Euro 2016 has come and gone with Portugal emerging as the new kings of Europe but one argument that refuses to go away is whether Portugal have won the championship based on luck or based on their efficiency.
When Fernando Santos took charge of this Portuguese team for the first time in 2014 against France, he lost that game but said something after about bringing the team to the Euros and going all the way in Paris. As fate will have it, it has panned out exactly as Santos 'the gaffer' envisaged. It's clear then that the belief has been there from the onset. What Santos didn't share with the world is that he would carry out his intentions the 'ugly way'.
Despite boasting footballers of immense talent, Santos never sought to play football the expansive way. He knew his side couldn't match the likes of Spain and Germany by playing openly and aesthetically so he made them play together as a well drilled unit based around a sturdy and formidable defence waiting to pounce on any given opportunity through their talismen. This to me looks like tactical ingenuity.
It can be argued though that Portugal were boring and rode their luck throughout the tournament - sneaking past the group stage without winning a single game, forcing their Round of 16 and Q/Final matches into extra time and penalties and largely playing the final with almost all their men behind the ball but a popular saying says "You make your own luck". Maybe they made their luck by playing defensively but can they be blamed for the inability of their opponents to break them down? Definitely not. In the showpiece event, France took the game to Portugal but were toothless in attack. Many of their stars didn't turn up when their country needed them the most and after spurning a number of chances, you get the feeling the title may just slip off their hands and yeah it did. Portugal went into the final with the same game plan they've employed all through the tournament, losing Ronaldo their star and go to man to injury should have put them at France's mercy but instead it galvanized the other Patriots to become Heroes while France surprisingly became deflated and lost the title in the process.
The triumph of Fernando Santos' men won't go down as the most beautiful in memory but they won't care as long as they are remembered for delivering their nation's first ever international football trophy. These set of players have written their names into historical folklore and they have done it through hard work, commitment and with the help of lady luck.
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