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PORTUGAL WIN EURO 2016

Portugal 1 - France 0 (0-0 in Normal Time)

EURO 2016 Final kicked off at 8:00pm

  • Portugal win their maiden European Championship title.
  • Ronaldo substituted off, after being injured early on in a challenge with Dmitri Payet
  • André-Pierre Gignac hits the post in the very last minute of normal time.
  • The game goes into extra-time.
  • Eder scores the winner for Portugal with a stunning drive.

10:41pm The Stade de France is now preparing for the trophy presentation. I am hurriedly running down towards Golders Green Tube station. The moths are trying to make the most of their last few minutes of fame.

Congratulations to Portugal and commiserations to France. 

Thank you all for joining me tonight - I only wish the game could have been more entertaining. This is Keir Baker, signing off.

Goodnight. 

10:36pm CRAZY STAT OF THE NIGHT. Portugal have only won one match at EURO 2016 in 90 minutes. And now, they are champions.

10:35pm Portugal are jubilant. Ronaldo looks like he has just found out Christmas has come early. Winning goalscorer Eder is being ravished by his teammates. The French are stunned, bodies strewn everywhere in abject disappointment. 

Having lost Ronaldo so early on, this is a remarkable recovery from the Portuguese - a team labelled 'the ugly ducklings' of the competition by their coach.

10:33pm FULL TIME. PORTUGAL ARE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE. 

10:31pm CLOSE. The ball falls to Laurent Koscienly, who has the chance to volley towards goal. But the ball is blocked. And the Portuguese has a free-kick, over which Rui Patricio will take his time.

https://twitter.com/feedthedrummer/status/752253431990149120

10:29pm ADDED TIME. There will be a minimum of two minutes' added time, a decision welcomed by groans from the Portugal fans. A last-ditch challenge from Bacary Sagna keeps France in the game as João Mário looks to be clean through. French faces in the crowd are looking increasingly desperate. 

10:27pm The match is end-to-end now. Bacary Sagna does well to scramble out a low cross from the French six-yard box, while a long ball over the top just eludes French striker André-Pierre Gignac. Portugal - full credit to them - are not pulling out any of the traditional time-wasting tricks. However, an injury has now left them with ten men on the pitch, albeit temporarily. On the touchline, Ronaldo is kicking every ball, winning every header, and running every yard with his team.

10:20pm SUBSTITUTION. Didier Deschamps has heeded the words of Danny Murphy. Anthony Martial comes on, tasked with rescuing this match - and this tournament - for Les Blues. France now have a corner, after a defensive mix-up between Pepe and Rui Patricio.

10:19pm GGGGGOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL

The Stade de France is stunned. The BBC commentators are stunned. Golders Green is stunned.

Eder picks the ball up just outside the French box. He turns. He fires. And it zooms past Hugo Lloris into the back of the net. 

10:18pm HITS THE BAR. An absolute gem of a freekick is sent towards the French goal by Raphaël Guerreiro, and smashes the bar. Hugo Lloris looks beaten, if that was only an inch or two lower.

10:17pm BOOKING. More Portuguese attempts to get in the Oscars, as some play-acting sees Blaise Matuidi's name go into Mark Clattenburg's book.

10:15pm HALF TIME IN EXTRA TIME. The players get a 5 minute breather. The managers have a difficult decision to make now - try and see it out for penalties, or aim to snatch the winner? Danny Murphy on the BBC is calling for France to introduce the pace of Anthony Martial. The Manchester United man does seem the obvious choice as a match-winner.

10:12pm CLOSE. A corner comes in and is met by the head of Eder, who forces Hugo Lloris into a smart reaction save. The nerves in the Stade de France are increasingly tangible through the TV screen.

10:11pm The Selwyn Twitterati has recruited its latest member: none other than the College Master... and his 'very large cat.'

HOW CUTE THOUGH!

10:07pm Mark Clattenburg has suddenly got very busy: a couple of yellow cards are dished out, as both teams commit professional fouls to prevent dangerous counter-attacks. The Middlesbrough-born referee has done a cracking job with this game. 

10:02pm CLOSE. Umtiti fouls Eder, and the freekick is about 30 yards out from goal. This is Ronaldo territory. Unfortunately, for those of us who want to see anything resembling excitement, he is currently stuck on the Portgual bench. So instead, Quaresma dinks in a cross and Pepe heads the ball inches wide. French hearts were in mouths there!

