Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the first of the Euro 2016 semi-finals as Portugal take on Wales in Lyon. It promises to be a special occasion as both teams bid for a place in the final, with the two nations looking to make a slice of history in the process. Portugal have been here and done it before, but for Wales it is undoubtedly the biggest match in the nation's football history. We have a bumper two-hour build-up for you to celebrate the occasion, so let's get started with a look at Portugal...

While Wales' journey to this stage of the competition has been scarcely believable, Portugal's own semi-final appearance is highly unlikely considering what has actually taken place at the tournament. Fernando Santos's side find themselves in the last four without having won a single game inside 90 minutes, just about scraping through the group stages before needing extra time and penalties to get through their two knockout games. They may be unbeaten in six matches now since defeat to England at the start of last month, but their most recent victory was also almost a month ago when they thrashed Estonia 7-0 in their final warm-up game.

They only managed a third-placed finish in Group F - widely regarded as the easiest of the lot with Iceland, Hungary and Austria as their opponents - having drawn against all three of those teams. They were the only side to progress from the group stages without winning a single game, while no side that qualified for the knockout rounds conceded more than Portugal's four goals. Their tally of three points was only just enough to see them through as one of the best third-placed teams, but since progressing they have managed to do just what they need to go to scrape through every round since.

Their third-placed finish dealt them a difficult last-16 clash with Croatia, who were fancied by many to beat Portugal, and once again it was a very tight contest. Normal time ended goalless, and it took a 117th-minute winner from Ricardo Quaresma to finally separate the two teams. That set Portugal up with a quarter-final against Poland, and once again the 90 minutes ended all square. This time there were goals, with Renato Sanches becoming the youngest player to ever score in the European Championships knockout phase, cancelling out Robert Lewandowski's early opener in the process. The 120 minutes ended 1-1, but Portugal were faultless in the shootout and Jakub Blaszczykowski's missed penalty ultimately proved to be decisive.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL MEMORIES: Portugal certainly have the upper hand when it comes to experience at this stage of competitions, although it has certainly not all been good for the country. Their first Euros semi-final came against host nation France in 1984, and what ensued was one of the truly classic matches in the competition's history. France ultimately came through 3-2 after extra time, before the Michel Platini-inspired hosts went on to win the trophy in the final.

One of the worries for Fernando Santos - and indeed for Chris Coleman tonight - is that Portugal can be a very unpredictable side. They have certainly not been firing on all cylinders at this competition, yet still find themselves in the semi-final - the mark of champions in a normal league season. One particular off day could, of course, spell the end of their competition, but the way things have gone so far they may just be beginning to believe that it could be their year. That said, should they play like they have in many of the matches and Wales perform like they did against Belgium then Portugal will do very well to escape into the final tonight.

There is little we can really glean from recent Portugal results, though. While they are undoubtedly the 'bigger' team out of the two tonight, their results since exiting the 2014 World Cup in the group stages prove that they can win against the best and lose against some of the worst. They have beaten the likes of Italy, Argentina and Belgium in the last two years, with the latter two being the top-two ranked teams in the world at the moment, but in the same timeframe they have also been beaten by Cape Verde Islands, Bulgaria, Albania and Russia (some may even include England in that list following their showing in this competition).

Having said that, when it comes to competitive fixtures, they do usually get the job done, particularly under Fernando Santos. He is yet to lose a competitive game in charge of Portugal, winning eight and drawing four of his 12 in charge, counting the penalty shootout victory over Poland as a draw. As has been the theme of these Euros, they are not a side who are going to blow others away - with the exception of a 7-0 warm-up win over Estonia. Indeed, all eight of their competitive wins under Santos have been by a one-goal margin. They would happily take another one of those tonight, though.

