Shock defeat motivation for Portugal

10 July 2016 - 02:00 By AFP

Key factors that could decide the Portugal-France Euro 2016 final today: Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in four European Championship finals, and, despite failing to fire on all four cylinders, the Real Madrid star is an omnipresent danger.France acknowledge they will have to limit the Portuguese star as much as possible."He's one of the best in the world, if not the best," said France rightback Bacary Sagna. "As a defender, you have to give him as little space as possible."The nature of Portugal's team and their fairly passive attacking game means Ronaldo has been less effective than he would normally be with Real.He has had less opportunity to counterattack, less service from attacking midfield players and so had fewer opportunities.But Ronaldo is a constant threat around the area and at set-pieces. He scored a brilliant backheel against Hungary, fired Portugal in front with a superb header against Wales and a scuffed shot from the Real marksman was enough for Nani to get his leg to the ball and double Portugal's lead. Maybe we were overconfident because we were playing at home - now we have the opportunity to win a competition that we lost in painful fashion Giving Ronaldo a sniff of goal early in the game could change the entire landscape for France.Asked about Ronaldo, France head coach Didier Deschamps warned: "In football, the major challenge is fighting against speed and his game in the air. Limiting his influence will be key for us."Deschamps has yet to find a settled starting lineup, having experimented in midfield and attack since the start of the tournament.With the threat of Ronaldo and a midfield diamond designed to offer the Madrid man scoring opportunities, a committed defensive performance will be required from all French players.After a fairly solid performance against Germany in Marseille, Deschamps is expected to stick with the 4-2-3-1 he used against the world champions.Antoine Griezmann was part of a three-man attacking midfield against the Germans, sitting just behind striker Olivier Giroud. The little Atletico Madrid striker was magical.Deschamps is unlikely to change tack, though, Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi - who sit just in front of a four-man defence - will have to track back to help break down Portuguese offensives, in addition to their own offensive duties.Juventus midfielder Pogba has been given more freedom to operate up front when Deschamps has deployed Moussa Sissoko in his three-man attacking midfield. Sissoko was solid throughout against Germany.Most of the starting lineup against Germany should get the nod, although Deschamps is not averse to tweaking his side at half-time if necessary.Portugal boast some of the world's top footballers, but have yet to win a major trophy and are desperate to banish memories of their stunning defeat - 1-0 at the Stadium of Light - to Greece on home soil in 2004.William Carvalho, who with Ronaldo is one of two survivors from 2004, said: " Maybe we were overconfident because we were playing at home. We had knocked out teams like Spain and Holland and our opponents were Greece. Now we have the opportunity to win a competition that we lost in painful fashion."Portugal fans and former players believe it is time to end that quest, but history says France have the edge.France have won their last 10 meetings with the Portuguese since going down 2-0 in a friendly in 1975. Their head-to-head record includes wins in all three clashes at major competitions.A home win for Les Bleus would help soothe the pain and frustration of a traumatic year after the November 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. But Deschamps' men would be forgiven for feeling extra pressure.Portugal beat Wales (2-0) on Wednesday while France faced Germany (2-0) on Thursday, meaning Les Bleus have had one less day's rest...

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