Football
The last time Gareth Bale faced Cristiano Ronaldo it didn’t go so well
So, the showdown that every football fan in the world wanted to happen is happening.
That’s right; it’s Cristiano Ronaldo against Gareth Bale at Euro 2016. Get your popcorn ready.
Wales made history last week when they booked their place in the semi-finals thanks to a 3-1 win against the much-fancied Belgium in Lille.
The Red Devils got off to a quick start when Radja Nainggolan fired home a rocket early in the first half to give his side the lead. At that point it was looking pretty ominous for Chris Coleman’s side but captain Ashley Williams led the fight back with a towering header to level things up, before Hal Robson-Kanu did something magical.
The striker, who is currently without a club, left three Belgian defenders for dead with an outrageous Cryuff turn in the box before calmly firing home – triggering wild celebrations amongst the travelling Welsh fans.
Sam Vokes rounded off the win with a superb angled header to rubber stamp Wales’ place in the semi-finals against Portugal, who beat Poland on penalties in the quarter-finals.
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It was notable that while Bale played well he didn’t get on the scoresheet, and he’ll have to step up his game when he goes head-to-head with Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 26-year-old will certainly be hoping for a better outcome than last time he met CR7 on a football pitch. That last happened five years ago, when his Tottenham side took on Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. Ronaldo scored the only goal of the night to round off an emphatic 5-0 aggregate win against Harry Redknapp’s side
Bale, of course, go on to leave Spurs in 2013 in order to join Real Madrid for a world record fee in order to become the heir to Ronaldo’s throne.
A win in Lyon against a Portugal side that is yet to win a game inside 90 minutes at this tournament would certainly help speed up the succession.
