Portugal Need More Beyond Ronaldo to Secure Euro 2016 Success

Cristiano Ronaldo was utterly delighted with himself and Gareth Bale so thoroughly deflated, but the two Real Madrid stars still found common ground in the centre of the Lyon Grand Stade pitch after Portugal’s 2-0 win over Wales. Ronaldo told Bale that he and his team had been “the shining star here, the revelation team”. The Welsh have undeniably been one of the stories of the tournament along with Iceland but it came to an end because Ronaldo’s own tournament has transformed; because he has again made himself the shining star. 

That was the story of this game. The Portuguese captain just moved onto another level, while Wales ran out of steam. Ronaldo was a different player from the difficult figure who started this tournament dismissing Iceland, while Wales were a different team without the energy of the suspended Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies. 

It immediately became clear the latter issue could be the clinching of the game. Right from kick-off, Portugal were finding more space in the Welsh midfield than anyone else had done in this tournament. Chris Coleman’s side meanwhile had no-one to link their defence and attack, gradually forcing Bale to drop further and further back. That meant he was more involved than in any other game, playing 45 passes compared to his average of 34.7, but none of it had the same influence. 

Wales just looked less purposeful and with less thrust. It said much they actually had more possession than Portugal, at 55.1%, but couldn’t do much with it. Most of those passes were played between James Chester and Ashley Williams, with the former hitting 87, and the latter 77. The player with the next highest was Andy King on 49. 

Of course, that also reflects how initially reticent Portugal were to impose themselves on a disjointed and improvised Welsh set-up. There was one moment in the first half when a really promising break was on but, just when Nani and Ronaldo needed a bit more support from midfield, there was none forthcoming. 

There was at least a 30-yard gap between four attackers and the six other players who sat back nearer the centre-circle. There was also no clearer indication of the broken-up nature of the Portuguese formation, or the cautious mindset of coach Fernando Santos. They didn’t have anyone to properly link defence and attack on the pitch either, as a creator like Joao Moutinho on the bench. Their four midfielders only played a total of four key passes between them. 

That is one reason why Portugal have looked relatively unconvincing, despite possessing so much young talent and reaching the final. When the opportunity was there to engulf Wales, they did not take it. Santos did not want to take the risk of giving too much away, even though Ramsey's absence meant there was much less risk of being caught. 

Even Bale commented on this. “They shut up shop quite well. They limited our opportunities and fair dos to them.” Of course, it’s a lot less costly to play that way when you have someone in Ronaldo who can make so many opportunities himself. He looked in form and focused from the start, determined to drive his team in the final. Ronaldo attempted nine shots, 1.5 more than his Euro 2016 average, but with none of the desperation of the earlier games against Iceland or Austria. This was a player knowing he was finding his range, rather than one frustratedly trying to force something that just wasn’t happening. 

On 50 minutes, then, the inevitable happened. Portugal worked a set-piece right, and Ronaldo rose above everyone to power it in. Nani made it 2-0 from a Ronaldo effort moments later and, thereafter, Santos’s side freed up a bit and looked more released. That is unlikely to be the case against a far superior side than Wales for the final, though, as we’re likely to see a reversion to something even more defensive than in the first half in Lyon. 

The wonder is whether it will be enough, whether Santos can rely on Ronaldo maximising that attacking minimalism against a team that will just give less away. Portugal may have ended the Welsh story but, as delighted as they and their star were in the aftermath, their own ending is far from certain to be happy. To really clinch this, Santos is likely going to have to come up with more of a happy medium between his caution and the type of creativity required to become European champions. 

It could be a long night on Sunday if he is waiting for a Ronaldo or Nani to suddenly surge out of their solid set-up. It's very possible to win like that, of course, but the feeling is they have to make it more probable. They need to be more proactive, if nothing else than for their own legacy too. 12 years after Greece so famously denied them with defensive football in 2004, Portugal look closer to that Greece than anyone else.

Do Portugal have what it takes to secure Euro 2016 glory? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below