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At the beginning of this European Championship, very few people believed the French would be able to get all the way to the final game. The absence of key players such as Karim Benzema, Franck Ribery or Hatem Ben Arfa, didn't give the French population a lot of hope. But from within the shadows came a generation of young new players who are craving for a trophy and have stepped up to the daunting task, they've made it to the final and defeated the toughest opponents.
On the other side you have Portugal, another team that nobody believed could get as far as they did, but with Cristiano Ronaldo as their leader and Renato Sanches as their breakthrough star, they managed and got here. In the history between these two, there are two games that stand out, both in France's favor. One is the 2000 Euro semifinal where Zidane was the hero by scoring a penalty during extra time. The other one is the 2006 World Cup semifinal in which Zidane was also the hero with another goal from the spot.
This time there is no Zidane to save France, but they have players like Paul Pogba or Antoine Griezmann who have been instrumental in this French revolution. For Portugal, being the underdog is a normal state of mind but they love this tag because that way they can surprise the world if they win. For Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario, France should not underestimate them because it's a final and finals can go either way.
At a media conference, Joao analyzed the match and expects the Wales manager is right and they can lift the trophy at the end: "It's a final, France is not going to underestimate us. The 2004 final was unfortunate. We are not favorites but we think we can win. France is strong but we want this cup. Everyone is entitled to their opinion," the 23-year-old said in response to Low's take on the final. The Wales coach says he wants us to win. This will motivate us. We want to win, think positive we will keep on thinking we can win. There are many new players in this group. Everyone has overcome obstacles to get here."
French midfielder Blaise Matuidi, also gave his opinion ahead of the final match and praised emerging star Samuel Umtiti: "He surprises me. He's a young player and to start like this in his first games in the national team, in a competition like the Euro, it's exceptional to perform like this. He deserves credit. He has a great maturity, he is very calm on the field, he listens, he has a lot of talent. It's not for nothing that Barcelona recruited him."
Possible lineups:
Portugal starting lineup (4-1-3-2 formation): Rui; Soares, Fonte, Alves, Guerreiro; Pereira; Sanches, Silva, Mario; Nani, Ronaldo.
France starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Lloris; Sagna, Koscielny, Umtiti, Evra; Pogba, Matuidi; Sissoko, Griezmann, Payet; Giroud.
Photo credit: Equipe de France
