Underdogs stole stage at Euro 2016
PARIS — The Portuguese party had just begun when a message briefly flickered on the Stade de France big screen: “Merci pour tout, Michel.”
It wasn’t clear what the absent Michel Platini was being thanked for at the end of the European Championship on Sunday.
A public show of support before UEFA’s banned president loses his title in September? An endorsement of the former France captain’s vision to expand the tournament by eight teams?
Whatever the sentiment of the message, supporters booed. Loudly.
Few fans viewing the 51 games over the last month objectively will have been engrossed by the action.
The first 24-team continental showpiece required perseverance from fans to stick through many dreary games. Compensating for the tedium, though, was the enriching march of the minnows, something Platini could never have anticipated by adding eight teams.
Newcomers like Wales and Iceland didn’t just make up the numbers. They had so-called heavyweights who went home early — from England to Spain — watching in awe at their progress.
Wales, whose only previous appearance on the international stage was the 1958 World Cup, made it all the way to the last four — the first British semifinalist in 20 years.
It took a potent display from host France to end Iceland’s glorious run, breaking through the resilient defensive unit to win their quarterfinal 5-2. But France couldn’t barge through another well-drilled side when it faced Portugal in Sunday’s final, even after the most theatrical and agonizing moments of the tournament — the 15minute spell in the first half when Cristiano Ronaldo twice left the pitch to receive treatment before tearfully being forced out of the game.
Portugal persisted without the three-time world player of the year to win its first major title. Portugal’s 1-0 victory in extra time reflected one of the early conclusions of UEFA’s technical observers: possession is no longer king. Retaining the ball with masterful passing, as Spain showcased during their title triumphs in 2008 and 2012, can prove inadequate when thwarted by dogged opponents.
It meant teams could be less ambitious, sit back and hope to pounce on the break, especially when 16 teams knew they would advance from the group stage.
How will Euro 2016 be remembered? Not for tactical innovation, nor for a breakthrough star.
Long after the dour group-stage is forgotten, the legacy will be the fans — the aggressive and the boisterous behaviour.
Next time around, it will be staged in 13 cities across Europe — culminating in Wembley Stadium in London hosting the semifinals and the final.