If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Portugal lost to Greece at the 2004 European Championships, and on Sunday, under the watchful eye of former Greek coach Fernando Santos, Portugal played “pragmatic” soccer to perfection at the Euro 2016 final, holding off the favored French side (even money on the 3-way line) and scoring late in extra time to win 1-0. It's Portugal's first major championship since the team was founded in 1921.
The Seleção won't earn any points for style, but it's hard to argue with the results – especially after Cristiano Ronaldo had to leave the match in the first half with a knee injury. Instead of falling apart, Portugal became even more cohesive on defense. There was some good fortune along the way, too, as France had multiple opportunities to score. But the only goal at the Stade de France would come from the foot of Eder, the Portuguese forward, in the 109th minute.
Draw, Pardner
Perhaps Sunday's result will seem less like an upset once the dust has cleared. Portugal was a second-tier contender at +1600 going into Euro 2016, but their Group Stage performances were uninspiring at best: three draws, against Iceland, Austria and Hungary. Under the old 16-team format at the Championships, Portugal's three points wouldn't have been enough to qualify for the Knockout Stage.
Santos kept his team on message. The suffocating Seleção went to extra time against Croatia in the Round of 16, and again versus Poland in the quarter-finals, taking down both matches. It wasn't until the semifinals that Portugal managed a win in regulation, beating Wales 2-0, but that spoke more to the dubious quality of the Welsh side – they were +2500 to win Euro 2016.
The One That Got Away
In the end, Portugal made it through the Euros undefeated. And with their style of play, the draw was a value pick for Sunday's final, paying out at +215. Intrepid Portuguese supporters did even better at +330 for the win; however, if you were on the ball and chose the goalless draw in regulation for your Euro 2016 picks, you got +550 for your efforts.
There is a consolation prize for French fans. Antoine Griezmann won the Golden Boot as the top scorer at Euro 2016, scoring six goals and cashing in at +900 on the Euro 2016 props market. But it'll be Griezmann's missed header in the 66th minute that will haunt Les Bleus for the rest of the summer.