All a bit grumpy, really. The sun barely
shone over the stadia, stars barely shone on the pitch, and fans fought from
first to last, in the group stages in Marseille and at the Fan Zone on the day
of the final.
In between were heartwarming moments,
shared via social media, chiefly Irish and Welsh fans serenading locals. And
the extended format – 24 teams instead of the usual 16, gave us underdog
heroics, especially from Wales and Iceland, the former giving us the goal of
the tournament from Robson-Kanu, the latter giving us the Viking Clap that you
will see and hear in a football stadium near you this season and beyond.
But there were few goals and only one
really thrilling game – Hungary drawing 3-3 with eventual winners Portugal.
Yet, without the expanded format, Portugal would not have emerged from their
group. Finishing third as they did used to mean home time. Not so now. They won
this thing despite only winning one game in 90 mins. But hey, the format ain’t
their fault.
The shadow of the threat of terrorism hung
over the event before the start, but the real risk and fear seemed to be on the
football field. Oh, for the days of two strikers. Still there were stories, not
least when Albania and Iceland registered their first wins in their first big
international tournament, and Bale’s Wales nearly went all the way.
But this will forever be the year Portugal
won a major tournament for the first time, and when Cristiano Ronaldo sealed
his place among the ultra elite of world football.