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14.11.2020 » Portugal 0-1 France. The world champions got their revenge!
We had a true clash of the titans in Lisbon this Saturday night, as Portugal, the reigning European champions, hosted the reigning World champions, France, for a match that would decide who was going to finish the group in first place and qualify for the UEFA Nations League's final-four. It turned out that the French side managed to be more organized and efficient within the massive tactical battle on the pitch and after a goalless draw last month in Paris, this time "Les Bleus" made sure they would make Portugal pay for their mistakes and snatched the 1-0 win in Portuguese soil, after a goal scored by N'Golo Kanté, shortly after the half-time break. Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates will have to settle with second place and start focusing on this summer's EURO 2021.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Portugal vs France
Portugal 0-1 France - Goals and highlights:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs France:
Lisbon hosted A clash of titans...
There was much at stake in Lisbon tonight, as both Portugal and France knew that a win would take them into the competition's final stage, but a draw would simply delay the decision to the last fixture of the group. And if there is a type of game where we should risk betting on a goalless draw, this would be the one...
However and contrary to many's expectations, both teams actually created very good chances to score throughout the entire game, in particular France. Fernando Santos played a quite conservative lineup tonight, with Rui Patrício in goal, Guerreiro on the left, Cancelo on the right, and a partnership in the center formed by Fonte and Rúben Dias. In midfield, the experienced manager relied on the physical presence of players like Danilo and William Carvalho, hoping that Bruno Fernandes would step up and become the team's link to the attack. Upfront, Bernardo Silva, João Félix and Cristiano Ronaldo where the chosen men to try to upset Lloris.
The first half was quite even in terms of possession, but the truth is that France was always a lot more dangerous in the last third of the pitch. The world champions created at least 3 clear cut chances to break the deadlock, but Martial saw Rui Patrício blocking two of his shots and when the Portuguese goalkeeper got beaten, the crossbar saved the "Seleção". No goals were meant to be scored in the first 45 minutes...
Kante destroyed the Portuguese hopes...
With a potential draw on the horizon, neither manager made any change to his side during the half-time break. The idea of risking too much while the game was still tied didn't please anyone, even though the players on the pitch were clearly looking to get the job done tonight.
Portugal were looking better in the second half, but France shocked the home side with only 8 minutes played, when Kanté scored off a rebound of Adrien Rabiot's shot. Unlike what we had seen in the first half, this time the World champions were very efficient in front of goal and converted their first scoring chance of the second half. Rui Patrício, who had been the best player on the pitch in the first half, could have probably done better when blocking Rabiot's shot and avoind leaving the ball bouncing just a few meters in front of him...
The Portuguese Team tried to react and keep their hopes alive in the competition, but they saw all their efforts collapsing when Fonte's header slammed into the post shortly after the opening goal and later in the half, João Moutinho got very close to score the equalizer from a long-range shot, but Lloris denied him with a splendid save...
With tonight's loss, Portugal won't be moving from the second place in their group, meaning that next Tuesday's game against Croatia won't matter much for the Portuguese nation. It's time for Fernando Santos and his men to raise their heads and start preparing the next big competition...
Portugal line-up vs France:
Goalkeeper: Rui Patrício
Defenders: Guerreiro, Rúben Dias, Fonte, Cancelo
Midfielders: Danilo, William Carvalho, Bruno Fernandes
Attackers: Bernardo Silva, João Félix, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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|---|---|---|
Portugal
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vs
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France
|
0 |
Goals |
1 |
18 |
Shots |
13 |
6 |
Shots on goal |
7 |
8 |
Corner kicks |
4 |
15 |
Fouls commited |
17 |
1 |
Yellow cards |
3 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
50% |
Ball possession |
50% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Portugal in the UEFA Nations League is on November 17, against Croatia. You can watch Croatia vs Portugal, Peru vs Argentina, Netherlands vs Bosnia, Belgium vs England, Wales vs Ireland, and Italy vs Poland, all matches provided from our live streaming game pages.
Portugal next game:
Croatia vs Portugal kick-off time (17-11-2020):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:45
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+6: 01:45
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+4.30: 00:15
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:45
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:45
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-5: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-8: 11:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / eurosport.com / uefa.com / squawka.com
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