Are Portugal the luckiest team to get to a final? (Or has it been deserved?)

[Lermon]

Let's see:

-Qualify by virtue of marginally making one of best 3rd placed sides- another competition and their total might not have got through.

-Fail to beat Croatia in 90mins, get an extra time goal.

-Fail to beat Poland, win a penalty luckout.

-Skip all the big football nations(France,Germany,Italy,Spain) and beat a weakened Wales.

On the other hand:

- no team has beat them

- they play well enough to stop any team, whether that's 90 mins, 120 mins, it's not their fault the opponents are helpless.

If Portugal win the cup, fully deserved winners?

[B-Real]

It wouldn't be the most glorious or sexy champion but at the end of the ride - whether it's after 90 or 120 minutes - they've shown themselves better than their direct oppononts and that's all that matters surely?

[bestbrother]

Yes id say so. Not that I think they will win it, but they are unbeaten, have played well in most games and easily disposed of Wales in the end when it came to the crunch. The Croatia win was solid as well.

[Andyh21]

If they beat France or Germany in the final then yes I guess you can say they DO DESERVE to be euro 16 champions.

[B-Real]

Croatia were the best team in tournament until they were beaten (fair and square). I don't see why it would matter that it happend during extra time.

[mrw072]

I think Portugal have just been a well organised team really. Nothing more than that. They had a bad start in the group stages but seem to have put that behind them, and progressed from there. They remind me a bit of Argentina in 1990 as they finished 3rd in their group and went on to become runners up. I think Portugal will do the same as I think France and Germany are better teams. So expect one of them to win the tournament now!

[bestbrother]

Argentina 1990 is a great comparison. Lost to 9 men Cameroon, only won twice all tournament. Won 2 ties on penalties and were really within a whisker to repeating as World Champions. They had the worlds best player in Maradona and yet scored just 5 goals in 7 games.

[forameuss]

They deserved to beat Wales. They were absolute dog**** in doing it, but Wales weren't any better. Lucky isn't what I'd use to describe their remaining journey either. They've not been lucky, they've done just enough at every turn. Rode out an impressive Croatia side (in one of the worst games of the tournament) and rode out a similarly impressive Poland side (in one of the worst games of the tournament). In the end, they're in the final, they haven't cheated to get there, they deserve it.

I fully expect either Germany or France to have far too much for them in the final anyway.

[kpain16]

Wouldn't call them lucky. They're where they are fair and square. But they do play impossibly boring football. I actually fell asleep two times while watching them play.

[georginho_juventusygr]

Deserved.

[Baptista_8]

Deserved definitely. Only way a team is lucky is if they get refereeing decisions (or a lack of) gifting them games.

For example, Sweden VS Belgium at 0-0 Zlatan had a perfectly good goal disallowed. Belgium were lucky they weren't in with a chance of going home at the group stage.

[toon_84]

Deserved. This is tournament football, you're there to win the thing not entertain neutrals.

[Cedrik]

100% deserved. They haven't lost a match and were actually really unlucky in their group, especially in the matches against Austria and Hungary.

Not that I give them a real chance against Germany/France, those teams (especially Germany who I also think will make it to the final) have just too much quality.

[PMLF]

For some of the reasons others mentioned, I think they fully deserved to reach the final, it's hard to be lucky 5 or 6 times. You need more than that to advance and even something like penalties need training/preparation.

[Ter]

France or Germany will beat Portugal by 3 or 4 goals in the final. It will be like the last Euros where Spain demolished Italy all over again.

[aiston]

Luckier than Greece for sure. Greece did it when the group stage was tough.

[IWWROCKS]

I'm not sure anyone can be a luckier team getting to the final than Denmark. Even if they deserved to be there on their play in the tournament (I was 2 at the time, so I don't know this), they were lucky to even be at the tournament.

[The Amazing Dale Watkins]

Of course there was an enormous amount of luck to get there, but if they manage to win the final then who cares.

[daylight]

You could say you need some luck and Portugal have certainly had their fair share.

They finished third in a group of 4, in previous Euro's they would have been already on their holidays.

Although because they did play pretty poorly they ended up in the easier side of the draw, I couldn't imagine they would have got through in the other side of the draw, maybe a quarter final and then home.

Who knows though, maybe they will improve 10 fold, they will have to against either of the teams they will meet.

Really hard to see anything but an easy win for either Germany or France though.

[Maw74]

Yes they were very lucky that Iceland got the late winner against Austria or they would have faced England.

Joking aside finishing 3rd was a stroke of luck given the teams in that half compared to the other half, I don't want them to win and watching a match with them in doesn't fill me with excitement but they don't have to, anyway they deserve to be in the final.

[PandoraBox]

The luck Portugal didn't have in the groups phase, is having in the knock out stages no doubts about it.

Could have easily smashed Iceland, Austria and get a comfortable win vs Hungary, but the goalkeepers had their games of the tournament, plus an incredible amount of chances failed and even a penalty missed vs Austria.

