Cristiano Ronaldo scored one goal and set up the second here Wednesday as Portugal beat Wales 2-0 to advance to the 2016 Euro final.

The loss ended a fairy-tale run for Wales, who had never before gone so far in an international competition, while the 31-year-old Ronaldo can look forward to what might be his last chance to win a trophy with the national side.

With this loss, the so-called “Brexit” from the Euro 2016 tournament is now complete as the United Kingdom National Teams of England and Northern Ireland did not make it as far as Wales.

Portugal’s opponent in their third European final will be the winner of Thursday’s clash between tournament host France and reigning World Cup champion Germany.

The media narrative ahead of Wednesday’s match in Lyon was about the rivalry between Ronaldo and fellow Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, the key man for Wales.

Bale was up to the occasion, but his teammates could not sustain the level of play that brought them to the semis and the squad was hurt by the absence of the suspended Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davis.

The first half delivered little in the way of excitement, as both teams opted for caution over daring.

Though Portugal was not to blame when they missed out on a scoring opportunity in the 9th minute, when the referee declined to award a penalty for a clear foul on Ronaldo by Welsh defender James Collins.

Wales, as usual, placed their hopes on Bale, who managed the only shot on goal of the first half, forcing Rui Patricio to make a stop after charging down the field and beating two defenders.

The Portuguese struggled on the attack and didn’t threaten the Wales goal until the final moments before the break, with a Ronaldo header that skipped over the crossbar.

That near miss turned out to be a harbinger of things to come.

Portugal won a corner just five minutes into the second half and Ronaldo vaulted over the Welsh defenders to head Raphael Guerreiro’s cross into the net to make it 1-0.

The goal was Ronaldo’s ninth in European Championship play, leaving him tied with Michel Platini for top lifetime scorer in the competition.

Visibly shaken after conceding, Wales found themselves down two goals in the 53rd minute, as Nani redirected Ronaldo’s shot past goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

Wales coach Chris Coleman scrambled to adjust to the new situation, making all three substitutions in the space of seven minutes.

The Portuguese, however, remained steady and came close to adding to their lead on two separate occasions.

Lyon, France, Jul 6 (EFE)