Portugal 1 France 0

Talk about the Ewing Theory in effect! Who would have thought that Ronaldo going out due to injury after 15 minutes would lead to a Portuguese victory?

I was DEEPLY unimpressed by the French. They played very much like the Germans did in the semifinal, standing back and passing the ball around the perimeter, showing absolutely no urgency or seriously attempting to score. It was another strike against EU-style multiculturalism as the much-ballyhooed Noir-Blanc-Marron failed at home.

One lesson of this tournament is that solid team play and determination beats superior talent. The lesser teams aren’t quite as lesser as they used to be. Between Iceland, Wales, and Portugal, it was an unusually entertaining Euro.

And it’s always fun to see one of the minor powers steal a championship from the usual suspects. What a fantastic goal by Eder in extra time to win it.