Euro 2016: Aimless Portugal, cautious Croatia give us the worst match of the tournament

Portugal taking on Croatia on Saturday night was supposed to be one of the best ties of the round-of-16 stage at Euro 2016. An aggressive Croatia had defeated two-time defending champions Spain and had topped their group. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal had, in turn, dropped their shackles in front of goal to score three in their last match. Ronaldo’s Real Madrid teammate and Croatia playmaker, Luka Modrić, was all set to return from injury for the Portugal clash, as was the firepower of striker Mario Mandžukic. The stage was all set for a competitive, intriguing showdown in Lens.

Instead we ended up with one of the worst football matches in recent history. Pundits will try and convince you that it was a typical knock-out game, with two well-organised sides cancelling each other out. Some might even call it a cagey and tactical masterclass. Pay no heed to them. The match was an insipid display of football, one that had no shot on target until the 117th minute that led to the sole Portugal goal in extra time. The passing was terrible, the crossing was aimless, the attacking virtually non-existent.

But there was no bigger farce on Saturday night than the complete lack of intent from both sides. This was an encounter with a place for the last eight in the “easier” section of the draw — win this match and the victorious side would have a relatively untroubled path to the final. But the players turned up and gave the most uninspired performance seen in the last fortnight in France.

Fernando Santos made four changes to his side that drew against Hungary in thrilling fashion, but stuck to a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield. In the first half, Portugal struggled to connect passes and hold possession. The pace of Modrić and Ivan Rakitić put the Selecção on the back foot from the opening whistle, but their attack had no real sting.

The first real chance of the game fell to Pepe, when Raphaël Guerreiro delivered a superb free-kick into the box but the defender ended up heading it over the bar. Ivan Perišić would later fire into the side-netting but neither goalkeepers would be called into action for the first half. Ronaldo was conspicuous by his absence and lack of service from his teammates meant that he managed only 19 touches in the first 45 minutes, none of them in Croatia’s penalty area.

The second half was no different as the players ambled on at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis with zero ambition in their moves. Croatia seemed a far cry from the formidable, attacking force that had delighted neutrals in the group stages and seemed to have shrunk into a shell due to the pressure of the occasion. Yet, they had the best attempt of the match and almost took the lead when Domagoj Vida jumped for a Darijo Srna free-kick but headed the ball narrowly wide.

Santos introduced 18-year-old Renato Sanches at the start of the second half, and the starlet was one of the rare bright spots on a dreary night. His energy and power provided a much-needed spark in the Portuguese midfield, but despite his efforts to raise the tempo of the match, the winning goal still eluded his side.

With Ronaldo isolated and subdued, and the Croats unwilling to take any risks, the match was destined to head into extra-time. Unwillingness gave way to nerves in the first 15 minute as both teams still couldn’t break the deadlock. It was almost as if they were saving all the action for the concluding 10 minutes of the match. Just when the commentators and spectators alike had settled for a penalty shootout to put an end to the tedious affair, the players sprung to life.

Croatia claimed a corner and as Rui Patrício came out to clear it, he ran into his own player, gifting a free header to Vide, who nodded it just wide. Seconds later, Perišić hit the woodwork with another header. On the counter, Sanches broke through and powered forward to pass to Luis Nani in the box. Nani poked the ball for a shot, but it was a shot so bad and tired that it ended up being a pass for Ronaldo in front of goal. The No 7 finally registered the first shot on target of the match but was denied by a brilliant save by Subašić. The keeper couldn’t hold on to the ball and it left Ricardo Quaresma with a simple close-range header. On a night of abysmal shooting, this was an attempt that even Quaresma couldn’t foil.

Vida would have a third chance through a header before the final whistle was blown, but just like the previous two, it would narrowly miss the target. Modrić and Rakitić were inconsolable after the match, and understandably so. They had the match for the taking with more possession and attempts but an overly cautious approach let them down.

For Santos and his men, the win is by no means a comfort and they will need to head back to the drawing board. A deliberate shift over 120 minutes was Ronaldo’s positioning and role. The Real Madrid star, for once, let others take the set-pieces and was played much deeper, even making defensive headers for his side. While Sanches and Quaresma both proved decisive substitutions, the Portugal team are back to square one — they are still struggling to find the instinctive, finishing edge in front of goal.

“Croatia played the best football in the group stages but we wouldn’t let them play their counter-attacking game,” coach Santos said after the match. “It was hard for us too, but today we were the lucky ones.”

Maybe Portugal finally deserved a bit of luck on their side after their travails of the group stages. In the match against Hungary, especially, two of the three goals they conceded were through deflected free-kicks. Portugal are yet to win a match in the regulation 90 minutes, but they now find themselves in the last eight. They face Poland, a doggedly defensive and mean side, in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Judging by the way the tournament has been shaping up so far — with no teams distinctly standing out — a little bit of luck is just what may make the difference in the battle for the title.