That’s about it for tonight’s live blog. Thanks for your company throughout the game; it was far too manic for emails in the second half so I’ll try to catch up with the emails now. Congratulations to Portugal, who now have the chance to win their first major trophy. Well done to Wales, who had already had so much credit in the bank that tonight’s defeat has barely made a dent. For the players, the coaching staff and the entire country, Euro 2016 has been the time of their lives. And that bit where they celebrated England going out was brilliant.

Here’s Gareth Bale “We’re massively disappointed but we’ve got to be proud of ourselves. We’ve given everything. We tried to enjoy the experience. We want to thank the fans, who have been incredible. We tried our hardest and we’re sorry we couldn’t get to the final. They shut up shop quite well. We have no regrets. We have to be proud of what we’ve achieved.”

“Honestly, I have no idea how to feel,” says Matt Dony, who has drunk so much that his whole body is numb. “Wales have no right to be in the semi finals, and this is an absolute triumph, no matter what. And yet. And yet. Portugal seem so damn beatable! I think this is going to hurt like hell tomorrow (and not just in a fuzzy-head kind of way), but I’ll look back with a smile in the future.”

Yes, I know what you mean. You’d almost prefer an unarguable 4-0 shellacking; there will always be a slight ‘what if’ with this game. But really, when the dust settles and your hangover clears next Tuesday, you’ll accentuate the million positives from the last month.

Wales did not do a lot wrong in that game, but they missed Aaron Ramsey and they were powerless to stop the best player in the world changing everything with a brilliant goal just after half-time. Ronaldo and Bale have a long chat at the final whistle, before embracing and going their separate ways.

Portugal go into Sunday’s final, their first in a major tournament on foreign soil.

90+2 min Joe Allen, on a yellow, clatters a Portuguese player 25 yards from goal. A jobsworth would have sent him off; this referee showed his human side.

90+1 min There will be three minutes of added time.

90 min Gareth Bale, Cerys Matthews, Neil Kinnock, Richard Burton, Tom Jones, Clayton Blackmore, Maggot … your boys took some beating. They achieved more than Spain, Englad, Italy and others in this tournament. They have done the country incredibly proud in the last four weeks, and achieved something even more precious than victory: glory. Tonight is sad and frustrating but it doesn’t compromise their achievement in the slightest.

89 min Bale is booked for a very high foot on Cedric. It was overzealous rather than nasty. I reckon he would have been sent off for that six months ago – it was quite like Nani in that Real Madrid game in 2012-13 – but a yellow card is more appropriate I think.

87 min Portugal bring on their lucky charm, the geriatrico Ricardo Quaresma, to replace Nani.

86 min This is Wales’ best spell of the game in terms of sustained possession, though of course that is dictated by the match context. And it also leaves them vulnerable to a counter-attack like this: Gomes on the left finds Ronaldo, who rounds Hennessey but takes it too wide in doing so and can only crunch it into the side netting.

85 min I don’t think Wales have, in the parlance of our time, left anything out there. But they will forever wonder how the game might have panned out had the second goal not come so soon after the first. One minute they were 0-0 and comfortable; the next they were 2-0 and in the malodorous stuff.

83 min Bale is fouled by Joao Mario 35 yards from goal. He tried to stay on his feet, but he won’t say no to this free-kick. This might be Wales’ last chance of getting back into it … but Bale whacks it into the wall. Bale picks up the rebound and is flattened by Nani. The referee waves play on.

82 min Jonny Williams, who has again made a difference from the bench, puts in a good cross that is half cleared to Ashley Williams. His shot from the edge of the box hits his own man, Vokes, though I’m not certain it was on target.

80 min A ridiculous swerving effort from Bale, who must have been nearly 40 yards out, is palmed away by the diving Rui Patricio. That ball misbehaved viciously.

80 min “So,” says Niall Mullen, “Aaron Ramsey is the Dude’s rug of this Welsh team.” Well that’s just, like, your opinion, man.

79 min Another Portugal change: Joao Moutinho replaces Adrien Silva.

78 min Hennessey keeps Wales in the competition, just about. Danilo stole the ball 30 yards from goal and marched into the area before hitting a shot that burst through Hennessey, who was able to get back and jump on the ball just as Nani was about to turn it in from 0.00002 yards.

77 min When the ball bounces nicely for him, Bale cuts across a long-distance swoosher that is again too close to Rui Patricio and comfortably held. It was sweetly stuck mind. Bale had that exhilarating five minutes in the first half, when he looked like he was starting to bend the game to his will, but since then it hasn’t quite happened for him.

75 min “It won’t be the first time an indiscretion in one game has had a profound effect on the next,” says Charles Antaki. “But that Ramsay handball has flattenedWales into a depthless two-dimensional side, coming up short against a side who are no world-beaters. A shame.”

And yet, they were comfortable until the world’s best player did something spectacular. I agree though, they have missed him badly Was his handball deliberate or not? I couldn’t really decide. It seemed like a reflex that he then tried to stop but couldn’t.

73 min Renato Sanches leads a Portugal break before crashing a shot high over the bar from the edge of the box. Like Salvatore Bonpensiero, he had options. It’s his last touch of the game, with Andre Gomes replacing him. Renato Sanches has been excellent.

72 min Ronaldo picks on someone his own size, shoving Jonny Williams over. He’s booked. Bale’s inswinger is headed over by Chester, who was under considerable pressure. It was a quarter-chance at best.

