Euro 2020: Display of attacking talent heralds 4-goal thriller between France and Portugal
Group F was billed as the group of death before the start of Euro 2020, and, in truth, the group lived up to every expectation.
It was by far the most competitive group, and during the final games, there was still all to play for between Germany, Portugal, Hungary and France.
On Wednesday, fans witnessed one of the biggest matches of the tournament when France faced Portugal at the Puskas Arena.
It rained goals on the pitch as both teams canceled each other out in a 2-2 draw. France and Portugal were both considered by some to be conservative in their approach, but both threw caution to the wind in this one.
Attacking talents shine in 4-goal thriller
Fireworks are always expected when two teams with world-class players face each other. However, we’ve seen games like that that have ended up being boring.
But France and Portugal served up a thriller. Didier Deschamps and Fernando Santos named attacking lineups, and it reflected in the result.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema scored twice apiece for their respective teams, but there were great displays from the other attacking players as well.
Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba were immense for Les Bleus, while Diogo Jota, Bernardo Silva and Renato Sanches were equally impressive for the Selecao.
It was a great display of attacking talent by both teams. Such matches are a fan’s joy and, hopefully, we get to see more of these high-scoring matches at Euro 2020.
France, Portugal reach last 16
It would have been highly disappointing if, after such a great game of football, one of the teams exited the tournament.
Fortunately, though, both France and Portugal have advanced to the Round of 16. Les Bleus finished as group leaders, while the Selecao finished as one of the best third-place teams, behind Germany.
Now, though, the real test for both teams begins. While France and Portugal have proven to be great at scoring, they have also conceded some very cheap goals.
The knockout rounds can be very unforgivable, and little mistakes will definitely get punished. Deschamps’ side has a navigable tie against Switzerland, while Portugal will face red-hot Belgium.
These are huge games, and it remains to be seen which side will be able to produce the required performance to advance to the quarter-finals.