Pepe still an injury worry for Portugal

Welsh football star Gareth Bale has praised his team’s show of “pride and passion” at the European Championship and has urged the side to target regular qualification for major tournaments in future after their remarkable campaign was brought to a halt at the semi-final stage by Portugal.

“It’s an incredible feeling and there is no prouder honour than putting on the red shirt for Wales and to share it with all these fans is incredible”.

The Real Madrid forward drew level with Michel Platini’s tally of nine European Championship goals by scoring in the 2-0 semi-final victory over Wales and can grab the outright record by hitting the back of the net in the final.

The players were clearly taken aback by their reception as the bus snaked its way through the streets of the capital. “We’ve got to be proud of ourselves first and foremost”. We haven’t experienced that.

“We have heard from our families and stuff like that… but this is the first time we are experiencing any of this and it is really special”.

Chris Coleman’s side began Euro 2016 as one of the outsiders but topped Group B, finishing above England despite losing to their neighbours.

“Maybe it didn’t start as we wanted, but this is not a 100 metre dash, it is a marathon”, said the captain.

“Everyone will think this is a unique chance, we want to win the first title for Portugal”.

Tens of thousands of fans celebrated in Lisbon’s Praca do Comercio.

“I am sorry to a lot of parents out there, because their little boys have bleached their hair, but I fancied a change and I suppose it paid off”, he said.

One member of the squad who missed out on the homecoming was midfielder Joe Ledley, who is in Ibiza to get married.

The Crystal Palace player has become something of a cult hero with his dance moves going viral on social media during the tournament, but he was not forgotten as his team-mates video messaged him as they drove through Cardiff.

They will meet Les Bleus, who overcame Germany 2-0 a day later, at the Stade de France with both history and the odds stacked against them.

Wales will face Austria, Serbia and the Republic of Ireland in qualification Group D to reach the World Cup in Russian Federation in two years’ time, with the aspiration to capitalise on their performance at Euro 2016 by becoming regulars at major tournaments.

Bale said afterwards the players were “massively disappointed” with the result but had no reason to feel ashamed.

Young – and old – welcoming Wales football team home.

“We fought hard to qualify, all through the games we kept progressing and getting better as a team”.

“Fortunately, we’ve been able to progress at Southampton to be a top-six or seven club in the Premier League, and that gave me the opportunity to be selected by the manager (Santos)”. His wife, 67, added: “We’ve always been rugby fans and that is still our national game”.

“The hunger is there, the spirit is there and we’ll take all the positives from this and go into the next campaign trying to do it again”.