Semi-Finals: Portugal v Wales, 6th July, 8pm

[Cheese & Biscuits]

It's been a piss-poor tournament quality wise and Portugal typify that. Average team playing in a final. Pretty gutted for Wales, would have loved them there.

 

[DarkSithLord]

WhoScored.com ‏@WhoScored 1m1 minute ago
Portugal: Have won a competitive match by at least two goals for the first time since October 2013 (vs Luxembourg) #PORWAL

 

[Mustard]

I hope they change the yellow card rule. I think Portugal were there for the taking (although they were a bit better tonight) and Ramsey has played so well this tournament. Shame. Great tournament for Wales though, great team spirit.

 

[Ciderhead]

I hope they change the yellow card rule. I think Portugal were there for the taking (although they were a bit better tonight) and Ramsey has played so well this tournament. Shame. Great tournament for Wales though, great team spirit.

Agreed. A suspension for 2 yellow cards in 5 games is ridiculous. Should start afresh after the group stages

 

[Master D]

Disappointed that we went out to an average side more than anything. I'd rather us get schooled by Germany or France than lose to this lot.

 

[Panda]

Obviously gutted, but to make the semi final of a major tournament for Wales is an amazing achievement. Hope France or Germany go on to win.

 

[Luke_1884]

One step too far for Wales.
Probably overachieved in the last round and have come up against an average outfit that have eased past them.

Portugal in the sweeper at work so I'm not too fussed about a home nation getting the chop, It's been a decent ride supporting the Welsh though.

 

[SALTIRE]

Kind of petered out tonight there unfortunately for Wales but you have shown you are the best of the UK sides and can hold your head up high as you've had an excellent tournament.

Let's hope France win it now, Germany fluking it again is boring and Ronaldo's fans would be unbearable if he lifted the trophy.

 

[Stevencc]

What if Germany don't fluke it but win it by being the better side?

 

[Chris FGR]

What if Germany don't fluke it but win it by being the better side?

No fluke about most of their wins, you don't consistently excel in major tournaments just by luck. It's fully deserved.

 

[Super_horns]

WhoScored.com ‏@WhoScored 1m1 minute ago
Portugal: Have won a competitive match by at least two goals for the first time since October 2013 (vs Luxembourg) #PORWAL

I noticed their manager is the guy who was in charge of Greece in 2014 - don't think they were much of an attacking team then.

Mind you with Ronaldo and Nani that is quite a surprising stat.

 

[SALTIRE]

What if Germany don't fluke it but win it by being the better side?

Even then its old hat. Come on the froggies!

 

[Nilsson]

It's been a piss-poor tournament quality wise and Portugal typify that. Average team playing in a final. Pretty gutted for Wales, would have loved them there.

Portugal haven't been that bad, they've done well to find a way to get the best out of most of their players. I don't recall them ever looking like they were going to lose a game. They did well to see off Croatia (who are a better team than any Wales have managed to beat this tournament).

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

Portugal haven't been that bad, they've done well to find a way to get the best out of most of their players. I don't recall them ever looking like they were going to lose a game. They did well to see off Croatia (who are a better team than any Wales have managed to beat this tournament).

I don't think they've played that well from what I've seen. I'm not saying they've played badly but they certainly haven't been one of the two best teams in the tournament and I think average sums them up well. To only win one game in 90 and make a final is pretty jammy.

I hope whoever plays them in the final stuffs them.

 

[JimJams]

They looked like losing against Hungary.

 

[Benji]

I am annoyed that we lost to Portugal who are probably the third or fourth best team we have faced on the day. Once Ronaldo scored, we panicked a bit and lost our shape for a couple of minutes. That's when they got their second. After that we had to go for it, changing to a less familiar system. On the other hand Portugal knew they could sit back, and just contained us. I don't think we made a really good chance, and they arguably had only one or two.

Really though, any negative feeling about the game is entirely overridden by the realisation of what I'm sad about. We lost a semi-final. This team will go down in history. That Robson-Kanu goal will be watched for decades. We will be back. Hopefully, for the World Cup.

Football!

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

We will be back. Hopefully, for the World Cup.

With a fairly ordinary qualifying group, you have a good chance. Ireland and Austria the only real threats.

Good chance of at least 2nd and a play off place (I'm assuming that's how it works).

 

[Big Bird]

It's been a piss-poor tournament quality wise and Portugal typify that. Average team playing in a final. Pretty gutted for Wales, would have loved them there.

We knew that would be the case when the knockout stages were confirmed with Germany, France, Italy, Spain all on one side of the draw. Croatia, Belgium and Portugal looked most likely to reach the final initially and I think it's fair to say those countries have always been a tier below the very best so I think we were always going to end up with an average side in the final, hence the despair at England not winning the group.

 

[smat]

Portugal are being a bit underrated in this thread imo. They're shit to watch and might not have won any games until last night, but they hadn't lost any either, and clearly have a very strong mentality, as evidenced by their coming through two 120 mins unscathed in the previous knockout rounds. Far from the best team in the tournament but they'll be formidable opposition for France or Germany imo.

Have loved watching Wales in this tournament. A great team unit with a couple of great players, and they've provided some of the finals' most thrilling moments. Think Robson-Kanu's goal vs Belgium will be my favourite memory of the tournament. Beating Portugal without their best player Ramsey was a bit of an ask, but it was still a fairly even game.

 

[epic73]

Ireland the real threats.

