Ronaldo takes Portugal to EURO 2016 FINAL

The first Euro 2016 semi-final had been billed as a clash between Cristiano Ronaldo and his Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale - and it was the Portugal star who came out on top.

Ronaldo scored a goal and created another as his team ran out 2-0 winners in Lyon against Marseille to book a place in Sunday's final, where they face the winner of the second semi-final, which takes place in Marseille on Thursday and is between hosts France and Germany.

After a cagey first half in which few chances were created by either side, Portugal burst into life with a pair of goals in close succession not long after the interval.

There was little that Wales could do to prevent the opener, as Ronaldo showed off his fantastic athleticism to leap high above James Chester to crash in an unstoppable header.

With Wales reeling, a couple of minutes later it was 2-0, Ronaldo again at the heart of the action. The Portugal captain lined up a shot on the edge of the box but got it wrong, the ball heading well wide of the post, but Nani got between two defenders and reacted quickly to divert the ball in.

Underwhelming Wales miss Ramsey

The run of Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 has been one of the biggest stories of the tournament, but it proved to be a step too far as Chris Coleman's side struggled to cause any problems for Portugal, whose deep defence allowed no space for Bale to exploit.

Wales also badly missed the creativity of midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who missed the game through suspension. Ramsey had racked up four assists at the tournament and without his driving presence in the heart of the midfield, Wales struggled to get a foothold in the game.

Bale instead dropped deeper in a bid to influence the game but with Hal Robson-Kanu having a difficult match up front, Bale's play and decisions grew increasingly ragged. Coleman had stressed before the game that Bale was a team player - a clear dig at Ronaldo - but Bale was a facsimile of Ronaldo in the second half.

The Real Madrid star unleashed shot after shot from further and further out, causing Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio few problems, while his set-pieces were a shadow of the two free-kicks he scored in the group stage of the competition.

Portugal seek to banish 2004 memories

Portugal's victory over Wales was their first win in 90 minutes at the finals and it is incredible they have reached the final having finished in third place in what looked to be a mediocre group.

But they now stand on the brink of glory, with Ronaldo and his team-mates given the chance to exorcise the demons from their last visit to the European Championship final in 2004.

Ronaldo was a teenager at that tournament but he starred as his side played some thrilling football on their route to the final, where they met an obdurate Greece team they had been expected to brush aside with ease.

However, the game did not follow the script, with a second-half header by Angelos Charisteas giving Greece one of the biggest shock results in major tournament history.

Portugal will be underdogs for Sunday's final whether they face France or Germany, but they will be determined to seal their first ever silverware and put the memories of 2004 firmly to bed.