They qualified for this summer's competition very comfortably in the end, but their campaign did get off to an inauspicious start. They were beaten by Albania in their opening qualifying match, but then responded well by winning their next seven games to finish top of the group by seven points. As with in the tournament itself, they had a fairly kind draw, and were also drawn in the group with fewer teams so only had to play eight games, but you can only get past what is put in front of you and so far Portugal have managed to do that.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL MEMORIES: Portugal looked all set for national glory in 2004 when they were the host nation, and victory looked even more assured after they overcame Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-final. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring and Maniche added a stunning second to send Portugal to the final, but what was meant to be their crowning glory turned into one of their lowest points as they were beaten by surprise packages Greece in the final.

2004 (June 30) Portugal 2-Holland 1 (European... by sp1873

Netherlands are perhaps the most obvious underachievers on the world stage, but Portugal can certainly lay claim to being the perennial nearly men of international football. They have reached the semi-finals of seven major tournaments including this one, but that one 12 years ago was the only time they have made it to the final, and they have never won a major tournament. Their record is particularly pronounced in this competition, with tonight's match being their fifth Euros semi-final, and their fourth in the last five editions. They have previously lose semi-finals to France in 1984 and 2000 and Spain in 2012, but defeat tonight would surely be the hardest of the lot to take.

Only Germany have made the semi-finals of European Championships more often than Portugal since they made their debut in the competition in 1984, yet they have never reached the final of it on foreign soil. Perhaps the most damning statistic when it comes to Portugal's near misses in this competition is that they have played the most matches in its history without ever lifting the trophy (33). Their most recent six Euros games have been all square after 90 minutes, including the 2012 semi-final against Spain.

Portugal have been eliminated in either extra time or penalties in three separate European Championship semi-finals, but they may be hoping it goes the distance again tonight. Even ignoring the fact that they have got to this stage without winning a game inside 90 minutes this year, their record in penalty shootouts at major tournaments is a good one - three wins and only one defeat. Wales, by contrast, have never faced a penalty shootout, and should Portugal win one tonight then they would become the first team in Euros history to win back-to-back games on penalties. They will certainly be much more used to handling the pressure than Wales.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL MEMORIES: That solitary shootout defeat did come in Portugal's last European Championship semi-final appearance, though, and if semi-final exits are the hardest to take, going out on penalties at this stage must making it even worse. That was what Portugal had to deal with four years ago as Spain scraped through after a goalless 120 minutes before going on to retain their trophy. Indeed, all three of Portugal's Euros semi-finals conquerors have gone on to lift the trophy. Food for thought, Welsh fans?

Portugal 0-0 Spain - Pen 2-4 (Euro 2012 - Semi... by fasthighlights-2012

I'm sure there are already plenty of Wales fans dreaming of the final, but they will also be thoroughly enjoying the moment they are in right now. It is one very few people expected to happen, and there is little doubt that they have been the story of the tournament so far, eclipsing even Iceland's run to the quarter-finals. Even manager Chris Coleman admitted earlier this week that he had not thought this far ahead before the tournament began, but Wales have continually defied the odds and are now facing their biggest football moment - arguably their biggest sporting moment - in the nation's history.

It is hard not to buy into the whole thing, and coming as it does the summer after Leicester won the Premier League, anything really does seem possible. Wales have beaten the highest-ranked team in the competition by seeing off Belgium, and they will be quietly confident of doing the same to Portugal. Should that happen they would face either the hosts France or world champions Germany in the final and, while either would be pretty daunting to little old Wales, anything can happen in a final. There is even a trend developing that may encourage Welsh fans, with a shock winner of the Euros appearing every 12 years. Denmark did it in 1992 having initially failed to even qualify for the competition, while Greece took the crown at Portugal's expense in 2004. Could 2016 be Wales' year?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though, as Wales remain big underdogs for tonight's match. That may not be fair on the balance of their performance in the tournament so far, but it must also be remembered that this is uncharted territory for them. This is their first ever European Championships, and they have already become the first side since Sweden in 1992 to reach the semi-finals on debut. Should they win tonight then they would be the first team to reach the final on their maiden Euros appearance for 44 years. History really does beckon for this group of players, although even reaching this stage has cement their place in Welsh folklore.

