Sputtering and spluttering Ronaldo to his credit does manage to take his side all the way to the final though helped on by the skewed draw to avoid meeting biggies like GER,FRA,ITA….. on way to the final.The 2004 Euro final loss for Portugal to underdogs Greece must have hurt them immensely and still hurting but is certainly the best opportunity to end the hurt. Question is can Ronaldo cross the final hurdle and do it against a superior looking France given the side’s mediocre performance so far? Yes, it’s possible provided they could replicate the form and aggressive football displayed during the semis convincing win against Wales who otherwise were looking comparatively better side till then. In fact the emphatic win does make Portugal look a completely different side, the best looking so far ever in the Euros that could upset the French applecart! Although the defender Pepe is doubtful but Nani and the energetic Renat Sanchez appear to be all over the place with relentless efforts at scoring making Portugal no more a one man army of just Ronaldo! The French on the other hand having the top scorer of the tournament with them and after beating the world Champs GER must be looking to win it for their home crowd. But their win against Germans were far from convincing looking more like the GER losing than the French winning. French defense too looks vulnerable to a concerted assault. Best way for the season of upsets to end with one?
no one expected Portugal to reach final. Germany lost to a good side. France did not allow a single goal with their determination. and solid defence. England was patchy Italy was erratic, and spain lost the punch.
