France’s Dimitri Payet speaks about his tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo in the final of Euro 2016
Dimitri Payet clarifies that his tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t meant to hurt Portuguese star in the final of Euro 2016.
As a result of Payet’s challenge, Ronaldo was forced to leave the pitch in tears in the first half of the game.
France’s Dimitri Payet speaks about his tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo in the final of Euro 2016
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In the aftermath of the tackle Real Madrid star attempted to resume playing twice, but was eventually withdrawn the 25th minute.
Portugal had to cope without their star man, but they went on winning, as Eder emerges from the shadows to score the winner in the 109th-minute.
No, it was a challenge, that’s all, period,” Payet told reporters after the match. “I regained the possession and if I hurt him it was not intentional.
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“It’s not in my nature to be a bad guy on the pitch. There is no question about it.”
We’re disappointed,” he said. “We were under the impression we were the ones with the possession and the better chances but we missed that goal that could unblock the situation. On the very few chances they got, they were able to score.
“A goal decided all. A goal that we couldn’t score ourselves. The Portuguese side were more efficient.
“I think that if we could have scored we could have forced them to play more offensively and we could have counter-attacked. At the end that goal is cruel.
“We didn’t score for a lot of reasons. We were able to score two goals against Germany while they got the possession. It is kind of the same game but the other way around.”
“I’ve been very well supported by the fans, it helped me a lot,” he added. “We had to stop at the very end. That’s football, that’s how it works.”