Against Hungary 4 shots on goal 3 goals, 2 of them being deflections.

Vs Croatia, one chance, one goal (one penalty not given) + only 2 days of rest

Vs Poland close match (another clear penalty not given, being Portugal the better of both) luck on penalty kicks.

Vs Wales lucky 2nd goal, which ended the game.

Portugal sin is to leave everything for the last minute/gane even in the qualification groups to international competitions, Portugal hardly wins their groups, always finishes 2nd and often needs an extra knock out game (Which they end up winning everytime) even though they are the main favorites to win the group everytime.

If the 3rd place didn't allow Portugal to go through in the group phase, they probably would had a complete different approach to the game vs Hungary.

[noikeee]

We deservedly beat Croatia, Poland and Wales, so to say we're undeserving finalists is a stretch, but the draw was extremely kind and I don't think we're as strong as the loser of today's match, or Italy, or even Spain. I have to send a Christmas card to that guy that scored the Iceland goal in the 94th minute of the final group match.

[Bliss Seeker]

Nah, if anything they've been unlucky Ronaldo missed all those chances in the group stages. If he did what he normally does, they'd have scored plenty and we wouldn't be calling them lucky.

Still, if my nan had balls she'd be called Geoff and all that.

[Lermon]

Fair point on Croatia, and the rotten luck in the group matches they had. Hungary really did have the game of their lives drawing 3-3.

[RubenJ]

Yes but you need luck to win a tournament so it doesn't really matter. If Croatia, Poland, France all fail to knock them out, then I guess you could say they deserved it.

[Sid1984]

No luck, 100% deserved as they have been superior to their opponents. Portugal have always been a good team just not a great team. They have an opportunity to become a great team tomorrow.

[TalkSport]

Worthy winners if they win for me. Played attacking in the group stages, just couldn't score (Well Ronaldo couldn't). But it came at a cost as defence was so exposed a lot of time as shown against Hungary. So have gone more defensive in knockout rounds as they faced an in form Croatia side and it worked well and stuck with it since.

The luck was in finishing 3rd though thanks to Iceland scoring with last kick Could have found things much harder against England, then France then Germany, especially if they went to ET because those sides (well the latter two) would have the quality to still be dangerous that late into the game.

[aggressive minor]

Deserved, so much hate for Portugal. England would die for a record like theirs.

[Ackter]

Deserved, yes.

Good to watch? Not even slightly.

Greece winning it was more entertaining that this.

[iMan]

I can't begrudge Portugal. Produced so many great players throughout the years and is a football mad place.

I'd like to see them finally win a major title.

[Astafjevs]

Deserved, yes.

Good to watch? Not even slightly.

Greece winning it was more entertaining that this.

Yeh this is rubbish isn't it

[BJG123]

They were very lucky to get away with being so **** in the groups and fortunate to have the easiest run to the finals (both their group and subsequent opponents) of any team but you play what's in front of you and they are there on merit.

[Federico]

France or Germany will beat Portugal by 3 or 4 goals in the final. It will be like the last Euros where Spain demolished Italy all over again.

There's a small difference between these 2 finals. Italy had to rush from Ukraina to Poland 3 times in 8 days, when Spain played always in the same country (if not town). This couldn't happen in France of course. So whatever the technical level, such a massacre was unlikely to happen.

[YELLOW CIFC]

Argentina 1990 is a great comparison. Lost to 9 men Cameroon, only won twice all tournament. Won 2 ties on penalties and were really within a whisker to repeating as World Champions. They had the worlds best player in Maradona and yet scored just 5 goals in 7 games.

Easily the luckiest team to get to a final and they were quite cynical during that tournament from what i remember.

[B-Real]

Deserved, yes.

Good to watch? Not even slightly.

Greece winning it was more entertaining that this.

Nah Greece were still worse. Portugal had some shaky defensive moments combined with some nice moments of flair by Ronaldo, Nani or Sanchez which defintely added to the entertainment.

Greece was basically parking the bus for 90 minutes and waiting for that one counter.

[Baptista_8]

Portugal had some nice passing with that midfield as well. I'm really excited about the future of this team actually.

[Ackter]

Nah Greece were still worse. Portugal had some shaky defensive moments combined with some nice moments of flair by Ronaldo, Nani or Sanchez which defintely added to the entertainment.

Greece was basically parking the bus for 90 minutes and waiting for that one counter.

Greece was more entertaining because they were Greece. A much smaller team with much less talented players completely nullifying the opposition was way more interesting to me than Portugal doing it.

[Sid1984]

Portugal are always there or thereabouts in the euros. They have played good football. It's certainly not out of the blue, it's not like some minnows like England winning it.

[Indaro]

Greece was more entertaining because they were Greece. A much smaller team with much less talented players completely nullifying the opposition was way more interesting to me than Portugal doing it.

Greece has a slightly bigger population than Portugal.