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Euro 2016 final: Full preview for Portugal-France

By Freddie Boston

FILE PHOTO - (EDITORS NOTE: COMPOSITE OF TWO IMAGES - Image numbers (L) 540171428 and 544406362) In this composite image a comparision has been made between Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (L) and Antoine Griezmann of France. France and Portugal meet in the EURO 2016 Final on July 10, 2016 at the Stade de France in Paris,France. ***LEFT IMAGE*** SAINT-ETIENNE, FRANCE - JUNE 14: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal in action during the UEFA EURO 2016 Group F match between Portugal and Iceland at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on June 14, 2016 in Saint-Etienne, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) ***RIGHT IMAGE*** PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 03: Antoine Griezmann of France in action during the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter final match between France and Iceland at Stade de France on July 3, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
FILE PHOTO - (EDITORS NOTE: COMPOSITE OF TWO IMAGES - Image numbers (L) 540171428 and 544406362) In this composite image a comparision has been made between Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (L) and Antoine Griezmann of France. France and Portugal meet in the EURO 2016 Final on July 10, 2016 at the Stade de France in Paris,France. ***LEFT IMAGE*** SAINT-ETIENNE, FRANCE - JUNE 14: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal in action during the UEFA EURO 2016 Group F match between Portugal and Iceland at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on June 14, 2016 in Saint-Etienne, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) ***RIGHT IMAGE*** PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 03: Antoine Griezmann of France in action during the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter final match between France and Iceland at Stade de France on July 3, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) /
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Portugal meet hosts France in the final of Euro 2016.

Well this is it. A month of football comes down to this. Of the 24 teams who started out in the group stages, only two remain.

Hosts France were favorites to win the Euros at the start of the tournament, but it’s been far from a simple road to the final. They needed late goals to win their opening two group games, and survived a scare from Ireland in the Round of 16. Since then, they’ve been excellent in wins over Iceland and world champions Germany.

Portugal haven’t exactly set the tournament on fire, either. They progressed from Group F in third place after taking just three points from three games. They needed extra time and penalties to make it to the semi-finals, before their most convincing performance beating Wales to make the final.

On one side is Cristiano Ronaldo. The other is Antoine Griezmann. Sound familiar? It should — Ronaldo represented Real Madrid, Griezmann Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final back in May.

Ronaldo came out on top that day after scoring the winning penalty in the shootout. Will he get the better of Griezmann again and secure Portugal the championship?

Portugal route to the final

Group F: Portugal 1-1 Iceland

Group F: Portugal 0-0 Austria

Group F: Hungary 3-3 Portugal

Round of 16: Croatia 0-1 Portugal (after extra time)

Quarter-Finals: Poland 1-1 Portugal (Portugal win 5-3 on penalties)

Semi-Finals: Portugal 2-0 Wales

This will be a challenge unlike any other Portugal have faced at these Euros. Teams have typically sat back and tried to catch Portugal on the counter, but France will look to attack them on home soil. Will Portugal be able to contain France defensively?

It might play into their hands. If France throw bodies forward, Ronaldo can expose them at the back on the counter attack. That’s a proposition Didier Deschamps will have to be prepared for.

Ronaldo can create a goal out of nowhere, as Wales learned in the semi-finals. France will need to defend as a unit as they did to knock out Germany on Thursday night.

France route to the final

Group A: France 2-1 Romania

Group A: France 2-0 Albania

Group A: Switzerland 0-0 France

Round of 16: France 2-1 Republic of Ireland

Quarter-Finals: France 5-2 Iceland

Semi-Finals: Germany 0-2 France

Expect the game to be tight and cagey early on. Neither side will want to commit too many players forward at the risk of conceding on the counter. An early goal would open things up, though.

This should be an interesting game, a chess match of sorts. Will France throw caution to the wind, and if they do how will Portugal handle them? Will the French respect their opponents and sit back with more of a counter-attacking approach?

Which team will control possession? France have the talent to do so, especially if N’Golo Kante anchors the middle alongside Paul Pogba.

The longer the game goes, the more it favors Portugal. They are very streetwise in tight games that go the distance, having coming through extra time twice already at this tournament. If it goes to penalties, it’s tough to pick against Portugal.

Next: Five potential Roy Hodgson replacements as England boss

This is going to be a fascinating final, and it’s tough to predict a winner.

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