Their only previous appearances in a major international tournament before this summer came 58 years ago, in the 1958 World Cup. The team on that occasion made it all the way to the quarter-finals before being dumped out by a Brazil side inspired by a young Pele, who went on to win the tournament in some style. The current crop have arguably already eclipsed those achievements, and the team tonight will become the first Welsh national side to appear in any UEFA or FIFA semi-final at any level, male or female. That is the scale of their achievement, and just how big the match is for the Welsh tonight.

Wales did reach the quarter-finals of the Euros in 1976, but the tournament had a much different format back then and they failed to reach the actual finals courtesy of a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Yugoslavia, losing 2-0 in Zagreb before a 1-1 draw in Cardiff. The only Welsh side of any ilk to appear in a UEFA semi-final before were Cardiff City in the 1967-68 season when they reached the last four of the Cup Winners' Cup, only to be beaten 4-3 by Hannover.

ROAD TO THE SEMI-FINAL: It has already been a dream journey to the last four for Wales, and it all began with a 2-1 victory over Slovakia in their opening match of the tournament. Gareth Bale, rather predictably, opened the scoring for Chris Coleman's side, but it needed an 81st-minute winner from Hal Robson-Kanu - currently without a club after being released by Reading at the end of last season - to secure the points for Wales. Even then, not many would have guessed they would still be involved almost a month later.

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TEAM NEWS! Right, the teams are in and they make for interesting reading...

PORTUGAL STARTING XI: Patrício; Cédric, José Fonte, Bruno Alves, Guerreiro; Danilo, João Mário, Adrien, Renato Sanches; Nani, Ronaldo

WALES STARTING XI: Hennessey; Gunter, Chester, Collins, Williams, Taylor; King, Ledley, Allen; Bale, Robson-Kanu

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, we'll start with Portugal and the big news from their camp is that Pepe is ruled out with a thigh injury. The Real Madrid centre-back picked up the injury in training and faced a race to be fit in time, but Fernando Santos insisted that he would not play if he wasn't 100%, and he has clearly failed to prove his fitness. That is a big blow for Portugal as he has been a key player for them in this competition, but in comes Bruno Alves in his place. He partners Southampton centre-back Jose Fonte, who has never lost a competitive international game (W5 D1).

That is one of three changes to the Portugal side that overcame Poland on penalties, and one of two in defence. Raphael Guerreiro, who missed the quarter-final through injury, returns to the side in place of Eliseu, while on the opposite flank Cedric once again starts alongside his Southampton teammate Fonte. The third change comes just in front of the back four, and it is another enforced one as the suspended William Carvalho misses out and is replaced by Danilo. Aside from that there are no further changes, and it is pretty much the side we expected from Fernando Santos if Pepe didn't pass his late fitness test.

The star player for Portugal, though, is Cristiano Ronaldo. Much of the pre-match talk has been about Ronaldo vs. Bale, but in truth Bale still has some way to go to match Ronaldo's achievements. He creates more history tonight by becoming the first player to feature in three European Championship semi-finals - a record Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski could equal tomorrow night - while a goal would see him become only the third player - and first since 1964 - to score in two separate semis in this competition. He is already the only player to score in four editions of the tournament and the highest appearance-maker in Euros history, and he is only one goal away from equalling Michel Platini's all-time record of nine Euros goals.

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The Real Madrid star has only scored two goals in 13 knockout games at major tournaments, but one did come in a Euros semi-final against Netherlands 12 years ago. He has also scored twice in each of his last two games in Lyon, doing so for Real Madrid in the Champions League in 2011 and, more recently, for Portugal in their 3-3 draw with Hungary in the group stages of this tournament. However, he didn't score in or win any of his first four appearances in this city, and it is fair to say that he hasn't been firing on all cylinders in this year's competition. He has been helped out by others though, namely Nani, who has been directly involved in half of Portugal's six goals at Euro 2016.

