Euro 2016 Final: Portugal vs. France TV Schedule, Live Stream, Odds, Prediction
For France, success in major tournaments on home soil is almost becoming as frequent as the playing of "La Marseillaise" before each match. It’s a trend Portugal will want to put an end to in the final of the 2016 UEFA European Championship on Sunday.
Les Bleus have been steadily building momentum throughout the competition, culminating in a superb 2-0 win over world champions Germany in the semi-finals. They’re the big favourites to add another glory to the European Championship clinched in 1984 and the FIFA World Cup win in 1998.
Portugal have shown the grit and determination needed to spoil the party so far. To see whether Fernando Santos’ men can do so, here are the key viewing details ahead of Sunday’s spectacular in Saint-Denis, how the bookmakers see the game and a closer look at which team will be crowned king of the continent.
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| Portugal | 4-1 |
| Draw | 21-10 |
| France | 10-11 |
Odds available per Odds Shark and accurate as of 9:45 a.m. (BST), June 10.
Date: Sunday, July 10
Time: 8 p.m. (BST), 3 p.m. (ET), 9 p.m. (Local)
TV Info: BBC One (UK), ITV (UK), ESPN (U.S.)
Live Stream: BBC iPlayer (UK), ITV Hub (UK), Watch ESPN (U.S.)
France and Portugal on Cusp of History
While there has been plenty of debate when it comes to the merits of the new competition format, Portugal will champion its introduction. Indeed, the Selecao finished third in their group, progressed and haven’t looked back since.
In what’s been an unusual qualification process, Portugal have played a brand of football at odds with the elegant footballers they tend to produce. Santos has added nasty and pragmatic streaks to their play; it means they aren’t the easiest on the eye, but they’re a tough outfit to beat, as is evident by their appearance in Sunday’s final.
In Cristiano Ronaldo, they have a talismanic figure to look to in this game too. As these numbers from OptaPaolo show, the Real Madrid man has a brilliant record in finals:
It’s a record that’ll be put to the test against the host nation. France have been making steady improvements as the tournament has gone on, and on the outskirts of Paris, they’ll be backed by a raucous crowd expecting glory.
The performances of Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet in the final third have been the hallmarks of their campaign, although manager Didier Deschamps deserves great credit for the manner in which he’s overseen their progression. Without Karim Benzema, Lassana Diarra, Raphael Varane and Mamadou Sakho, he’s done a wonderful job.
As the tournament’s official Twitter feed noted in the buildup to the game, he could make history if he steers the nation to victory on Sunday:
While both managers deserve a lot of credit for making it this far, all eyes will be what occurs on the pitch at the Stade de France.
Both teams have shown in this tournament they’re forces when playing on the break, so expect an attritional and tetchy affair early on. Given space will be at a premium for attacking stars, a moment of brilliance from either team's main man could determine what's likely to be a precarious contest.
ESPN FC broke down the efforts of Ronaldo, who inspired Portugal to the final, and Griezmann, who is the tournament’s top scorer heading into the showpiece:
For those two, it’ll be a familiar feeling; they faced off against one another when Real Madrid met Atletico Madrid in the final of the UEFA Champions League in May. That night, Griezmann missed a penalty, while Ronaldo scored the winning one in the shootout. It’s hard not to fancy the former for revenge.
Because while there will be focus on both of these attacking talents, France are a better-balanced, more energetic and savvier set of footballers. Portugal will always carry a significant threat with Ronaldo and have shown in this tournament they can see out spells under pressure. But the Tricolor will be waving in triumph again after more French glory on home soil.
Prediction: France 1-0 Portugal
