earlier, after Eder had delightfully slotted home in what would turn out to be the winner, Pogba was seen square in the face of Moussa Sissoko, shouting and gesticulating exaggeratedly at the monstrous Newcastle midfielder.
On a night when the country’s latest bunch of young superstars was to unite the nation after a year that has brought with it bloody carnage, discernible fear, and gross uncertainty, this was France in a nutshell: rattled and woefully short of ideas. Against a team like Portugal, unflagging in defence and occasionally slick in attack, a lack of invention was the last thing the French needed. In the end, the night of the proposed unification culminated in fragments of French pride being strewn all over the Stade de France pitch. This was surely not how it was meant to be.
As football watchers, we often develop an uncanny predilection for attacking football, wretchedly overlooking the fact that international tournament football is unlike watching a club game every weekend. Tournaments such as the Euros are both brisk and precarious. Here, the need for balance – mostly an overstated piece of sporting drivel – is overwhelmingly true. Teams such as France, who last night remained obstinately submerged under a singular philosophy, are eventually thwarted, and sides like Portugal, for their sheer will and keenness to adapt, have a tendency to walk away with the big prize.
Egged on by a ridiculously partisan crowd, the hosts started with their usual swagger last night: the ball was pinged across the pitch with frightening crispness and the Portuguese defence, for once, was bent out of shape. Antoine Griezmann and Dmitri Payet looked lively and all seemed well. Just then, around 25 minutes, Ronaldo was stretchered off and the game turned. And, that too in the direction it ideally shouldn’t have.
With Ronaldo gone, Fernando Santos switched to a 4-5-1; Nani was now playing as the lone man up front. France, as if they had only Ronaldo to confront, inexplicably switched off. Griezmann slowly faded away and Payet’s influence on the game started waning. That the West Ham midfielder was taken off early in the second half still wasn’t the smartest decision by Deschamps. Sissoko was operating like a lorry on turbocharge –barging people out of the way – but he could have only done that much. And Pogba, with the flailing arms and the queasy face, simply looked lost. £100 million, Jose? Maybe not.
There were obvious tactical mishaps from the hosts that helped Portugal along the way. The fact that the French midfield was so choked that Blaise Matuidi became a non-factor later in the game was wholly welcomed by the Portuguese. It was mainly down to that that Pogba just couldn’t get on the ball in the attacking areas.
Even then, there are certain facets of this Portugal team that are hugely underrated. Pepe and Jose Fonte are two colossal central defenders, the fullbacks are reliable and seldom found out of position, and William Carvalho protects his back four like that 10-year-old kid who just wouldn’t let anyone else have his Big Mac.
This robust, safety-first approach deployed by Santos will not be kindly appreciated everywhere. The purists will scoff and the neutrals will howl. If you like your football lavish and intricate, then this Portugal team is not for you. But what they do so successfully with this uncluttered approach is find a way to win matches. Yes, they couldn’t beat Iceland, Austria and Hungary, but these teams along with Croatia, Poland, Wales and France couldn’t beat Portugal either. And, that’s what mattered in the end.
Moreover, this emphasis on defence will charm the old-timers who have been forcibly made to believe that proper defending is now extinct. Watching Spain over the last eight years has made us unfailingly fall in love with swift passing and exorbitant amounts of possession. As romantic as their style of football may seem, Spain may have killed the art of conventional defending. Santos, on the other hand, manages to make old-school defending look more beautiful than ever. A reminder of perfect tournament football couldn't have come at a better time.
On a night when the country’s latest bunch of young superstars was to unite the nation after a year that has brought with it bloody carnage, discernible fear, and gross uncertainty, this was France in a nutshell: rattled and woefully short of ideas. Against a team like Portugal, unflagging in defence and occasionally slick in attack, a lack of invention was the last thing the French needed. In the end, the night of the proposed unification culminated in fragments of French pride being strewn all over the Stade de France pitch. This was surely not how it was meant to be.
As football watchers, we often develop an uncanny predilection for attacking football, wretchedly overlooking the fact that international tournament football is unlike watching a club game every weekend. Tournaments such as the Euros are both brisk and precarious. Here, the need for balance – mostly an overstated piece of sporting drivel – is overwhelmingly true. Teams such as France, who last night remained obstinately submerged under a singular philosophy, are eventually thwarted, and sides like Portugal, for their sheer will and keenness to adapt, have a tendency to walk away with the big prize.
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Make no mistake: Portugal is an ordinary side that on most days would be outclassed by a team with the potency of France. Most of their players, barring probably Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe, wouldn’t even make it to Didier Deschamps’ first XI. But sadly for France, the game last night went beyond just footballing ability. It was more about fervid desire and indomitable team spirit.
Egged on by a ridiculously partisan crowd, the hosts started with their usual swagger last night: the ball was pinged across the pitch with frightening crispness and the Portuguese defence, for once, was bent out of shape. Antoine Griezmann and Dmitri Payet looked lively and all seemed well. Just then, around 25 minutes, Ronaldo was stretchered off and the game turned. And, that too in the direction it ideally shouldn’t have.
With Ronaldo gone, Fernando Santos switched to a 4-5-1; Nani was now playing as the lone man up front. France, as if they had only Ronaldo to confront, inexplicably switched off. Griezmann slowly faded away and Payet’s influence on the game started waning. That the West Ham midfielder was taken off early in the second half still wasn’t the smartest decision by Deschamps. Sissoko was operating like a lorry on turbocharge –barging people out of the way – but he could have only done that much. And Pogba, with the flailing arms and the queasy face, simply looked lost. £100 million, Jose? Maybe not.
There were obvious tactical mishaps from the hosts that helped Portugal along the way. The fact that the French midfield was so choked that Blaise Matuidi became a non-factor later in the game was wholly welcomed by the Portuguese. It was mainly down to that that Pogba just couldn’t get on the ball in the attacking areas.
Even then, there are certain facets of this Portugal team that are hugely underrated. Pepe and Jose Fonte are two colossal central defenders, the fullbacks are reliable and seldom found out of position, and William Carvalho protects his back four like that 10-year-old kid who just wouldn’t let anyone else have his Big Mac.
This robust, safety-first approach deployed by Santos will not be kindly appreciated everywhere. The purists will scoff and the neutrals will howl. If you like your football lavish and intricate, then this Portugal team is not for you. But what they do so successfully with this uncluttered approach is find a way to win matches. Yes, they couldn’t beat Iceland, Austria and Hungary, but these teams along with Croatia, Poland, Wales and France couldn’t beat Portugal either. And, that’s what mattered in the end.
Moreover, this emphasis on defence will charm the old-timers who have been forcibly made to believe that proper defending is now extinct. Watching Spain over the last eight years has made us unfailingly fall in love with swift passing and exorbitant amounts of possession. As romantic as their style of football may seem, Spain may have killed the art of conventional defending. Santos, on the other hand, manages to make old-school defending look more beautiful than ever. A reminder of perfect tournament football couldn't have come at a better time.