Antoine Griezmann's popularity has skyrocketed at UEFA EURO 2016. Fatigued at the start of the competition, France's national hero is now all but certain to walk away with the adidas Golden Boot. Five of his six goals have come in the knockout stages, the Atlético Madrid man being nicknamed "our little Monsieur Plus" by fellow forward Olivier Giroud.Didier Deschamps had to defend Griezmann in the early stages of the competition. He was withdrawn him after 66 minutes during the opener against Romania and started on the bench against Albania, the 25-year-old feeling the effects of an arduous, 54-game club season which culminated in defeat in the
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Luis Amado bows out from futsal
Spain and Inter FS goalkeeper Luis Amado has called time on his glittering futsal career at the age of 40.The veteran hangs up his gloves having amassed a long list of winners' medals on both the club and international stage, and he is now considering a new role in the game."I've been preparing mentally for this," he said, during a ceremony on Wednesday to mark his retirement. "It's a hard decision because I've been playing since the age of 19. It has been, is and will be my life. The club wants me to stay, I want to stay and we'll see."I hope to continue contributing. Futsal has given me a lot, so I don't want to retire without giving
Ronaldo and Portugal ready to finish what they started
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal forwardIt's what we have dreamt of since the beginning. We knew it would be a long road and we're still in the tournament. We have believed right from the start. We had difficult moments, but it's like I always say: it's better to start poorly and have a positive ending. We haven't won anything yet, but the dream is still alive.Ronaldo: 'We need to keep the dream alive'I hope that [after the final] we'll be smiling and that it will be tears of joy this time. I've...
Hot topic: Portugal in Wales’s way #PORWAL
Paul Saffer (@UEFAcomPaulS): Thanks for doing this. Starting with a question for both of you: at the beginning of the finals did you really think you'd still be here now?Mark Pitman, Wales reporter (@UEFAcomMPitman): My heart might have said so but probably not my head. I expected to get through the group, and then anything can happen. I also knew teams would underestimate how good Wales can actually play at their best. Joseph Walker, Portugal reporter (@UEFAcomJoeW): Before the tournament I had Portugal pencilled in for a semi-final berth, but then a...
World Cup success has made Germany’s Löw serene
Winning the FIFA World Cup two summers ago has changed Joachim Löw.Sure, he has always been a coach who asserted belief in his team's abilities (rightly so) and he never gave the appearance of being afraid of the next game. But now he has landed the global prize, one thing has become very clear: here is a man who has nothing to prove any more. He may still have a few doubters, but his confidence is striking. Having nothing to prove means you can enjoy yourself and what is happening around you. And this is exactly what Löw is doing
Six epic EURO semi-finals
France 4-5 Yugoslavia, 1960The first ever game at a UEFA EURO finals set a thrillingly high standard, though there was little hint of the drama to come as half-time neared at the Parc des Princes. The two teams were locked together at 1-1, but François Huette fired Les Bleus in front on 43 minutes and he later added a second to make it 4-2. Yugoslavia, it seemed, were beaten. Instead, they had a shock in store for the home side, plundering three goals in the space of five minutes in what remains the competition's highest-scoring match.Yugoslavia 2-4 West Germany, 1976Holders West Germany were heading for
EURO on this day: 4 July
Portugal 0-1 Greece(Charisteas 57) 2004 final, LisbonGreece pulled off arguably the biggest shock at a major international football tournament as Angelos Charisteas's goal earned a 1-0 victory in the final of UEFA EURO 2004. The game was an attractive spectacle from the start. The hosts were initially on top, and the second half opened with a Pauleta effort. Then the unthinkable happened – Greece took the lead. For a time, they had their backs to the wall as Rui Costa, Deco and Luís Figo probed for an opening, but the defensive discipline that had stood Otto Rehh...