Portugal vs. France: Latest Comments, Odds and Euro 2016 Final Predictions

Hosts France joined Portugal in the Euro 2016 final by beating world champions Germany in the second semi-final on Thursday.

Antoine Griezmann was the hero for Les Bleus as he netted both goals in the 2-0 win, his fifth and sixth of the tournament, proving himself as one of the most effective forwards in world football.

The pre-tournament favourites, France have been far from perfect, but they have found a way to win. They did just that against a dominant but ineffective Germany side, per the Telegraph's Sam Wallace:

They are just one victory away from repeating the feats of the France teams of 1984 and 1998 by winning a major tournament on home soil.

They are the heavy favourites to prevail over Portugal and lift the trophy on Sunday at the Stade de France, per Oddschecker:

Team	Odds to Lift the Trophy
France	4-9
Portugal	15-8

France undoubtedly have more quality in their squad, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Dimitri Payet and Kingsley Coman all able, along with Griezmann, to produce moments of match-winning magic.

However, the Atletico Madrid star does not believe there is anything to choose from between the two sides given that it all comes down to just one match, per BBC Sport's Phil McNulty: "We have to rest up well and already start thinking about the final. We will start training for it tomorrow. Against Portugal, it's 50-50, anything can happen in a final, it's a one-off game."

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Portugal managed to win their first match of the tournament in 90 minutes on Wednesday, beating Wales 2-0 in their semi-final.

Prior to that, they had drawn three times to come third in Group F, beaten Croatia in extra time in the round of 16 and overcome Poland on penalties in the quarter-finals.

But while their path may not have been pretty, they have muddled their way to the final and were effective in seeing off an inspired Wales side in the last four.

Perhaps most significantly, Cristiano Ronaldo found some form against the Dragons, opening the scoring with a bullet header and setting up Nani for the second during what football writer Cristian Nyari thought was an excellent individual performance:

"

Ronaldo really on his game today. Sharp, vocal with his teammates, got the crucial goal. Very good performance overall. #PORWAL

— Cristian Nyari (@CrisNyari) July 6, 2016"

While Ronaldo is not the only good player in Portugal's side—Nani, Pepe, Renato Sanches and Danilo Pereira have all had good tournaments—he will undoubtedly be their most important in the final.

If he can produce a top-level performance, Portugal have a genuine chance to upset the odds and win a major tournament for the first time.

The 31-year-old Real Madrid star is hugely motivated, not least by the disappointment he suffered as part of the Portugal side that lost the Euro 2004 final on home soil to Greece, per Radio e Televisao de Portugal (via AS):

"

This is something I've dreamed about right from the start. We knew that we had a long road ahead of us, but we have always been in the fight. We believed from the beginning, even when we were going through quite a complicated moment, but like I always say... you can start badly and end well. Our coach, these players, the medical department...they all deserve this. We still haven't won anything, but the dream's still alive.

I hope that this time we have something to smile about—or at least if there are tears they are tears of joy. It's a dream, I've always said it, to win something for Portugal. We are a little closer and I think that were going to win.

"

It is sure to be a fascinating contest between a star-studded France team and the Ronaldo-led Portugal. The hosts will likely have more of the ball but need to be wary of Portugal's ability to break at pace on the counter-attack.

As is so often the case with major finals, a free-flowing and open game is unlikely. The early exchanges will set the tone for how the match plays out.

France have had a habit of winning games late so far in this tournament—they did so against Romania and Albania in the group stage and came from behind to win in the second half against Republic of Ireland in the last 16.

They may need a last-gasp winner in the final, as their opponents are unlikely to give them much space going forward. It could be a matter of penalties if France cannot unlock the Portugal defence early in the game.

Prediction: 1-1 after extra time. Portugal to win on penalties.