Welsh dragons ready for battle
By Nigel Gould
The stage is set … for the most important game in Wales’ history.
Chris Coleman’s men will do battle tonight with Portugal in Lyon – with a place in the final at stake.
If they’re successful it will be the first time in 50 years a home nation has reached the final of a major competition.
The last time in 1966 England won the World Cup!
Coleman paid tribute to his players and, in particular, their Talisman Gareth Bale.
“We're here to compete and learn, and let's see if our best is enough to compete against the best,” he said.
“You can't manufacture or pretend, you're either a team player or you're not.
“You're either comfortable being in a team environment with people putting themselves out there knowing they're not guaranteed anything even if they do their best, but want to do it for their country, or you're not.
“Bale is exactly like that, like all the lads. But it's not just this tournament.
“We had a whole campaign to get through to get here where they were exactly the same.
“Where we find ourselves now, it hasn't happened overnight. The players, the bonds they have together, that togetherness.''
Portugal have managed to make the last four despite failing to win one game in 90 minutes, while Wales have won four of their five matches.
“I felt if we got it right we could get out of the group,'' said Coleman.
“After that you never know who you'll get in the last 16, and then the quarter-final.
I told the players that I genuinely believed we'd arrive at that stage.
“I didn't know what would happen after that, if I'm honest. But we've got a good team.''
Pepe remains a doubt for Portugal after head coach Fernando Santos kept his counsel.
Questions over the 33-year-old's fitness were raised after missing Sunday's training session with a thigh complaint.
A precautionary measure it may have been but Pepe did not take a full part in training on the eve of the match, instead doing separate work at their Marcoussis base before travelling to Lyon.
Being without the Real Madrid centre-back against Wales would be a huge blow for Portugal and coach Santos was coy when asked about his fitness.