There was moment deep in the second half when Cristiano Ronaldo went back into his own penalty area and began to bark out orders.
Rui Patricio, the Wolves goalkeeper, was lectured; so too was Portugal left-back Raphael Guerreiro. The hosts had just taken the lead in the Nations League final and the message from the man who has carried his country’s hopes and dreams was clear: this does not slip.
Ronaldo will never forget the pain he went through in 2004, when Portugal lost at home in the final of the European Championships to Greece, and it would be wrong to say that this new tournament carried the same kind of emotion and kudos.
Goncalo Guedes celebrated breaking the deadlock as Portugal turned their early second half pressure into a goal
The midfielder rifled his effort on goal past the despairing dive of Daley Blind and the flimsy wrist of Jasper Cillessen
Virgil van Dijk led the inquiry after Holland fell behind and their stubborn defence was finally breached by the hosts
Bernardo Silva leapt in the air and celebrated emphatically next to the scorer who was substituted soon after
Portugal: Patrício, Semedo, Fonte, Dias, Guerreiro, Fernandes (Moutinho), Danilo, Carvalho, Silva, Ronaldo, Guedes (Silva)
Unused substitutes: Cancelo, Sousa, Jota, Malheiro de Sá, Neves, Rui, Fernandes, Beto, Felix
Goals: Guedes (60)
Holland: Cillessen, Dumfries, de Ligt, van Dijk, Blind, de Roon (de Jong), de Jong, Wijnaldum, Bergwijn (van der Beek), Depay, Babel (Promes)
Unused substitutes: Hateboer, Aké, Pröpper, van Aanholt, Vermeer, de Vrij, Strootman, Vilhena, Bizot
What could not be disguised, though, was Ronaldo’s desire to lead Portugal to victory as hosts and, ultimately, he got the job done. There were no fireworks, as was the case in the semi-final victory over Switzerland, but that did not matter,
One goal was enough for the Portuguese and it was scored by Valencia’s Goncalo Guedes in the 60th minute; the replays will give Netherlands goalkeeper Jesper Cillessen nightmares but the celebrations from Ronaldo and his colleagues showed just what it meant to them.
Few could begrudge them this triumph. The reigining European Champions have produced the best performances here and professionalism and determination carried them over the line. Try as the Netherlands did, there was just no way through.
Hosting the tournament is a responsibility the Portuguese have taken seriously and the mood outside the stadium beforehand was in keeping with a final – with local fans were hanging off walls and lampposts to see the team bus arrive.
The shot had plenty of power and pace on it but the Dutch will reflect that it should not have breached the rearguard
Cristiano Ronaldo offered some congratulatory words to his team-mate as the Portuguese grabbed a deserved lead
Bruno Fernandes (right) dictated play and was the shining light for Portugual as they took control of the
