A French soccer fan was reduced to tears following France’s heartbreaking loss to Portugal in the finals of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.
But consolation came from an unlikely source: a little Portuguese fan, caught on camera embracing the sobbing fan and offering words of encouragement.
The touching moment was captured by Euronews cameras Sunday night in the “fan zone” in Paris where fans of all participating nations would gather to watch games.
Recorded in the moments after France’s 1-0 loss to Portugal in extra time, the video shows the man sobbing and throwing his hands into the air until he is approached by the young fan.
Wearing a New York Yankees hat and carrying a Portuguese flag, the boy offers some words of encouragement to the distraught man before the two embrace.
WATCH: Thousands turn out to welcome home Euro 2016 champs Portugal
Twelve years after losing to Greece on home soil in their last appearance in the final, it was Portugal’s turn to spoil the host nation’s party. And they achieved it by winning only one of their seven games at Euro 2016 inside 90 minutes.
The game was dull and stodgy at times but the record books will only show that Portugal went from third-place in its group to champion, with little help from Cristiano Ronaldo in its last match.
The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year had to be taken off the field on a stretcher in the first half after suffering a knee injury.
Neither the sobbing fan nor the little boy have been identified, but the short clip of their interaction has quickly gone viral. The original Facebook post has been shared nearly 200,000 times, and the story has been picked up by BBC, ESPN, CNN, and others.
-With files from the Associated Press
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