Hungary v Portugal | Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon
Iceland v Austria | Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Iceland 2–1 Austria
Böðvarsson 18′
Traustason 90+4′ Alessandro Schöpf 60′
Hungary 3–3 Portugal
Zoltan Gera 19′
Balazs Dzsudzsák 47′, 55′ Luis Nani 42′
Cristiano Ronaldo 50′, 62′
Win your match and you are in the knockout stage. Simple objective, right?
Group F in the 2016 European Championship didn’t look like the way statisticians would have drawn it to be.
Coming into the final match, Hungary was surprisingly sitting on top of Group F table with 4 points. They had clinched advancement from Group F and were playing their final match to secure their position as group winners.
Before the competition started, not many would have thought that Hungary and Iceland would be the two top teams in Group F while Portugal and Austria fight for a 3rd place finish.
Iceland was in second place with 2 points, tied in points with Portugal. If results stood a draw, they would all go through to the knockouts stage.
A draw wasn’t good enough for Austria. They sat at the bottom of the table with a point, and only a win could extend their time in France.
The pre-tournament favorites were the bottom two teams, while the underdogs where the top 2. This is exactly how insane football can get.
The pressure was on Portugal and Austria to avoid early elimination from the 2016 European Championship. Both Portugal and Iceland could mathematically win the group. And all teams could get into the knockout stage.
There was something there for everyone to achieve, and the pre-tournament favorites were not looking like favorites at all.
Cristiano Ronaldo was aware that a goal in this tournament will be a new record in his books. He would be the first player to score in four European championships. With his goalscoring ratio, he was also not too far from matching Michel Platini’s record as the top goalscorer in the competition’s history. It would be fitting to break Platini’s record in his nation, France.
In their first ever European Championship, Iceland has managed to walk out of every match with a point. They’ve scored in every match they’ve played and have conceded equal amount of the goals they scored. They were still hunting for their first win. But their first loss was still a possibility. Being the smallest nation in Europe, Iceland has been very impressive in their debut at the 2016 European Championship.
When you have the best European player on the planet, you are not the team that is expected to have an early exit. But that is exactly what Portugal was looking to do coming into their final match in Group F.
Tactically, Hungary and Iceland have gotten it right. Portugal and Austria did not necessarily play bad, they just couldn’t find their way through the teams they were supposed to beat.
The final to matches had a lot at stake in Group E. When the pre-tournament favorites are in need for a win, you can always expect a really great attacking performance, or a really great defensive performance.
In Lyon, Zoltan Gera put Hungary up in the 18 minute with a beauty of a shot. It was against the run of play, but it might just be the way Hungarians play.
A few seconds later, Iceland also got on the scoreboard in Saint-Etienne after a 19th-minute goal from Jón Daði Böðvarsson. A goal that placed Iceland in a position to grab their first international win in a major tournament.
The pre-tournament favorites, Austria, and Portugal were looking at an early elimination.
Despite Hungary being on top of the table, Portugal was still somewhat of the favorite. On paper and in display, they show intent to score every time they get the ball. And they have Cristiano Ronaldo.
Against Hungary, Portugal chased the match throughout. They were never a goal up and only seemed to find the net after Hungary scores.
Nani equalized in the 42nd minute, sending the match into halftime 1-1. Nani’s goal was good enough to send the Portuguese into the knockout stage.
At Stade de France, Austria went into halftime a goal down to Iceland. Alexander Dragovic had an opportunity to equalize for Austria in the 37th minute with a penalty kick. Missing his penalty was an indication of what was to come.
The second half at Lyon was looking like Portugal’s half because of their late goal. But just like pre-tournament analysis, we were wrong again. Andras Dzsudzsák was Hungarian’s man of the match in the second half, while Cristiano Ronaldo was Portugal’s.
Hungary was the first to get on the scoreboard. Dzsudzsák deflected free kick in the 47th minutes was able to beat Patricio in goal. The keeper had no chance as he had made a move to the opposite direction, before changing his mind.
Portugal responded well after going down a goal and was back to level within 3 minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo flicked on a cross from Nani to beat Gábor Király, who had been excellent in goal this tournament.
Hungary was back in front again, and it was Dzsudzsák again. And again, it was a goal from a freekick, and again deflection played a role. Dzsudzsák original kick couldn’t beat the Portuguese wall, but the rebound was good for him to have another attempt at goal. His shot was on target, but a deflection on Nani’s extended leg made it difficult for Patricio to get his hands on it. Hungary up again. 3-2.
A draw would be fine, but a win is what a team like Portugal should expect when they play Hungary.
Portugal needed a goal, and chances were made.
Ricardo Quaresma was introduced to the match in the 61st minute to replace Andres Gomes. Less than a minute in the match, he assisted Cristiano Ronaldo to score Portugal’s third equalizer in this match. Ronaldo got his head on Quaresma’s cross in the 62nd minute to make it a 3-3 scoreline.
Portugal equalised 3 times in the highest-scoring match of #EURO2016 so far. Here’s how the goals went in. #HUNPOR pic.twitter.com/zgvY846stU
— UEFA EURO 2016 (@UEFAEURO) June 22, 2016
Hungary almost got back in front right after Ronald’s second equalizer. Gergő Lovrencsics cross to Ákos Elek was finished off with a shot that smacked the post. Patricio had no idea about. And Portugal got a big break that Elek’s strike didn’t find the net.
Despite the goals Hungary had on the scoreboard, the team was not pressing for goals, and relying on quick counter attacks. Portugal was the team pressing for the win and had some great opportunities to get it. But as the match entered it later stage, it would have been foolish for both sides to overcommit for a win, as the current results were good enough. Cristaino Ronaldo’s two goals in this match placed him just a goal way for tying Michel Platini’s record of 9 goals in the European Championship.
At Stade de France, Austria offensive pressure had paid off, as they got an equalizing goal in the 60th minute. Alessandro Schopf made it 1-1. Schopf had to run through a sea of blue shirts to get a shot on goal. It was the few times that Iceland defense fell short in this competition. Austria was the only team in Group F that couldn’t afford any other result but a win.
It was looking like a winless tournament for both teams, as the game was still tied. Iceland wouldn’t mind being undefeated in European championship matches, and they were aware that Austria needed a win more than they did. So they played according to their needs and did the bare minimum on the attack, and the most in defense.
Heroes, one and all. ? #ISL #EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/XCzjNLrsYB
— UEFA EURO 2016 (@UEFAEURO) June 22, 2016
Four minutes after the 90, Iceland got a goal that gave them their first win in a major tournament.
Austria pushed everyone forward in search of a late goal. Even the goalkeeper joined in on the attack to find an equalizer. We know the risk of playing an all-out attack, but Austria had little to lose but an extra point on the table.
A breakdown in their attack allowed Iceland to get an open run at their goal. Iceland’s Elmar Bjarnason sprinted down the flank and crossed the ball to his teammate Arnór Ingvi Traustason, who tiredly tapped the ball enough to get it on target, beating Robert Almer in goal. To Almer’s defense, he had had to come out of his goal to help in the attack. Traustason’s strike was the last kick of the game.
Austria gets eliminated as the rest of the table move on to the knockout stage. Hungary wins Group F, Iceland runners-up and Portugal comes in third. Portugal can at least be proud that they are still undefeated in the 2016 European Championships.
The final results of Group F sent Albania home in Group A.
| Group F | |||||||
| Team | Played | Win | Loss | Draw | GF | GA | Points |
| Hungary | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| Iceland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Portugal | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Austria | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
