Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo congratulating Karim Benemza on scoring for France before swapping shirts with his former Real Madrid team-mate was almost a full-house in cardinal sin bingo… and could Barcelona make another Danish impulse buy?
- Portugal and France battled to a 2-2 draw in well fought contest on Wednesday
- Yet goal scorers Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema saw past on-pitch rivalry
- Pair hugged and swapped shirts in half-time – a cardinal sin among many fans
- Mikkel Damsgaard’s Denmark heroics have already put him in transfer talk
- Danish star has been linked with a Barcelona move according to Spanish media
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here
It was probably fortunate for everyone — not least the complaints department at Ofcom — that Wednesday’s cracker between France and Portugal was broadcast by BBC.
Had either Roy Keane or Graeme Souness been on Grumpy Pundit duty with ITV, we might well have risked a nuclear incident.
During the first half in Budapest, Karim Benzema broke his long international duck with a penalty that put Portugal at risk of elimination. Cameras panned to Cristiano Ronaldo, a competitor so fierce he verges on full tantrum if a team-mate dares to have a touch before passing to him.
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) chats to former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema on Wednesday
And yet how did he react here? That’s right, Ronaldo congratulated his former Real Madrid team-mate. But if that would have sent temperatures spiralling in the ITV studio, what would Keane have made of the love-in at half-time, when Ronaldo and Benzema embraced again?
They hugged, chatted and were virtually arm-in-arm en route to the changing rooms. They even swapped shirts. At half-time.
It was almost a full-house in Cardinal Sin Bingo. Enough to make Keane combust. Enough to make Souness age the 20 years he seems to have lost over the past few months. Could you imagine if either player had arrived in Budapest with a fancy new haircut?
Portugal’s star man and the France striker swapped shirts at half-time during their tie
What are UEFA putting in the water that is making some players’ tongues turn blue? On Monday, during their win over Russia, Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had a mouth like Papa Smurf. And so did Benzema in Budapest. Culinary experts on social media blame Slush Puppies or Brain Licker sweets. But enquiries are ongoing.
As we gear up for the last 16, maybe now is a good time for a gaze inside the crystal ball.
After every major tournament, at least one player earns a big-money move they frankly do not deserve. All on the back of a few good games.
Denmark’s Mikkel Damsgaard has been linked with a move to Barcelona by Spanish media
Some of these signings prove to be inspired. Others less so. Think Manchester United paying £16million for Marcos Rojo after the 2014 World Cup.
The standout candidate so far at these Euros has to be Denmark’s Mikkel Damsgaard. The 20-year-old, currently with Sampdoria, looks primed to ‘command’ a ‘hefty’ fee this summer.
Reports in Spain on Thursday claimed Barcelona are interested in the winger. Right on cue. No doubt one goal from Danish striker Martin Braithwaite will earn him a move to the Nou Camp, too. Oh, wait…. that actually happened.