He was offside though, so it would not have counted. 

9:58pm KICK-OFF. And France get us underway for the first half of extra time. 30 more minutes of this game to go; I will try and find a rogue Natsci to get some more moth-related facts, just to pass the time before penalties.

9:53pm FULL TIME. Mark Clattenburg blows the final whistle. This is the first goalless European Championship final according to Gary Linekar. And, as Alan Shearer notes, it has been dull and boring.

So I know everyone out there is grateful that this liveblog was available for you to enjoy...

9:51pm HITS THE POST. André-Pierre Gignac slams the ball against the post. He did everything but score, beating his marker with a clever turn on the left of the six-yard box.

The replay on the big screen is meant by agonised groans from the French fans...

9:50pm ADDED TIME. Into a minimum of three minutes of added time we go. The ball has spent a lot of time in the centre of the field: nobody wants to make that mistake that will cost their country glory. But here in Golders Green, the lack of a goal is concerning.

I need to check the time of the last Tube, just in case. And send a quick apology text to my demanding girlfriend, who wants a phone call. 

The things I do for Varsity...

9:43pm CLOSE. Moussa Sissoko has been quieter this half. But he jolts into life and drives forward, firing in a 25-yard drive that forces Rui Patricio into a good save. The clock ticks towards the final few minutes - who wants to make themselves a hero?

9:41pm The Portuguese manager has his head in his hands. Make of that what you will...

9:39pm CLOSE. Suddenly Lloris has had to wake up. A mis-hit cross from Nani falls to Ricardo Quaresma, who pulls off an audacious overhead kick, forcing the Tottenham goalkeeper to pull off an acrobatic stop. Looking at it again though, he probably should have caught it easily... the things people do when they are bored eh?

Seconds later, Samuel Umtiti is booked for a late challenge.

9:37pm SUBSTITUTION. A substitution from either side. The French take off striker Olivier Giroud, who is replaced by André-Pierre Gignac. The Portuguese take off their prodigy Renato Sanches, and replace him with target man Eder. 

https://twitter.com/CoeureDeLion/status/752239915279278080

9:35pm CLOSE. Where's my punditry job offer BBC? Coman slides a pass through to Olivier Giroud, whose low drive is kept out well by Rui Patricio. The Portuguese look to break... but fail to get anywhere near Hugo Lloris' goal.

Worryingly, that is the first time I have typed the name of the French goalkeeper, and we are 75 minutes in.

9:32pm Kingsley Coman - despite his god-awful hair - is looking potent. Beating two men on the edge of the box, he fires across a cross that is cleared for a corner. 

A good corner too - not quite sure how Patrice Evra failed to connect with it. 

9:30pm My wants-to-remain-anonymous-but-na-mate-co-commentator, Arya Ghassemieh, has just spotted Kingsley Coman's rat-tail. The last time I saw him looking this disgusted, I was beating him at MarioKart about two hours ago.

Always use your blue, flying shells sensibly folks.

9:27pm SUBSTITUTION. Fernando Santos makes his - and Portugal's - second substitution, bringing on playmaker Joao Moutinho for Adrien Silva.

9:25pm CLOSE. HOW DID HE MISS THAT? A superb in-swinging cross from substitute Kingsley Coman finds Antoine Griezmann in acres of space. With the goal at his mercy, and from only six-yards out, Griezmann sends the header wide.

9:20pm BOOKING. Just my luck that my first ever liveblog is record-breakingly dull. Nonetheless, there is some action as João Mário picks up the first yellow card of the game for scything down Olivier Giroud as the latter sought to lead a French counter-attack. 

In insect-related news, it has been confirmed that they are in fact moths. Just in case that particular question had been bugging anyone...

9:16pm SUBSTITUTION. Perhaps a controversial decision from Didier Deschamps. Dmitri Payet is replaced by the pacey Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman. 

Moments later, he sets Griezmann away, who fires a low shot straight at Rui Patricio.

9:15pm Samuel Umtiti does well again to cut out a dangerous cross from João Mário. Ricardo Quaresma's corner has a hint of Harry Kane to it: it was awful.

9:13pm A cleared cross sits up nicely for Paul Pogba, who fires a fierce-looking volley over the top. As the BBC shows replays, the 81,000 strong crowd are treated to a streaker...

He probably feels - echoing the thoughts of many others - that a rough night in a French prison cell might be more exciting than this game.

