A sign on the wall. Despite three draws, Portugal survived the first selection as one of the lucky numbers three, after which it fought its way through Croatia (after extra time), Poland (after penalties) and Wales to the final battle. In none of those duels was the 1.90 meter long attacker called upon.
It was therefore only natural that Éder experienced the first turn of the ball in the final battle in the Stade de France from the sidelines. That is why he saw to his and Portugal’s horror how star player Cristiano Ronaldo was kicked after 25 minutes and had to be replaced with an injured knee. Albeit not by Eder…
Promise
Goals were not forthcoming for a long time. Fifteen minutes before the end, national coach Santos suddenly turned to Éder. “He called me, told me to fill in and started giving me all the instructions. I said: don’t worry, I’m going to score.”
Despite that promise, the score was still 0-0 after ninety minutes. So extend. And even in that extra time there were no goals. Until the 109th minute. After a short dribble, Éder took a shot from outside the penalty area. The slider disappeared in the far corner of the French target. A Portuguese explosion of joy ensued.
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