France face Portugal in European Championship fina

 

It's Sunday, July 10, and hosts France take on Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the European Championship final.

Match of the day

- Portugal vs. France -- Saint-Denis (9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET on ESPN): After two years of qualifying, the European Championship enters its final stage as hosts France take on Portugal at the Stade de France. ESPN FC bloggers Tom Kundert and Jonathan Johnson say that the showdown will be an epic finale.

Three key points

1. It's tempting to conclude this final will be a typically tight, grind-it-out game. France have all the pressure of the world on them and given the way they're set up, they can afford to wait for a set piece or a Antoine Griezmann run on the break. Portugal have looked best when they've outworked the opposition and defended as a unit. It's the formula that got them past Croatia and Poland and, on paper, there's little reason for them to deviate from the script.The book has been written, bar the ending. Odds are we won't see many of these guys -- from Patrice Evra to Bacary Sagna, from Pepe to Cristiano Ronaldo -- in another major international tournament final. What you can be sure of is that every last one of those involved will want to make this count and leave nothing on the pitch. Just as they've done throughout this tournament.

2. In a tactical sense, the final is rarely the most fascinating game of a major international tournament. It's usually a tight and tense, but not particularly tactical, contest between two sides playing cautiously, waiting for the opposition to make a mistake rather than prompting it through clever strategy. Nevertheless, Sunday's final promises to be an intriguing clash between two sides, France and Portugal, who are individually interesting for very different reasons. Michael Cox takes a look at both sides.

3. While most of the football world's focus has been on the Euro 2016 final, the wheeling and dealings of transfer season are certainly going on the background. The Chinese Super League once again looks likely to be a major player in the window, with Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse joining Shandong Luneng on Saturday and Italy international Graziano Pelle also linked with a move.

Player of the day

There can only be one -- the stage is set for Ronaldo. Gab Marcotti says the 31-year-old can secure a special place in football history with a win on Sunday.

Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, summed it up perfectly, saying: "Everyone in the country will be against him, but he will thrive off that hostility, and off their fear."

Cristiano Ronaldo won't retire after Euro 2016 final 

Cristiano Ronaldo will not retire after the Euro 2016 final, regardless of the result, according to Portugal manager Fernando Santos.

It has been reported that Ronaldo may follow in the footsteps of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who retired following his nation's Copa America defeat against Chile in June. However, Santos believes that the Real Madrid forward will continue to play for his country long enough to attend at least one more European Championship.

"He'll play for another six, seven, 10 years," Santos said. "I don't know. But tomorrow won't be his final match."

Ronaldo scored one goal and assisted the other in Portugal's 2-0 semifinal win over Wales on Wednesday, but Santos has revealed that the forward's leadership skills have been just as important to the team.

"Over the past two years, he wants to be better and better," Santos said. "He's angry at himself when things don't go his way.

"But his ability to captain our team is standing out now. Everyone acknowledges it now and that's the end result of his will to improve."

Santos coached a young Ronaldo at Sporting Lisbon prior to the player's transfer to Manchester United in 2003 and has followed the player's subsequent pursuit of perfection with great interest.

"I coached him 13 or 14 years ago at Sporting, but not for very long because he played the day that the stadium [Estadio Jose Alvalade] was inaugurated, and then a bit later he went to Manchester and never came back," Santos said.

"He was amazing, very talented, and wanted to win. He's very mentally strong and he's a born winner. He wants to be the best, to be more and more perfect."

Sunday's final between Portugal and tournament hosts France kicks off at 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) in Paris.

Wales charged by UEFA over players celebrating with children on pitch

Wales have been charged by UEFA for allowing their players to bring their children onto the pitch to celebrate at Euro 2016, according to the Football Association of Wales (FAW).

Wales, who made it to the last four in France, celebrated their round-of-16 and quarterfinal victories over Northern Ireland and Belgium by bringing their kids onto the field after the full-time whistle.

UEFA said afterwards that there should be no more on-field family scenes as a stadium is "not the most safe place," and FAW Trust chief executive Neil Ward has since revealed that Wales are set to be punished by European football's governing body.

"We were disappointed," Ward is quoted as saying by Wales Online. "I think we understand security issues around all games. In fact the FAW has been charged by UEFA on that, but we put in a lot of mitigation around this because obviously it is about that future generation and that inclusivity.

"I think it was hugely popular among the people in the ground to see those young kids on the pitch. Some of those goals that were scored in front of the fans [by the kids] got as big a cheer as some of the other goals scored in the game. It was just magical to see and it again shows you the openness and togetherness of this squad.

"I think the players have blown away those myths of the modern professional player. They have shown huge courage, huge passion, leadership, friendliness and embraced the family ethic as well."

Wales advanced to the semifinals of Euro 2016 in their first major tournament since 1958, eventually being eliminated by Portugal