9:11pm Moussa Sissoko looks the player most likely to create something. He beats his full-back and sends a low cross across the area, which is cleared by Pepe. Rui Patricio gathers the resulting corner on the 2nd attempt.

9:08pm The match has settled back into the rhythm it ended the first half with, which is great news for Selwyn's Twitterati - nothing is happening on the field, so I have to fill the blog with their nonsense...

9:04pm SECOND HALF. It only took twenty seconds of the second half before we had another injury to a Portugal player. The medics out there will be loving this...

9:03pm In other exciting news, I've had two whole texts about my amazing 'buzzing' joke in relation to the insects that have invaded the pitch. And they were from a woman as well...

#pulled

9:01pm  Meanwhile, Selwyn's McSchweff is back at it again, this time with some fascinating insight into Antoine Griezmann's relationship status.

Every single day I get annoyed by the fact that this boy got a 1st this year...

https://twitter.com/ItssssHarry/status/752230592587051008

8:57pm It's Goal of the Season time on the BBC. Dmitri Payet's absolute cracker against Romania feels like an awful long time ago. That was before England were beaten by Iceland. Remember how everyone was really confident we might win a tournament this year.

Lol.

8:55pm As the BBC pundits discuss the highlight(s) of the opening 45 minutes, I can abuse my power as live-blogger to boast about how my team - Middlesbrough - signed Victor Valdes this week...

I hope all 5 of you that are reading this are really jealous. 

8:50pm HALF-TIME. Mark Clattenburg blows the half-time whistle, just after João Mário had sent over a dangerous looking cross that eludes everyone and goes out for a goal-kick.

No goals, and only a few clear-cut chances. But the major story will be the injury to Cristiano Ronaldo.

8:47pm ADDED TIME. The 4th official has indicated a minimum of two minutes' added time. Though with yet another injury to a Portuguese player (this time Quaresma), it is likely to be significantly longer.

8:45pm Luis Figo - the Portuguese legend - is caught by the BBC cameras yawning. At least he does not have to listen to Danny Murphy reminiscing about playing for Fulham.

8:42pm Samuel Umtiti is justifying his starting position, winning a vital header as Portugal threaten again with a corner. The match is currently end-to-end, but counter-intuitively in a rather unexciting way.

Hence the Twitter shanter...

8:40pm Oh dear! It seems the Twitter floodgates have opened. And yep, I have no idea what Selwyn's favourite McSchweff means either... 

https://twitter.com/ItssssHarry/status/752225350927679488

8:38pm A run from Nani helps set Portugal up into a threatening position, but Adrien Silva takes dwells on the ball for far too long. A tame shot is then dragged wide, with the aid of a deflection. The subsequent corner is headed miles over the bar...

8:35pm CLOSE. Scratch that. Something has happened: Sissoko beats his man on the edge of the area with a clever turn and fires in a stinging drive, which Rui Patricio beats away.

8:34pm A tough question sent in from Selwyn's favourite birthday girl. With the game calming down and not much happening, there is certainly time to ponder... 

That rogue comma is triggering my grammar OCD mind.

https://twitter.com/ellen_mcp/status/752224236773707778

8:31pm Sissoko is at it again, driving to the byline and forcing a corner. Curiously, it is taken by Antoine Griezmann, in a manner reminiscent of England's Harry Kane... except in the sense that it was a good one.

8:26pm SUBSTITUTION. Even the healing powers of that rogue moth cannot save Ronaldo. He is being carried off on a stretcher to a standing ovation. Ricardo Quaresma comes on, with big shoes to fill. 

Utter confusion in here in a nicely-decorated living room in Golders Green, as the Portuguese captain's armband is passed to Nani.

8:22pm CLOSE. Newcastle fans look away now. Where has this Moussa Sissoko been all season? He drives towards the Portuguese box, beating two men and firing a shot that is deflected just over...

8:21pm With Ronaldo off the pitch, Portugal look to launch an attack. But it has all gone stationary outside the French box, as if Fernando Santos' team do not know how to attack with their Number 7 on the field.

8:17pm Ronaldo is still hobbling around, much to the consternation of my wants-to-remain-anomynous-but-na-mate-co-commentator, Arya Ghassemieh.

But he's back down again, in tears. As the Portuguese fans sing his name, it is increasingly evident that an innocuous challenge might be forcing their hero off.

8:13pm CLOSE. Antoine Griezmann forces Rui Patricio into a fine save. And the Portuguese goalkeeper has to react well to gather up the resulting corner too. 

