Portugal was crowned the Champions of Europe on Sunday, as Fernando Santos’ men beat France 1-0 in the final in Saint-Denis.
Much has been said (mostly negative) about their defensive style and grinding opponents down but however you slice it up, there’s still the same outcome: Portugal won EURO 2016.
So, just how did they win it?
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Well, they didn’t win a single group game and finished third in Group F, qualifying for the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams. So, if it wasn’t for the new expanded format of 24 teams, the champs wouldn’t have made it out of the group stage in your conventional Euro tournament.
In the Round of 16 they defeated Croatia with a late goal in the second half of extra time (sound familiar?) and in the quarterfinals they drew 1-1 with Poland after extra time before beating them on penalty kicks.
[ VIDEO: Young Portuguese fan consoles crying Frenchman ]
Their only victory in regulation came with a 2-0 semifinal win over Wales in Lyon and then Eder’s 109th minute strike from outside the box arrive to stun the Stade de France and win Portugal the trophy.
Below is a video from our friends at Copa90 which shows every goal for and against Portugal throughout their seven-game run to immortality in France this summer.
I dig these beautiful illustrations. Big time.
