It will be virgin territory for Wales when it faces Portugal in the Euro 2016 semifinals yet its opponent could be forgiven a sense of deja vu as it steps on to the pitch on Wednesday.
This will be Portugal’s fourth semifinal in the last five editions of the competition, but for all its success in reaching the latter stages of the tournament, there has been little glory along the way. Only once it has overcome the last-four hurdle and then it was beaten in the final by Greece as host at Euro 2004. Should it lose to Wales, playing its first major tournament in 58 years and its first ever semifinal, it would be a devastating blow.
Wales is arguably the form team coming into the match. Chris Coleman’s side has revelled in its underdog status to win its group, ease out Northern Ireland in the last 16 and sweep past heavy favourite Belgium in the quarters.
Portugal is yet to win a match at the tournament inside 90 minutes. Things are yet to click for the team, and by extension for captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who has at times looked exasperated by his teammates’ attacking shortcomings.
Yet Portugal is unbeaten in 12 competitive internationals since Fernando Santos took over as coach at the start of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
With Ronaldo’s Real Madrid teammate Pepe marshalling an increasingly assured defence, it will be tough to break down. Especially for a Wales side deprived of one of their most talented creative influences in midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who is suspended.
While Gareth Bale has been Wales’s attacking talisman, Ramsey has been arguably its most influential player.
The match is likely to be billed as a contest between the two most expensive players in the world — Ronaldo, who will play a record third European Championship semifinal, and his Real teammate Bale.
Perhaps ominously for Wales, Ronaldo has netted twice in each of his last two games in Lyon for club and country.
Gareth Bale | Cristiano Ronaldo |
Goals: 3 | Goals: 2 |
Assists: 1 | Assists: 2 |
Minutes played: 443 | Minutes played: 510 |
Attempts on target: 13 | Attempts on target: 10 |
Attempts blocked: 2 | Attempts blocked: 14 \ |
Talking tactics
Portugal coach Fernando Santos had ordered his coaching staff to make a detailed study of Wales during its quarterfinal game against Belgium. “I believed Wales would be our opponent,” Santos said. “I told my staff not to look at Belgium so much because they had great players but showed weaknesses in defence. Wales work as a team and play like there is no tomorrow,” he added. |
The dossier wouldn’t have taken much time to prepare after Aaron Ramsey's suspension. The coaching staff would have been able to train all their guns on Gareth Bale. |
Replacing the Arsenal playmaker won’t be easy. In Ramsey’s absence, Bale will look to attack stand-in holding mid-fielder Danilo (William Carvalho is suspended) as the midfield trio of Joao Mario, Adrien Silva and Renato Sanches has the tendency to dovetail behind Nani and Ronaldo, leaving the defensive midfielder exposed in front of the defence. |
The dossier will likely also devote space to Wales’s weakness in defending crosses. The wingbacks, Eliseu and Cedric Soares, will be ordered to send in crosses where Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, who are very good in the air, would be waiting to re-route them. |
To counter this, Chris Coleman will bring in James Collins for the suspended Ben Davies to restrict Ronaldo’s movements in the box. |
Compiled by S. Sudarsan
Danilo vs. Gareth Bale
In William Carvalho’s absence – owing to suspension – the role of the stand-in holding mid-fielder – most probably Danilo's – will be crucial. And his primary battle will be with the marauding Gareth Bale. Against Belgium in the quarters, Bale was ubiquitous. Often he received forward passes in his own half and helped launch counter-attacks. Armed as he was with the licence to move across the pitch, he dribbled past opponents near the centre of pitch, drawing players out of position and thereby freeing up space for others to exploit. Danilo will be tasked with nipping such runs in the bud. Portugal is indeed way more structured than Belgium. Yet the problems Bale caused in central midfield the other day should keep Danilo & Co. on tenterhooks.
James Collins vs. Nani
Often dubbed the poor man’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, in spite of being a make-shift striker has led Portugal’s line rather well at the Euros (two goals and one assist). As a natural right-winger he also drifts wide and his duel with the so far impressive Welsh left-sided centre-back Ben Davies could have been an intriguing match-up. But Davies’s suspension means that West Ham United’s 32-year-old centre-back James Collins is likely to deputise. The 6'4''defender is no doubt formidable in the air but is a tad slower. Nani may not be as quick as he was once, but can still be a handful.
Compiled by N. Sudarshan
Portgual starting XI (4-1-3-2): Patricio (1); Cedric (21), Pepe (3), Fonte (4), Eliseu (19); Danilo (13); Sanches (16), Mario (10), Silva (23); Ronaldo (7), Nani (17).
Wales starting XI (3-5-1-1): Hennessey (1); Collins (19), Williams (6), Chester (5); Gunter (2), Taylor (3), Jonathan Williams (20), Allen (7), Ledley (16); Bale (11); Robson-Kanu (9)
