Fernando Santos' side beat Wales 2-0 to set up a Euro 2016 final

Portugal beat Wales 2-0 in the semi-final and reached the final of Euro 2016. Fernando Santos' side had recorded five draws and only one win in the tournament up to that point, but that hardly matters now that they have qualified for the final of the European Championship.

It was arguably Portugal's best performance of the tournament. Wales were the more active side in the first half and had several shots at Rui Patrício, but the goalkeeper kept a clean sheet. In the second half, however, Portugal outplayed their opponents and deservedly won 2-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his third goal of the tournament in the 50th minute. Remarkably, he jumped 2.61 metres high, and his header travelled at 71.3 km/h. Three minutes later the Real Madrid forward provided a fine assist for his teammate Nani, who reacted instinctively to make it 2-0. However hard Gareth Bale tried, he was denied by an outstanding performance from Rui Patrício.

The question now is whether Ronaldo can win his first major international tournament. The final against Greece in 2004, when Portugal lost 0-1 and finished as runners-up, is surely still on his mind, all the more so because Portugal were the hosts that year.

Many people argue that Portugal have been incredibly lucky to get this far and do not deserve their place in the final. Yet France's own route to the semi-finals deserves the same scrutiny. As hosts, they did not have to play in the qualifiers. Their group, with Albania, Switzerland and Romania, was the easiest of the tournament. A win against Ireland took them into the quarter-finals, where they faced an Iceland side that looked intimidated by the occasion.

Portugal's record should not be underestimated. They completely outplayed Austria and Iceland but were unlucky to draw both games. Against Hungary, two deflections wrong-footed Rui Patrício, and Portugal had to settle for another draw. Santos then changed his tactics for the knockout stage, and the result is plain to see. Portugal deservedly reached the final and now have the chance to change the history of their national team by winning a first major international tournament.

The semi-final in Lyon

The semi-final was played in Lyon on 6 July 2016, and it ended one of the great runs in Welsh football history. Wales had arrived in France for their first major tournament since the 1958 World Cup and had gone all the way to the last four, so defeat by Portugal still closed a remarkable summer for Chris Coleman's squad. For Portugal, the two goals in three second-half minutes, Ronaldo's header after 50 minutes and Nani's redirected shot soon afterwards, settled a tie that had been tight until the interval.

How the final unfolded

The final took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on 10 July 2016, in front of 75,868 spectators, with the English referee Mark Clattenburg in charge. Portugal's opponents were the hosts, France. The evening started badly for Fernando Santos' side. In the eighth minute Dimitri Payet caught Cristiano Ronaldo with a heavy challenge, and although the captain returned with his knee strapped after treatment, he could not continue. He was carried off on a stretcher and replaced by Ricardo Quaresma after 25 minutes.

Without their talisman, Portugal held firm. France came closest in stoppage time at the end of normal time, when André-Pierre Gignac hit the inside of the post. In extra time Raphaël Guerreiro struck the underside of the French crossbar with a free-kick from around 25 yards, and a minute later substitute Eder hit a low shot from distance past Hugo Lloris to make it 1-0.

A first major trophy

The victory gave Portugal the first major trophy in their history and made them the tenth different nation to win the European Championship. It also answered the question raised by the 2004 defeat to Greece: twelve years later, Ronaldo finally lifted an international trophy with Portugal, even though he spent most of the final off the pitch.