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Wales relishing Portugal challenge

2016-07-04 06:24:00 from:SNTV

Wales manager Chris Coleman says his team need to move on from the Belgium victory and "refocus" for their Euro 2016 semi-final against Portugal on Wednesday (6th July) and revealed he had no special plan to stop Cristiano Ronaldo.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Chris Coleman, Wales manager

"We are very much looking at the next game in front of us, which is obviously Wednesday and just making sure we are focussed on that and not what has happened. Because what has happened cannot help us, for what we need to happen on Wednesday. We have got to refocus and make sure we have got that energy about us when we are preparing, just look at the next game. Whenever this tournament is finished then we can stop, look back and of course giving ourselves a pat on the back. I think they've earned it, but they are still earning it and there is still other stuff that can be earned, so that is what we are looking at."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Chris Coleman, Wales manager (On approach for semi-final)

"Our approach will be the same, it won't change. We cannot afford to stop and think that we are able now to change our gameplan, because we find ourselves where we are. Again it is the same message, remember what we have been doing, because it is whatever we've been doing, that is what has got us where we are. So we won't change anything about us because of the opposition, or one individual, or the team collectively. Whoever we are up against, we are up against, just make sure that they know they're in a game also and they will do if our boys perform like they can."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Chris Coleman, Wales manager

"The mood in the camp has always been good, I don't mean the camp since we've been in France, I mean every time we've had campaign games, friendly games. It is a really good bunch of people who are involved together and of course the longer you are together in tournament football, it's fight football, it's dog-eat-dog, the more together you become, because the longer you are in it the more successful you are becoming. So all those bonds with each other just get better and tighter and of course at the moment everybody is feeling very good about the situation."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Chris Coleman, Wales manager (On Cristiano Ronaldo)

"I think in this game it's not like I need to pull my defenders aside and say 'this team we are playing they've got a guy up front and his name is Cristiano Ronaldo and he does this, that and the other', because they already know. But we never did that with (Belgium forward) Eden Hazard really. We know about them, we know where the dangers are and like I said before Belgium, I could work my defenders for the next month, drilling them about Cristiano Ronaldo. He could still...he still has the capacity to do something special that's unstoppable. And of course that's a danger, but we have got one of them as well in our team, so that balances itself out. What we will do is concentrate on what we are good at and what has got us here in the first place and we must never come away from that. That is our identity and we are strong on that. And even when sometimes you don't get what you want, more often than not you stick that, your vision, your gameplan and your identity. We are big and strong on that. That's all we are concentrating on."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Hal Robson-Kanu, Wales forward

"No look we are all professionals, these are the games we dream of to be involved in, to be a part of. But we said it before the campaign, we are not just here to take part, we have worked very hard to get to this position, everyone involved and we are relishing every minute of it. So yeah, we will be looking forward to Wednesday."

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