Wales have been all about the team spirit and unity throughout this tournament, but their strength in depth will be tested tonight as they are without Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies through suspension. Collins and King come in for that duo as Coleman unsurprisingly sticks with the wing-back formation that has served his side so well at this season's competition. There is little doubt that Wales will miss Ramsey in particular, but King came off the bench a number of times for Leicester during their title-winning season and made a number of important contributions. He knows where the goal is too and makes some clever late runs into the box so Wales will be hoping that they haven't been weakened too much by Ramsey's absence.

It is hard to downplay just how important the Arsenal man has been for Wales in this tournament, though. No player has more assists than him in the entire tournament, with his tally of four being level with Eden Hazard, while only France's Antoine Griezmann has been directly involved in more goals. Ramsey is top of the Welsh statistics when it comes to assists, touches, passes, chances created and crosses, and second in terms of dribbles, shots and tackles, so it is only natural that they will miss such an influential player today. After a bit of a frustrating season with Arsenal, he has established himself as one of the stars of the tournament this summer. It must be that new hairstyle of his...

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While Ramsey has arguably been Wales' most important player this summer, the star of the show remains Gareth Bale, and the presence of a world-class player like him in the side is perhaps the main thing giving Welsh fans the belief that anything really is possible. He is a match-winner, and more often than not he steps up to the plate when it comes to international duty. That was particularly true during qualifying when he had a hand in a staggering 82% of their goals, scoring seven and assisting two more, and while that ratio is down to 40% at this tournament, his three goals and one assist have still been hugely important. Indeed, only Griezmann has scored more this summer, while Bale has had more shots on target than any other player in the competition (14).

Bale, Coleman and just about everyone else in the Welsh set-up have repeatedly stressed that they are much more than a one-man team, though, and they have certainly proved that in this tournament. I have already mentioned Ramsey's contribution, but Joe Allen appears to have been handed a new lease of life with a string of brilliant performances, while Ashley Williams has led from the front and got himself a goal in the quarter-finals. Robson-Kanu, who got the pick of the bunch in that win over Wales, has now scored two goals from three shots on target at Euro 2016, and has found the back of the net as many times in his last four internationals as he did in the 30 before that. It is that sort of improvement that has made this Welsh team so formidable in the tournament so far.

ROAD TO THE SEMI-FINAL: It hasn't quite been all plain sailing for Wales at this tournament, although their defeat to England in the group stages will be a distant memory for them now. Bale gave them the lead against their neighbours, but goals from Vardy and a late, late winner from Sturridge clinched a 2-1 victory for England that must have felt devastating to a Welsh side who were no longer in control of Group B. Bale had taken a few jibes at England in the build-up to that match, but it is fair to say that the Real Madrid man has had the last laugh in the end.

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Why should Wales feel confident about their chances tonight, then? Well, for starters they have really let loose during this season's competition, which is at odds from their qualifying campaign. They did impress while reaching the Euros, finishing just two points behind Belgium and taking four points from the Red Devils in the process, but they also only scored 11 goals in their 10 games. By contrast, this summer they have already scored 10 goals in just five games, with only hosts France being able to better than tally following their 5-2 win over Iceland in the quarter-finals.

They have already surpassed all expectations, and had done by the end of the group stages when they topped Group B ahead of England. They were also the joint-highest goalscorers in all of the groups, level with Hungary on six goals, and their form has taken a huge upturn since the start of the tournament. Things may have looked bleak in the warm-up matches when Wales went four games without a win, and from September 2015 their only victory in seven games came against Andorra, but at the tournament itself they have won four and lost just that one match against England.