First time I've ever heard that.

 

[epic73]

Unlucky for Wales, yellow card rule needs to be binned. Perfect header from Ronaldo and a lucky goal from Nani that Hennessey could do nothing about. Robson-Kanu/Church were both almost non-existent. Quaresma had possibly the miss of the tournament. Wales fans were possibly the best of the tournament, never stopped singing when the match ended.

 

[JaredSUFC]

Still pretty gutted. I thought for the majority of the match we were pretty competative, but Ronaldo showed his class as a player with his goal and then when Nani scored it was a mountain to climb. At least our heads didn't drop. We missed Ramsey big time last night, would we have won if he had played? I don't know, but it wouldn't have hurt our chances.

Whilst I'm gutted to have lost, if you told me before the tournament we'd get to the semifinal I would have looked into getting you committed. Last night was disapointing, but the real disaster would be if we don't build on this and use this as a springboard. In the last 22 months, (and more so in the last 4 weeks) the national Football team have gone from being both a joke and an irrelevance, to a real source of pride. For the first time I've seen masses of the population take an interest in the national team (Friday nights game was the most watched TV sporting event in Wales ever), but that goodwill and excitement can only be maintained and built upon if we qualify for Russia. Which I think we can. The future is bright, Together Stronger

 

[Stevencc]

Together Stronger.

Without Ramsey Fucked.

 

[Proggs]

My Wales assessment,

v Slovakia - Lucky to get a win, goal line clearances and the post saved the day, but they won.

v England - Looked like a rabbit in the headlights, played for a draw and got stung, looked very poor in all honesty.

v Russia - Did what England could not do, tore apart a Russian team who had already called it a day.

v Northern Ireland - Really poor, NI attacked them and Wales did not know what to do, got lucky with an OG, but I guess you make your own luck.

v Belgium - Great team spirit, came from behind and beat a Belguim side that seem to play 1 brilliant game in 5.

v Portugal - Back to being poor, their luck finally run out and deservedly beaten by a Portuguese side who seem to know how to grind results out.

Overall assessment - Very lucky to get as far as they did, but they did get that far so fair play for that, but I can't see how they will progress any further in the future after one lucky tournament, for all the knocking of England, when England knuckle down they would and did blow Wales out of the water, though this game seems to have been conventionally airbrushed from history. As Iceland showed us, turn up thinking you will win but with no plan B then it's curtains, and I would put Wales in with Iceland and Northern Ireland as a good team group who could hurt you if you are half hearted. I will be very interested to see how Wales do now, Coleman's stock has risen and will soon abandon ship to get back into league football, I can't see wales qualifying for Russia, but I think Welsh football will enjoy a bounce for a while.

 

[epic73]

when England knuckle down

When will that be?

 

[Proggs]

When will that be?

Well the qualifiers, that we expected to win, but we were expected to beat Iceland, The Russia match where we played well but could not get that 2nd goal, Wales who defended for their lives but we showed determination and desire to break them down, Slovakia we totally dominated but could not score, then there was Iceland.....

Basically, as bad and as depressing the Iceland performance was, and the stage on which we did it, I still feel there is a good side in there somewhere that just needs the right guidance, Wales, Iceland etc have taught us one thing, its not about slick coaching, or trying look at the German model, or tikka takka etc etc, it's about having a team spirit in every match you play and making sure your players play in their best positions and know what is required of them, something we seem to fail at time and time again, not saying we will be world beaters, but there is enough there for that squad to be a last 8 or last 4 side no problem.

 

[epic73]

Well the qualifiers, that we expected to win, but we were expected to beat Iceland, The Russia match where we played well but could not get that 2nd goal, Wales who defended for their lives but we showed determination and desire to break them down, Slovakia we totally dominated but could not score, then there was Iceland.....

Basically, as bad and as depressing the Iceland performance was, and the stage on which we did it, I still feel there is a good side in there somewhere that just needs the right guidance, Wales, Iceland etc have taught us one thing, its not about slick coaching, or trying look at the German model, or tikka takka etc etc, it's about having a team spirit in every match you play and making sure your players play in their best positions and know what is required of them, something we seem to fail at time and time again, not saying we will be world beaters, but there is enough there for that squad to be a last 8 or last 4 side no problem.

This is what the England supporters say after every tournament flop and it never gets better.

 

[Nilsson]

They looked like losing against Hungary.

Not really, Hungary got 2 very fortunate deflected goals, they never looked in control of the game.

 

[smat]

Overall assessment - Very lucky to get as far as they did, but they did get that far so fair play for that, but I can't see how they will progress any further in the future after one lucky tournament, for all the knocking of England, when England knuckle down they would and did blow Wales out of the water, though this game seems to have been conventionally airbrushed from history. As Iceland showed us, turn up thinking you will win but with no plan B then it's curtains, and I would put Wales in with Iceland and Northern Ireland as a good team group who could hurt you if you are half hearted. I will be very interested to see how Wales do now, Coleman's stock has risen and will soon abandon ship to get back into league football, I can't see wales qualifying for Russia, but I think Welsh football will enjoy a bounce for a while.

Fucking hell. England really 'blew Wales out of the water', there, winning with a 93rd minute goal and finishing below them in the group.

Starting to hate England fans as much as Scotland fans do. We're total fucking idiots.

 

[Stevencc]

Fishing for Saltire likes - this is a new low for you, Smat.