Singapore fans: Ron injury strengthened Portugal's resolve
Ronaldo's injury galvanised Portugal, say fans in Singapore
They belted out the national anthem with pride and broke into song minutes before kick-off.
The French fans' cheering and whooping went up a notch after Portugal's talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo had to be substituted in the 25th minute after picking up a knock.
But it was the Portuguese supporters who had the last laugh at McGettigan's bar in Clarke Quay yesterday morning (Singapore time) during the live screening of the Euro 2016 final, after Eder's 109th-minute strike secured their first major title.
"At first, after Ronaldo was injured, I thought France were going to dominate and win," said Portugal fan Miguel Ricardo, a 29-year-old sales manager.
"But the rest of the team stepped up, especially our goalkeeper (Rui Patricio). He made key saves and our defence did well to cope with the pressure."
"This is one of the happiest days of my life," he added, beaming from ear to ear.
"All these years, we have not been able to win anything even though we had players like Figo (Luis) and Rui (Costa) and a more talented squad.
"But we managed to win with a team that no one expected to do well and this just shows that anything can happen in football."
Jermaine Low, a 21-year-old student, also believes that the exit of Ronaldo galvanised the squad.
"I'm sure the rest of the squad were eager to prove that they are a strong team and that's why they made it to the final, and not that they made it to the final because Ronaldo carried them," he said.
"And they proved that even without one of the best players in the world, they can still defeat the favourites and I am sure they proved some of their doubters wrong as well."
While the Portugal fans were delirious, the France supporters were crestfallen.
"We largely controlled the game and we had many chances to score but their goalkeeper made a lot of saves," said marketing assistant Remy Toussaint, 34.
"I really do not know why we lost. We are playing on home soil, and our players like Griezmann are in good form.
"Maybe the pressure got to the players, but I really thought we should have won."
R Sureshnathan, a 42-year-old applications manager and France supporter, was magnanimous in defeat.
"I think Portugal deserved to win," he said.
"Apart from Moussa Sissoko and Kingsley Coman, the other players didn't really play to the level that they have been at throughout this tournament.
"It was like watching the Euro 2004 final again but, this time, Portugal were Greece and we were Portugal.
"At the end of the day, the team that take their chances are the team that will win."
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