Euro: Quarterfinals - France v. Portugal - July 5

[gary69]

Deschamps is trying to go one better compared to his WC 1998 winning team as a player, when they conceded 1 goal from open play, in the SFs against Croatia.

 

[Karterthadon]

1984: Platini, Giresse, Tigana
2024: Own goal, penalties, posts

 

[Live in the Now]

Turkey has been great to watch but they’ll be gone tomorrow.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Suiiii

Wanna bet?

Poor @Duchene2MacKinnon hoping France would lose tonight but nope still unbeaten.
As I said efficiency.

I wouldn’t say I hope they lose. They managed eek by a Martinez coached team. Well done to them. Let’s see them play Spain?

 

[JeffreyLFC]

1984: Platini, Giresse, Tigana
2024: Own goal, penalties, posts

Own goal for MVP

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Turkey has been great to watch but they’ll be gone tomorrow.

I wouldn’t be so sure

 

[TheShape]

Ronaldo needs to retire and Martinez needs to be fired. Disgraceful tournament with maybe the best Portugal squad ever.

Arguably the best squad at this tournament top to bottom. I said day one of that hire that if Martinez is the alternative, Portugal are better off sticking with Santos. Make no mistake about it though, part of the catch with this job was that Ronaldo will play as much as he wants, RM doesn't have the cred to bench Ronaldo.

Roberto Martinez fails upwards, the man has no business being here.

 

[chizzler]

Arguably the best squad at this tournament top to bottom. I said day one of that hire that if Martinez is the alternative, Portugal are better off sticking with Santos. Make no mistake about it though, part of the catch with this job was that Ronaldo will play as much as he wants, RM doesn't have the cred to bench Ronaldo.

Roberto Martinez fails upwards, the man has no business being here.

Yup. Martinez lost that game. Billshit game by him. Portugal was almost unrecognizable. That’s not how they play. Either pull Ronaldo or bring him in late in the games. He can’t start. They look for him too much and suffer for it. France has lost some serious skill besides Mbppe. Without him, they aren’t that dangerous. They aren’t as good as they think. No goal scored says something. Anyway, you live and die by the sword. Portugal wins on PK’s and loses in PK’s. Good soccer day. Previous game was great.

 

[Moncherry]

Arguably the best squad at this tournament top to bottom. I said day one of that hire that if Martinez is the alternative, Portugal are better off sticking with Santos. Make no mistake about it though, part of the catch with this job was that Ronaldo will play as much as he wants, RM doesn't have the cred to bench Ronaldo.

Roberto Martinez fails upwards, the man has no business being here.

For all the crap Santos was given, and not without reason, he never managed a tournament as poorly as Martinez just did.

If only Mourinho didn't turn down the job. I didn't want him, but he's better than Martinez. For one thing, he probably would have had the spine to bench Ronaldo.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

For all the crap Santos was given, and not without reason, he never managed a tournament as poorly as Martinez just did.

If only Mourinho didn't turn down the job. I didn't want him, but he's better than Martinez. For one thing, he probably would have had the spine to bench Ronaldo.

A Mourinho coached Portugal wins this tournament, there is no doubt in my mind

 

[Spring in Fialta]

For all the crap Santos was given, and not without reason, he never managed a tournament as poorly as Martinez just did.

If only Mourinho didn't turn down the job. I didn't want him, but he's better than Martinez. For one thing, he probably would have had the spine to bench Ronaldo.

Santos benched Ronaldo too.

 

[Power Man]

1984: Platini, Giresse, Tigana
2024: Own goal, penalties, posts

You forgot Jean-François Domergue

 

[Spring in Fialta]

How old are people here to actually have watched Euro 84 and remember it lol. My first memory is France-Brazil '98 and it's reeeaaaaally blurry. I just remember being in a mall shopping with my mom and I got to watch part of the game while she waited. Zidane scored.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

How old are people here to actually have watched Euro 84 and remember it lol.

I skipped my high school graduation to watch France-Portugal back then

 

[mattihp]

Is obvious that Cristiano Ronaldo is upset. His match fitness is not for games of this level whilst his skillset and physical form definitely still is. Not sure if he realises that he started slumming it too early though.

 

[Evilo]

Suiiii


I wouldn’t say I hope they lose. They managed eek by a Martinez coached team. Well done to them. Let’s see them play Spain?

Frankly doesn't change much.
This french team is banged up and out of form. Their star player is clearly playing trying to avoid contact.
And they still reached the semis.
4 semis in 5 tournaments. Unreal.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Watching CR7 and Messi both looking pedestrian at the same time is rather fitting

 

[luiginb]

Watching CR7 and Messi both looking pedestrian at the same time is rather fitting

Haven't watched Messi at Copa yet but looking at the ratings he's at 7.63/7.73 vs Ronaldo who's at 6.89/6.96

Even when they're both "struggling" Messi's still so much better

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Messi started decent but was awful and clearly hurt last game. He’ll be fine.

 

[maclean]

Turkey has been great to watch but they’ll be gone tomorrow.

if there is a god

 

[S E P H]

Portugal was so much better than France. France is fortunate that it went to pens because they didn't deserve to win and probably would not have if there was more extra time. However, they got Saliba who is unstoppable and Theo is looking beastly.

 

[BMann]

Portugal was so much better than France. France is fortunate that it went to pens because they didn't deserve to win and probably would not have if there was more extra time. However, they got Saliba who is unstoppable and Theo is looking beastly.

Portugal have a great squad but Martinez is the equivalent of a Gareth Southgate at management turning the squad into less of the potential it has. Circumventing a team game to the ego of a single player is beyond the pale.

Had Joao Felix or Goncalo Ramos been upfront who knows ? At least they can make runs in and behind instead of someone petulantly waving their arms for every cross, wasting every freekick and not even having the decency to console Felix on his miss while his team mates Pepe included did.

 

[Moncherry]

Portugal have a great squad but Martinez is the equivalent of a Gareth Southgate at management turning the squad into less of the potential it has. Circumventing a team game to the ego of a single player is beyond the pale.

Had Joao Felix or Goncalo Ramos been upfront who knows ? At least they can make runs in and behind instead of someone petulantly waving their arms for every cross, wasting every freekick and not even having the decency to console Felix on his miss while his team mates Pepe included did.

The forward that should have been up front, either at CF or partnered with Ronaldo, was Jota. That he barely played, and didn't even see the field against France, was ridiculous. Just terrible management.

Playing Ronaldo was a big problem, but Martinez's issues went well beyond that. Portugal essentially played the entire tournament with an isolated forward who could barely run, jump or shoot anymore, to go with passive, slow, shit build-up that was clearly by design. It was maddening to watch. They made it as far as they did on the strength of their squad and soft bracket.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Never seen a less impactful Ronaldo than against France. He offered nothing, missed all his free kicks and barely ran.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

People crap on Martinez, but eh they played the same way under Santos. They won Euro 2016 playing negative all the way. And if we look at this tournament, you got France playing like that, you got England playing like that, the Dutch aren't much different, even Spain goes into a shell when they have the lead. Among the big nations, it's really only Germany that plays pretty reliably attacking-oriented. And they went out in the QFs and haven't had a really good tournament since 2014.

As a manager you get attacked for having your team play negative football, but at the end of the day you don't get evaluated on the basis of how Joga Bonito your game is, you get evaluated on results.