The French are looking dangerous.

8:11pm Time for some vintage Ronaldo, as a tackle from Payet leaves the Portuguese superstar on the ground, looking like he is trying to win himself an Oscar...

Danny Murphy - commentating on the BBC - is being a bit more sympathetic. 

8:07pm A dangerous run from surprise package of the tournament, Moussa Sissoko, ends up with Dimitri Payet firing into the side-netting. 

8:05pm A long ball over the top finds Nani inside the France box, but the former Manchester United joke (I mean... player) blazes over. The first real sight on goal for either side.

8:03pm A sloppy start from Portugal, giving the ball away in their own half... and subsequently misplacing a pass into touch. Then a rogue moth zooms past the BBC cameras, as Payet lifts a cross into the Portugal box.

A frantic start from both sides...

8:01pm And we’re off…  Portugal get us underway, taking advantage of the life-changing new rule introduced by FIFA: the ball need not go backwards at kick-off. Who says FIFA does not bring in the changes that fans want?

7:58pm And, as Patrice Evra screams out La Marseillaise, it looks like there will be a capacity crowd of 81,338 packed into the Stade de France tonight. Interestingly, the lights were inadvertently kept on overnight and the pitch is currently covered in insects.

The atmosphere is reportedly being described as buzzing…

7:55pm As the anthems begin, we turn to the unbelievable news that there is an Englishman taking part in tonight’s final.

Referee Mark Clattenburg will be completing a unique treble, after having refereed the FA Cup and Champions League final. Working alongside him are assistant referees Simon Beck and Jake Collin, while Anthony Taylor and Andre Marriner have the completely redundant role of the behind-the-goal-with-a-button-they-never-use official.

7:54pm Speaking of young players, Portugal’s Renato Sanches – at just 18 years old – is setting a new record: one for the Linkedin…

7:52pm For France meanwhile, 22-year-old Samuel Umtiti – who has just joined Barcelona from Lyon for a reported £25 million – continues to make his mark on the championships, keeping out Adil Rami from Les Blues.

7:50pm Looking more closely at the teams tonight, in a decision that was heavily-debated in the Portuguese press prior to its announcement, coach Fernandos Santos has gone with William Carvalho in favour of Danilo… a decision that seems to be a lot easier than was made out.

7:47pm Portugal have only won one game in 90 minutes this tournament, and finished 3rd in their group. Meanwhile, France are unbeaten in their last 10 games against the boys from Iberia, in a streak that dates back 40 years! With recent performances and home advantage in mind too, the bookies are heavily backing the French as favourites.

Our 'experts' at Varsity on the other hand, are somewhat more split:

Tom Higgins Toon (Deputy Sports Editor) – 2-1 France

Charlie Stone (Deputy Sports Editor) – 1-0 Portugal

Callum Hale-Thomson (Varsity Co-Editor) – 2-1 Portugal

Louis Ashworth (Varsity Co-Editor) – 3-2 France

Keir Baker (Sports Editor) – 3-0 France

7:42pm They say a team one man does not make... But it is hard to see past the result of this game depending heavily upon which of two teams’ talismans steps up to the mark.

7:40pm For Portugal, coach Fernando Santos has hot-headed-always-get-a-red-card central defender Pepe back after injury, and has had a tricky choice between keeping Danilo, or recalling William Carvalho to the central midfield. Picking the latter, Portugal have made just two changes.

7:38pm French coach Didier Deschamps has had all 23 squad members to choose from, and has named an unchanged side from that which tamed the world champions Germany in the semi-final. Two interesting talking points from Les Blues’ line-up: Moussa Sissoko retains his place in favour of N’Golo Kante, and young defender Samuel Umtiti keeps Adil Rami out the team.

7:37pm The team news is in!

Welcome to Varsity's liveblog of final of EURO 2016 with me, Keir Baker. We’ll be with you throughout tonight’s game as hosts France look to secure their 3rd European title by beating a Portugal side labelled as the ‘ugly ducklings’ of the competition.

It’s Paris versus Lisbon. Ronaldo versus Griezmann. Madeira versus Corsica. Baguettes and croissants versus Nandos. Hollande versus whoever it is that runs Portugal.

We’ll be bringing complete coverage of all the action, alongside a level of insight that can only come with playing Football Manager for many lonely years.

Plus anything else that we can find to make this blog worth doing…