Abidal: Ronaldo injury gave Portugal an advantage in Euro final

The now-retired left back joked that the Real Madrid star was not really missed by his nation on its way to the title, and tipped Umtiti to keep improving at Camp Nou
Former Barcelona star Eric Abidal has suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo's early injury helped Portugal on its way to victory in the Euro 2016 final.
The striker played just a handful of minutes against France before limping off the pitch, and he watched on as Eder scored the decisive goal in extra time.
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And according to Abidal, that withdrawal was actually in Portugal's best interests.
"France had a good tournament, they were unlucky because if Gignac scored then it would have been finished, give us the trophy," he explained to Grup 14. "Ronaldo was out because he was injured and it was a problem for France and an advantage for Portugal (laughs).
"Portugal was more relaxed without Ronaldo, the players there normally play for Ronaldo but without him the team spirit is different, there was no stress. But for France, it was a shock because Ronaldo is not on the pitch, we have to fight more. Look who scored the goal for Portugal, some guy from the back who has never played before."

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