They are the only semi-finalist to have lost a match en route to the last four, but that fact is vastly outweighed by them reaching the semis in the first place and it will certainly not come into their minds ahead of tonight's game. I have already talked about Wales's lack of experience in major tournaments, but when they get to them they actually have a very impressive record. Over the 1958 World Cup and this summer's competition, Wales have lost just two of their 10 outings at major tournaments - to Brazil 58 years ago and England in the group stages.

There are minimal bragging rights for England there - perhaps the only time they can class themselves in the same category as Pele's Brazil - and Wales could actually get another thing over the English tonight. Their tally of 10 goals this summer is the best by a British team at a major tournament since England won the World Cup in 1966. Sir Alf Ramsey's side scored 11 on their way to glory on that occasion, so a couple of goals for Wales tonight would take even that away from England. The way they have played throughout this tournament, you certainly wouldn't back against them to do just that, particularly with Pepe absent. Hungary, after all, scored three times past this Portugal side.

Perhaps the biggest reason to be confident ahead of this match stems from their performance against Belgium in the quarter-finals. Wales rather scraped past Northern Ireland in the last 16, needing a McAuley own goal to win 1-0 in rather ugly fashion, but they were the better side for large parts of their match against the much-fancied Belgians. Marc Wilmots's side were the highest-ranked team at this summer's competition, and Welsh fans may have been fearing the worst when Nainggolan blasted them into the lead with a stunning strike after 13 minutes, but goals from Williams, Robson-Kanu and Vokes saw the Dragons come from behind and record arguably the biggest result in Welsh football history... until tonight?

ROAD TO THE SEMI-FINAL: Wales' final group game came against Russia, and their performance challenges the one against Belgium for the best of the competition. They raced into a 2-0 lead after just 20 minutes through goals from Ramey and Neil Taylor, before Gareth Bale added a third in the 67th minute. That piled the pressure on England, who needed a win to guarantee top spot, but Roy Hodgson's side could not find a way through Slovakia and Wales progressed as Group B winners.

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PREDICTION: Right, we're getting excitingly close to kickoff now, so it's about time I made a prediction! There really is no overstating how big this game is for Wales, and on the balance of the tournament so far, they may be the more confident of the two sides. Both teams have a world-class player and are also missing important members of their sides, so it could be another close contest, and all of Portugal's recent competitive outings have been. I'm going to go for the dream continuing, though, and predict a 2-1 Wales victory.

These two sides have met on three previous occasions, but this is their first ever competitive fixture. The only meeting in the last 65 years came back in 2000, when Portugal ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in Chaves. Luis Figo opened the scoring for them on that occasion, before Sa Pinto and Nuno Capucho added further goals 16 years ago.

The first ever meeting between the sides came back in 1949 when Portugal won 3-2, with Trevor Ford scoring twice for Wales. He was on the scoresheet again two years later when they faced off in Cardiff, while Mal Griffiths also found the back of the net in a 2-1 victory for Wales - their only previous victory over Portugal.

Right, we're only three minutes away from kickoff in Lyon now. It is the biggest match not only of these Welsh players' careers - even Gareth Bale who has featured in two Champions League finals - but also in Welsh football history. Can they continue the dream or will Portugal spoil the party? It's nearly time to find out as thousands of fans belt out the national anthems!

KICKOFF! Here we go then! It is a magnificent occasion in Lyon as Wales get us underway on the grandest stage in their history.

It's been a cautious start from both sides at the moment, even a little nervy, which is perhaps understandable under the circumstances. Ronaldo makes his first run at the defence before being brought down by Williams, but the referee waves play on.

Portugal are seeing the majority of the ball in these opening exchanges, but they haven't made much of a dent into the Welsh defence so far.

As you would imagine, there is a great noise inside the stadium at the moment, despite a number of empty seats dotted around the place. Wales have made a fairly sloppy start in possession, though, and they just need to calm themselves down early on here.

YELLOW CARD! Allen got away with a foul on Guerreiro a little earlier, but he doesn't escape this time and the Liverpool man picks up a yellow card having almost been caught in possession inside his own half. No complaints there.

