Portugal 2-0 Argentina

If you'd asked Portuguese football fans three months ago about their country's prospects at the Brazilian Olympic Games, most would have said a medal was a reasonable possibility. If you'd asked the same fans the same question three days ago most would have said those medal hopes had gone up in smoke during the farcical selection process. If you ask the same fans the same question today, they may be ready to revise their opinion again.

In the knowledge that the squad has been put together with 3rd and 4th choice players in many instances, Portugal's Olympians put on a display reminiscent in many ways of their senior counterparts at Euro 2016. A performance full of heart, belief and no little skill was rewarded with a 2-0 victory over Argentina thanks to second half strikes from Gonçalo Paciência and Pité.

As the Seleção returned to Portugal as heroes following their 1-0 win over France in the Euro 2016 final, supporters the world over have relished the occasion. From Lisbon to Porto, East Timor to Toronto, banners, flags, and honking car horns were the rule as supporters flocked to the streets to celebrate history.

Having spent 2½ weeks in France covering Portugal’s Euro 2016 odyssey, PortuGOAL.net’s Nathan Motz has undertaken the daunting task of evaluating the individual performance of Portugal’s players. From Rui Patricio to Éder, the ratings are in!

From Cristino Ronaldo’s accusation that Iceland had a “small mentality” to Éder’s winner against France, Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph is replete with headline grabbing storylines.

All 23 squad members are national heroes, but here are the three biggest individual stories thrown up by the tournament that no Portuguese person will ever forget.

It was ironic that the most important goal in Portugal’s football history was scored on Sunday night in Paris by a traditional No9, something that the Seleção have been desperately missing for many a year.

In the wake of Éder’s brilliant Euro 2016 winning-goal, it’s hard to believe that a nation, who has given us some of the most brilliant attacking talents over the last few decades, can struggle so badly to find a striker but that’s exactly the situation Portugal have found themselves in.

The lack of a world class centre forward hasn’t hindered them too badly, as the national side have usually performed well in big tournaments, but it’s arguably the main reason why the nation had to wait until this summer to win a major trophy.