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Portugal vs. France: Euro 2016 Final Score and Twitter Reaction

Source: Bleacher Report
July 10, 2016 at 17:50
Eder emerged as an unlikely hero for Portugal during the Euro 2016 final on Sunday, scoring the only goal in extra time in the team's 1-0 win over hosts France.

Cristiano Ronaldo suffered a knee injury early in the contest and had to be replaced midway through a dull first half, and neither side was willing to take any real chances after the break.

Les Bleus improved as time wore on but couldn't convert their opportunities, and the match went to extra time.

Eder finally broke the deadlock in the 109th minute with a superb strike from distance, and he couldn't have picked a better time to open his account for his country:

France's late pressure amounted to nothing, as Portugal held on to win their first European title. 

As the tournament's official Twitter account shared, Les Bleus made no changes to their starting XI, while Pepe and William Carvalho returned for the visitors:

A massive moth infestation stole the headlines before kick-off, making it almost impossible for analysts to keep a straight face during interviews and leading to a lot of hilarity:

France took control of the ball early, and a bout of poor communication between Pepe and Rui Patricio nearly saw Olivier Giroud take advantage. Portugal were aiming for the counter-attack, and Nani found space in behind Laurent Koscielny but fired a volley well over the bar. A quick break led by Patrice Evra and Moussa Sissoko eventually saw the ball fall to Antoine Griezmann, who pulled the trigger from a tight angle but couldn't find the target.
 
Michael Sohn/Associated Press

Ronaldo went down clutching his knee after just eight minutes, a scary sight for Portuguese fans, but after some treatment on the sidelines, he continued. PortuGOAL.net's Tom Kundert thought the Real Madrid man was in real pain, however:

Just as Ronaldo made his way back onto the pitch, Patricio was forced to make a first great save, denying Griezmann's looping header after a Pepe slip. The ensuing corner saw Giroud try his luck with a header as well, but once again, Patricio stood firm.

Ronaldo did what he could but kept reaching for his knee, and 16 minutes into the match, he sat down in tears. He again left the pitch for treatment, although Yahoo Sport UK's Andrew Gaffney thought he'd be back:

Both teams refused to push the tempo while Ronaldo was sidelined, and the three-time Ballon d'Or winner soon returned to the pitch for a second time. Ricardo Quaresma was told to warm up, however, and Ronaldo's exit seemed inevitable.

His night finally came to an end after 23 minutes, as Ronaldo needed a stretcher to leave the pitch.

This wasn't the first time he had suffered an injury in the final of a major international tournament:

The match had lost all its intensity, with Sissoko firing a shot over Patricio's goal and no other chances of note to talk about. Les Bleus finally increased the pace again after the half-hour mark, and Sissoko again tried his luck, firing a hard shot straight at the goalkeeper.

PHILIPPE LOPEZ/Getty Images

Raphael Guerreiro had a shot blocked, one of the few chances Portugal mustered, and Jose Fonte fired a header over the bar from the resulting corner.

At half-time, fans and pundits alike had only one thing to talk about.

The Associated Press' Rob Harris summed it up:

France started the second half with renewed energy, and Pepe took a big shot from Sissoko after just minutes.

Portugal sat back deep, inviting pressure from Les Bleus, and Dimitri Payet went on a couple of surging runs through the defence but couldn't find the opening. The West Ham United star's night came to an end before the hour mark, as France manager Didier Deschamps gambled by introducing speedy youngster Kingsley Coman.

The Bayern Munich star immediately created a chance for Griezmann, but his low shot didn't bother Patricio. Coman's short burst of energy didn't add much to the match, however, and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Johnson dreaded the idea of extra time and penalties:

Griezmann came agonisingly close to opening the score after 65 minutes, aiming a header just wide of the target after an excellent cross from Coman. Evra couldn't time his jump right after a good delivery from Griezmann, and Giroud couldn't keep a header down.

The Arsenal man forced another fine save from Patricio, as France started to push for a winner, and he should have let a squared ball fall to Griezmann instead of taking it on himself. 

PHILIPPE DESMAZES/Getty Images
PHILIPPE DESMAZES/Getty Images

Eder and Andre-Pierre Gignac both made their way onto the pitch with 10 minutes left, and Hugo Lloris had to make a double save to deny Nani and Quaresma. 

Sissoko stung Patricio's hands with a hard strike from outside the box, but France's push didn't have any energy.

Stefan Bienkowski of DW Sports thought the final was representative of the tournament as a whole:

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