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Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo rose. He rose as only
he can, above the Welsh defense, to power
Portugal into the final of Euro 2016.
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Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani struck in quick succession early in the second half to fire Portugal to a 2-0 win over Wales in the first Euro 2016 semi-final on Wednesday.
After a tense and tactical first half, Ronaldo broke the deadlock five minutes after the re-start when he leapt majestically to head Raphael Guerreiro’s pinpoint cross into the net following a short corner.
Ronaldo inadvertently set up the second three minutes later with a mis-hit shot which Nani deflected past Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.
Portugal, who also reached the European Championship final in 2004 when they lost to Greece, will play Germany or France in the final on Sunday.
Ronaldo and Nani each took their tallies in the tournament to three goals as Portugal won a game inside 90 minutes for the first time at Euro 2016.
Ronaldo’s thumping 50th-minute header was quickly followed up by a sliding redirection from his striker partner, Luis Nani, as Portugal cruised to a 2-0 semifinal win over upstart Wales on Wednesday to reach its first major tournament final since Euro 2004.
Ronaldo’s goal snapped both teams out of a first-half lull. The Real Madrid man climbed over James Chester at the far post and met Raphael Guerreiro’s outswinging cross.
The polarizing Portuguese star has had an eventful tournament on and off the pitch. He’s missed chance after chance, pinged a penalty against the post in a 0-0 draw against Austria and scored a brace against Hungary to save Portugal from early elimination. He also took verbal shots at Iceland and threw a reporter’s microphone into a lake.
However, Ronaldo showed on Wednesday why all the drama is worth it.
He and Portugal are now one game away from his and his nation’s first-ever major tournament title. They will play the winner of Thursday’s Germany-France semifinal on Sunday.
Wales’ Euro 2016 campaign will be viewed in retrospect as a resounding success despite the semifinal exit.
The Welsh, after all, were left depleted after a quarterfinal upset of Belgium. They were forced into two suspension-induced changes. Influential midfielder Aaron Ramsey and defender Ben Davies were replaced by Andy King and James Collins. Both held up well, but without Ramsey, the Wales attack was blunted.
An injury to Pepe interrupted Portugal’s defensive cohesion. Bruno Alves, who hadn’t seen the field since a pre-tournament benching, came in for the ailing Real Madrid defender and wasn’t troubled.
With the two sides slightly out of their comfort zones, and wary of the threat the other posed going forward, the first half was pragmatic at best and monotonous at worst. Attacking play was largely methodical.
Wales was nervy early on. An errant James Chester pass allowed Ronaldo and Portugal to break three-on-three, but Ashley Williams dove in to win the ball off the Portuguese star and stunt the break. Minutes later, Joe Allen dwelled on the ball and was dispossessed by Nani. The Welshman chopped down the Portuguese attacker as he broke away and received a deserved yellow card.
Portugal’s first-half attack was cross-happy, as Wales’ central defenders combined for 11 clearances in the opening 45 minutes. Ronaldo howled for a penalty when Collins dragged him down as he darted for the near post.
Portugal was careful not to leave itself susceptible to Welsh counterattacks. Bale did break free 23 minutes in and galloped 60 yards with the ball, but his shot was straight at goalkeeper Rui Patricio.
The game sprung into life five minutes after the break with Ronaldo’s opening goal. Three minutes later, when Nani slid against the grain, and in between Welsh center backs, Wales was really in trouble.
The game opened up after that second goal, with Portugal threatening for a third and Wales desperately looking for a goal to incite a comeback.
Wales threw on two strikers, but Portugal compressed the space in the Welsh attacking third. Ashley Williams’ 20-yard drive couldn’t make its way through a heavily congested penalty box, and Bale’s swerving 30-yard strike was pushed away by Patricio.
The Portuguese weren’t dominant and still haven’t faced a traditional European soccer power. But they have Ronaldo, they have talent and they are 90 minutes away from European glory.
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