70 min Wales, who looked in control defensively in the first half, have been ragged since the goals. You can understand why; nothing they have experienced in their thousands of professional games can prepare them for such a blow. At the moment they look out of it, though a goal would change everything. A goal forWales, anyway: Fonte almost makes it 3-0 with a header from a corner that is well held by Hennessey. Bruno Alves is then booked for blocking Hennessey’s kick-out.

68 min “A friend has just text me the word ‘Istanbul’. I’m feeling more positive suddenly.”

67 min “In what may be Wales’ last game, can we have a word of praise for Joe Allen?” says Hubert O’Hearn. “Whoever first described him as ‘the Welsh Xavi’ did him no favours. But he is an outstanding midfielder who rarely makes the wrong pass and always keeps his head. Why Liverpool are looking to sell him is one of many thousands of things I don’t understand.”

66 min Wales’ final change: Jonny Williams on, James Collins off. Collins did excellently in the circumstances. Wales have plenty of attackers on now. Bale puts in a decent cross from a narrow position to Vokes, who mistimes his header well over the bar from 15 yards. It was a tricky chance because of the angle of the cross.

65 min A four-year campaign looks like it has come down to three minutes. Walesstill look a little shell-shocked, and it was almost 3-0. Nani’s deflected long-range shot is spilled by Chester, and Joao Mario whistles the rebound wide. He should have scored.

64 min “Hello Rob,” says Kári Tulinius. “I popped the Welsh liveblog into Google Translate, and it’s an excellent read. Elena Cresci’s half-time summary seems very accurate: “No caps lock today friends. From what I saw, a lot of kicking, a lot of saving. But I get more beer so I’m happy.” Speaking of caps lock, when Cymru is written in all upper case, Google translates it as “ENGLAND”. That’s just too wrong.”

I knew England would it. Arise Uncle Roy.

63 min The resulting free-kick is 25 yards out, a fair way to the right of centre, and Ronaldo wobbles a brilliant effort onto the roof of the net as Hennessey leaps desperately to his left. Before play resumes, Simon Church replaces Hal Robson-Kanu up front for Wales.

62 min Bale’s excellent driven pass is controlled nicely on the chest by Vokes, but Alves gets round to shin the ball clear. Portugal break and Chester is booked for a foul on Ronaldo. Bale won the first half; Ronaldo is romping the second.

60 min Wales are rattled, as you would expect after such a shocking and almost unforseeable twist. I don’t think Hennessey has made a save in the match, so you couldn’t say it was coming.

59 min “Did someone,” says Kelvn, “say the Portuguese Crouch?”

That ball for the goal was about eight feet in the air. Crouch would have scored with a scissor-kick.

58 min Chris Coleman is going for it. Joe Ledley is replaced by Sam Vokes, soWales will switch to a 3-4-1-2.

57 min We haven’t seen a replay of the incident that led to the corner for the first goal, though Gunter in particular was certain there was a foul on a Wales defender. Then the athletic genius of Ronaldo kicked in; whatever you think of him, it was a stunning goal.

56 min Wales need to stay calm for a few minutes and make sure they aren’t completely out of this game in the next 10 minutes. If they keep it at 2-0 they can get Jonny Williams on, try to make it 2-1 by the 80th minute. Then human nature kicks in and anything can happen.

If the first goal was majestic, this is exasperatingly scruffy from a Wales point of view. Ronaldo, 25 yards from goal to the right of centre, mishit a low cross-shot that fell perfectly for Nani, who stretched to slide it past Hennessey from close-range.

It’s all going horribly wrong for Wales.

52 min Warm congratulations to Martin Bell, who has just been appointed as the new sports editor of the Guardian. “Maybe,” writes Martin, “you could concentrate on reporting the game?”

Portugal won a corner on the left, though Wales thought there was a foul that should have gone their way. It was played short to Guerreiro, who curved a delicious first-time ball to the far post. Ronaldo rose majestically eight yards from goal, muscling Chester aside, and thumped a header high into the net. Hennessey had no chance. Ronaldo hung in the air for an age. It was similar in nature to his memorable goal at Roma in the Champions League in 2007-08; in context, it might be even better. It was simply immense.

Cristiano Ronaldo scores an awesome header to give Portugal the lead.

49 min Allen is penalsed, perhaps harshly, for a foul on Adrien Silva. That said, he got away with a clearer foul a few seconds earlier when Adrien stayed on his feet. Had he gone down, that might even have been a second yellow for Allen, though probably not in the current climate. He does need to be careful though.

49 min “You can relax now,” says Pol Curley. “Final score. Offaly 1-10 Dublin 2-15 Dublin are Leinster U21 Leinster Champions.”

48 min Chester plays another excellent ball down the left to Bale, who is one-on-one with Alves but overruns the ball. Chester has arguably been the best player on the pitch so far.

47 min “A hurling liveblog seems appropriate,” says Ian Copestake, “given the gut reaction I get whenever Ronny shows his faces.”

46 min Bing bong! Portugal begin the second half, kicking from left to right. There are going to be tears in the next hour or two; hopefully Welsh tears of joy.

“Stepping back and trying to be rational, I’m happy so far,” says Matt Dony. “I’m willing the Pembrokeshire Pirlo to be the match winner. I’m going for 2-1Wales, all goals in the last 20, Allen scoring the winner. That definitely can’t come back and bite me on the bum…”

And then a couple of minutes later: “Hi, Scott Martin. I’m fidgeting and drinking and squirming and whimpering and shouting. The last 45 minutes took about a fortnight off my life expectancy.”

“Hi Rob,” says Scott Martin. “Any chance of a half-time Matt Dony update? Just want to make sure he hasn’t nodded off.”