Big piece of defending from Collins here, who rises well inside the box to clear the danger just when it looked as though Ronaldo would get to the ball. Ronaldo wants a penalty, and in truth he has a shout, but the referee once again says no.

I've just seen a replay of that Collins incident on Ronaldo, and referee Jonas Eriksson could have quite easily given a penalty for that one. Ronaldo looked to have the march on the defender and you would have backed him to get there, but Collins did what he needed to do - legal or not.

Portugal boss Fernando Santos is just trying to calm his players down a little at the moment. It has been a fairly scrappy opening to the match, but it is Portugal who have been on top and look most like scoring.

SHOT! The first shot of the contest comes from Portugal as Joao Mario plays a smart one-two with Ronaldo before bursting up to the edge of the box. He tries to pick out the bottom far corner but drags his shot a little and it rolls a few yards wide.

Wales make their first real foray forward, and it is no surprise to see Bale involved. He gets down the left before seeing his attempted cross blocked behind for their first corner of the game.

SHOT! They offered a big aerial threat from corners against Belgium, but they switch things up here and Ledley plays it low into the box. Bale peels off his man and tries to wrap his foot around the ball, but it is a difficult one and it flies over. Clever from Wales, though.

Wales are just beginning to grow into the game a little now, seeing more of the ball and getting their key players more involved. They got through the first 20 minutes comfortably enough and are now starting to come out of their shells a little.

Almost a chance for Wales as Bale shrugs off a challenge from Ronaldo on his way down the right flank before pulling a low ball into the box. King slides in at the near post but is just short of connecting with it and Rui Patricio gathers.

SAVE! Brilliant from Bale again as he skips away from Danilo and bursts forward into the Portugal half. He has two players in support, but perhaps understandably he goes alone and carries the ball almost to the edge of the box before letting fly. It is on target, but straight at the keeper, who holds on.

CHANCE! Wales are really growing into this game now. This time it is Robson-Kanu who spins around his marker Bruno Alves before firing a cross into the box. King is again at the front post to meet it, but his header comes off Fonte last and Wales win a corner.

The corner is just too high for Bale and that allows Portugal the chance to clear and counter. Sanches has been left up and he tries to take on two Wales players with a barraging run forward, but Taylor defends really well to pick his pocket.

This game is beginning to open up a little now, particularly when Wales are going forward. Bale is getting more and more involved and is looking very dangerous - he is outshining Ronaldo at this stage!

Portugal enjoy a good spell of possession without making too much progress, and eventually Cedric Soares gets impatient and goes for goal from a long way out. Predictably, it flies a long way high and wide.

Renato Sanches, by the way, is the youngest player left at these Championships but is looking like one of the coolest men on the field at the moment. He really does look like a world-class talent in the making.

SHOT! Another shot from Portugal, but again it comes from outside the box and fails to threaten Hennessey. It is Adrien Silva who let's fly, but he drags his shot comfortably wide.

There were a few question marks of Collins heading into this match as he is not used to playing in a back three and hasn't been heavily involved at this tournament. So far, though, he has been very impressive, dealing with Ronaldo on a number of occasions.

In truth, Portugal are playing to the main strength of the Welsh defence. They have put a number of crosses into the box and thrown plenty of long balls forward, which is exactly what the likes of Collins and Williams are good at dealing with.

It sounds strange to say with the likes of Ronaldo and Bale in the final third, but there is a touch of quality missing when it comes to the final ball here. Both sides are employing a lot of long-ball tactics which aren't yielding much joy.

Nothing to shout about in the last few minutes here. Wales enjoyed a good spell midway through the half, but it is all very even now and the two sides are very much cancelling each other out.

Ronaldo gets one of his first shooting opportunities tonight, but forget the duel with Bale - he is second best to James Collins at the moment. The defender rushes out to meet Ronaldo and makes a big block.

