Portugal team captain Cristiano Ronaldo. (Photo : Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo and his tough Portugal team are set to face Gareth Bale and Wales' Cinderella squad in the semifinals of the 2016 UEFA European Championship after pulling off contrasting victories in the quarterfinal matches. The final four clash will be held at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon on Wednesday.
This semifinal meeting is largely seen by fans and pundits as a game between Real Madrid's superstar teammates Ronaldo and Bale, but it would take much more than the outstanding play of the said players if they want to come out on top against each other.
Portugal had actually struggled throughout the tournament and it took some great games from Ronaldo, Nani, and Ricardo Quaresma in the knockouts for them to be able to squeeze themselves in the semis.
A Seleção defeated a Robert Lewandowski-led Poland side in the quarterfinals via a 5-3 penalty shootout after finishing regulation and extra time in a 1-1 draw, as per The Guardian.
Head coach Fernando Santos' side will face a similar squad with Bale at the forefront of the attack. It should also be noted that Portugal had never won a match in this summer's Euros within 90 minutes of play, so expect another extra time or penalty shootout game.
Meanwhile, Wales had been a revelation in the competitions, beating their opponents convincingly since the group stage except for a 1-2 loss to humbled team England.
Their last match was a 3-1 demolition of FIFA world no. 2 Belgium in their own quarterfinals match, via SkySports.
Bale and attacking partner Aaron Ramsey are responsible for their seamless offense so far while the defense, led by team captain Ashley Williams of Swansea City, are holding up their own against the toughest attackers in the tourney.
Head coach Chris Coleman's defensive crew will be tested to their limits this time with Ronaldo in their opposing offense.
"I don't have to pull my defenders aside and say, 'Look this team has got Cristiano Ronaldo'," Coleman said. "I never did that with Eden Hazard, my players know all about him."
Between Ronaldo and Bale, the latter had clearly outperformed his more illustrious teammate so far in the tournament. The Welshman has the chance to even upstage the Portuguese captain and win this year's Ballon d'Or if his team could pull off a win.
However, Ronaldo's resiliency is expected to be on display once again as they face a very tough Dragons eleven.
The predicted result is a tough 1-0 win for Portugal.
Portugal starting lineup (4-1-3-2 formation): Rui; Soares, Pepe, Fonte, Eliseu; Carvalho; Mario, Sanches, Silva; Nani, Ronaldo
Wales starting lineup (3-5-1-1 formation): Hennessey; Chester, Williams, Davies; Gunter, Allen, Ledley, Ramsey, Taylor; Bale; Robson-Kanu
