Eurovision 2017 winner: Portugal triumphs in shock victory over favourites Italy
UK entry Lucie Jones finished in 15th place
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Your support makes all the difference.Portugal has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, narrowly beating Bulgaria and Moldova in a nail-biting grand final.
Former X-Factor contestant Lucie Jones provided the UK with its highest score since 2009, finishing in 15th place with 111 points.
Salvador Sobral's poignant song Amar Pelos Dois emerged victorious with 758 points, with the 27-year-old describing his win as a "victory for music".
Portugal are the longest-running contestants never to have won the competition, despite trying for 53 years.
Amor Pelos Dois was written by Sobral's sister, Luisa, who finished third in Portugal's version of Pop Idol – the same contest that the Eurovision winner finished seventh in.
As Sobral collected the trophy, Graham Norton – who provided the commentary for the ceremony – noted that the singer looked as “nonplussed now as he has throughout this competition” despite not being touted as a favourite throughout this week's semi-finals.
In his winner's speech, Salvador hit out at “disposable” music in the world stating: “Music is not fireworks, music is feeling, so let's try to do this and bring music back which is what matters.”
Response to Lucie Jones's performance of ballad Never Give Up On You was overwhelmingly positive both in the arena and among viewers at home, with reports suggesting Eurovision experts had been impressed with the singer's performance in rehearsal in the week leading up to the grand final.
Last year, the UK came 24th with duo Joe and Jake's song You're Not Alone picking up 62 points – better than 2015's effort, Still in Love with You by Electro Velvet, which won just five points.
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Croatia, whose performance saw singer Jacques Houdek perform what looked like a duet with a giant VT version of himself, finished in 13th place.
Earlier in the evening, Norton paid another fitting tribute to Eurovision legend Terry Wogan who passed away in 2016.
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