Portugal seek revenge against France for past agony
For Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal the Euro 2016 final tonight offers a golden opportunity to end a miserable record in meetings with France. As well as having home advantage and history on their side from wins in their last two major tournament finals on home soil, Les Bleus can claim to be Portugal’s bete noire.
France have won their last 10 meetings with the Portuguese since going down 2-0 in a friendly back in 1975, and their head-to-head record includes victories in all three clashes at major competitions.
The first of those came at the 1984 European Championship in France, when the hosts triumphed 3-2 after extra time in a dramatic semifinal in Marseille.
Penalties beckoned at the Stade Velodrome when Michel Platini appeared to score a 119th-minute winner to send France through to a final against Spain where they lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy for the first time.
There was more agony for the Selecao in the Euro 2000 semifinals, when a great side featuring Luis Figo and Rui Costa led in Brussels before eventually losing 2-1.
Nuno Gomes put Portugal in front but Thierry Henry equalised for the world champions and Zinedine Zidane scored a golden goal winner from the penalty spot three minutes from the end of extra time.
Again France went on to win the continental crown while Portugal were left to rue the officials’ decision to penalise Abel Xavier for a handball in the box as a shoot-out again loomed.
More heartache followed in 2006, when the team that had stumbled at the final hurdle of Euro 2004 on home soil lost in the last four of the World Cup.
Another Zidane penalty in the first half in Munich took the French through to a final they eventually lost in a shoot-out against Italy.
Ronaldo trudged off the field in tears that night. He has declared his wish to be crying tears of joy after Sunday’s final at the Stade de France.