But on Sunday as Portugal and France square off at the Stade de France in the Euro 2016 final, Puducherry will have the upper hand over Goa. France had a presence in Puducherry till 1962 while Portuguese ruled Goa for over 400 years until 1961. It's hard to imagine Puducherry getting the better of Goa on a football field; Goa are the Goliaths of Indian football and Puducherry, with an almost non-existent football structure, can't even claim to be Davids. Our strength is that we bank on all 11 players in the team while Portugal banks heavily on Ronaldo. "Says Puducherry-based Roman: "Remember France were placed in a strong pool but emerged victorious and reached the final.

Source: Times of India July 10, 2016 02:55 UTC