CHANCE! Finally a chance for Ronaldo as he manages to escape the Welsh defence by moving to the opposite side from Collins. A cross arrives to the back post which Ronaldo rises to meet, but Chester does just enough to make things difficult for him and the Portugal skipper can only nod the ball wide.

Well, that was a very cagey opening 45 minutes! There is very little to separate the two sides at the halfway stage as we remain goalless in Lyon. Clear chances have been at a premium too, and while both sides are still very much in this match, they will probably need to improve if either of them are to win it and reach the final. Right now they look too scared to lose it rather than willing to take a few risks to win it.

We have only had one shot on target in the match so far, and that came from Gareth Bale with probably the best attacking moment of the half. He skipped away from his man down the right flank and drove forward into the Portugal half, getting close to the box without being challenged. He had two men in support but went for goal himself, firing the ball straight at the keeper.

In the battle between Bale and Ronaldo, it must be said that the Wales man is on top so far. He has gone looking for the ball and has made a few things happen, whereas Ronaldo has struggled to get any joy against James Collins. Bale did have another sight of goal after 19 minutes when he peeled off his man to connect with a clever low corner into the box, only to fire his shot over. It was a difficult chance, but Bale wrapped his foot around it well and may be upset that he couldn't keep it down.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, had to wait until the 44th minute to get his first real sight of goal. He peeled off James Chester at the back post to connect with a cross, but the Wales defender did just enough to make things difficult for the Real Madrid man. Ronaldo still got to the ball, but he couldn't steer his header on target and Wayne Hennessey was once again left untested in the Wales goal.

Aside from that, Andy King has had a couple of half chances in the box, coming up just short of connect with one low cross from Bale before seeing a near-post header come off Fonte and go behind after good work from Robson-Kanu. Joao Mario dragged one shot wide for Portugal, but aside from that and the Ronaldo header Portugal have been largely limited to long-range efforts. Wales have just about been the better team, but that is not saying too much.

KICKOFF: Portugal get us back underway for this second half. Can either side find a breakthrough in the coming 45 minutes, or will it be extra time again for Portugal?

It will be interesting to see how both sides approach this second half. Neither really went for it in what was a cautious opening 45 minutes, but surely that will have to change as this match progresses.

That is what Ronaldo can do! It is a brilliant header from the Real Madrid striker as he climbs highest in the area, hangs in the air and powers the ball home from a corner. Portugal played the set piece short initially before it was swung in, and Ronaldo was just so dominant with that header.

Ronaldo seems to break records on a weekly basis now, and he has done it again here...

9 – Cristiano Ronaldo is now the joint-highest scorer in European Championship history (level with Michel Platini). Legacy. #EURO2016 — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 6, 2016

Oh it is all falling apart for Wales! Portugal have two goals in the space of three minutes as Nani slides in to convert a mis-hit Ronaldo shot from just outside the area. It looked as though it could be offside initially, but the replay shows that Nani was on, and he reacted well to put that one away.

That is a huge, huge blow for Portugal, and it is a long way back for Wales now. It would have felt particularly galling coming as it did so soon after the first.

Chris Coleman will need to do something sooner rather than later now. It is alright getting towards kitchen sink time, and it looks as though Sam Vokes is gearing up to come on.

WALES SUB: There is the change as Vokes replaces Ledley. It is an attacking one from Coleman, but he had little choice.

Well, I said one team would need to go out and win this one, but I didn't expect Portugal to do it in such style and so quickly too. It really is hard to see Wales coming back from this one.

Almost a chance for Vokes as he tries to bring down Bale's floated ball into the area, but Bruno Alves makes an important challenge and Portugal survive the threat.

YELLOW CARD! Ronaldo wins a free kick in a good shooting position, going down over the outstretched leg of Chester, who goes into the book.

WALES SUB: Wales make another change here as Simon Church replaces Robson-Kanu.

CHANCE! Big chance for Portugal to put this one to bed as Nani lets fly from range, with his effort taking a slight nick off Chester on the way through. Hennessey gets his body behind it but can't collect as the ball bounces back off him to Joao Mario, who fires a low strike inches wide when he should have scored.

WALES SUB: Coleman is not hanging about with his changes now. It is another attacking sub as Jonny Williams replaces Collins.

CHANCE! Half a chance for Wales as Bale cuts back on himself to create an angle for a cross. He eventually does lift the ball into the box and Vokes gets his head to it, but he can't steer it on target.

Time is beginning to run out for Wales now. They have just over 20 minutes remaining to claw something truly special back from this predicament, but in truth Rui Patricio has not had anything particularly difficult to deal with throughout this contest.

SAVE! Another good chance for Portugal from a corner as Fonte climbs highest this time, towering above his man to plant a header on target, This time Hennessey plucks the ball out of the air, though.

YELLOW CARD! Bruno Alves goes into the book for preventing Hennessey from taking a goal kick quickly.

YELLOW CARD! One of the biggest cheers of the night greets a yellow card for Ronaldo, giving Wales a free kick in a crossing position.

Bale swings it in to Chester, but the Wales defender can't control his header and it flies well off target.

SHOT! It may get quite open now with Portugal's threat on the counter-attack and Sanches leads the charge here down the left flank. He cuts into a shooting position, but then blazes his effort well over.

PORTUGAL SUB: Portugal make their first change of the night as Andre Gomes replaces Sanches.

SAVE! Bale looks to come up with something special here, letting fly from range, but his strike is straight at the keeper and he holds on to it comfortably.

CLOSE! Portugal are inches from a third! Wales give the ball away sloppily and that results in Danilo being clean through on goal. He goes for goal and Hennessey lets the ball through his grasp, but then dives back onto it right on the line.

PORTUGAL SUB: Another change from Portugal sees Silva replaced by the experienced Joao Moutinho.

SAVE! Bale seems to know that it will take something special now and he has another go from a long way out. This one is swerving everywhere, and Rui Patricio is needed to parry it away.

Bale really does look desperate to get Wales back into this one, and he is just everywhere at the moment. It may be too big a challenge for even him, though.

Bale wins a free kick a long way from goal and chooses to shoot, such are the desperate times they find themselves in, This time his long-range strike hits the wall before it can trouble Rui Patricio, though.

Just five minutes remain now as Wales continue to push for a goal, but surely they have left it too late now? It looks like Portugal will be in the final!

CHANCE! Another counter from Portugal as a ball is played in to Ronaldo, but Hennessey comes off his line and forces the skipper too far wide, and he can't squeeze his shot in.

PORTUGAL SUB: A third and final change from Portugal sees Nani replaced by Ricardo Quaresma.

YELLOW CARD! Bale is the latest player in the book for a high boot on Cedric. No complaints there.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match, and three minutes left of Wales's incredible run.

It is Portugal who progress to the final of Euro 2016, then, but spare a thought for Wales. They have surpassed all expectations and will go home to a heroes' welcome following their performance at this summer's tournament, but this defeat will still be hard to take. They had just been beginning to dream, but those quickfire goals from Ronaldo and Nani at the start of the second half proved to be the difference in the end.

It is a second ever European Championship final for Portugal, though, and a first one foreign soil as they improve what had been a dreadful semi-final record. Huge credit has to go to Portugal who, having failed to offer much at all in the first half, came out well in the second and took control with those two goals. They could have, and perhaps should have, added more too, so you have to say that they are worthy winners this evening. It is their first win inside 90 minutes in the tournament, but they are in the final!

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Wales' Euro 2016 dream comes to an end at the semi-final stage at the hands of Portugal. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. Join us at the same time tomorrow for the second semi-final as hosts France take on world champions Germany for the right to face Portugal. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!