LYON, France -- Dont let Cristiano Ronaldos devilish grin and chiseled torso fool you. Portugal is the undisputed ugly duckling of the four teams left standing at the European Championship.While semifinal rival Wales, along with Germany and France, have all impressed with big wins to deservedly reach this stage, Portugal has only joined them after barely squeaking through each round.And unless Ronaldo can rediscover his scoring touch, Portugal will struggle to find a way past an attack fueled by Gareth Bale when it plays Wales at the Stade de Lyon on Wednesday.Portugal coach Fernando Santos, however, doesnt care about style or statistics.I would be bothered if I was at home and they were saying Portugal had played well but was no longer at the Euro, Santos said. We have a goal and we are doing all we can to achieve it. We are not here to play pretty or ugly.We are going to take on an excellent opponent, which has more victories and scored more goals than we have, but we believe we are going to win.How Santos side has managed to reach its fourth semifinal appearance in the last five continental competitions is something of a mystery.Portugal has yet to beat an opponent in 90 minutes of regulation play after five matches at Euro 2016.Portugal limped into the round-of-16 after three draws, finishing third in Group F behind Hungary and Iceland. It then needed an extra-time goal from Ricardo Quaresma to see off Croatia 1-0 in one of the poorest matches of the tournament. Next came a quarterfinal against Poland that Portugal claimed in a penalty shootout following its finish at 1-1 after 120 minutes.All told, Portugal has been in the lead for a total of 22 minutes over the course of more than eight hours of football in France.Yet, here they are, one win away from the final in Paris on July 10.Understandably enough, Portugals players are focusing on the product, not the process.Criticism gives us more motivation, said midfielder Danilo, who is likely to start against Wales for the suspended Williams Carvalho. Its not easy, we see it in the news but it motivates us. It makes us determined to prove them wrong.To assume that credit goes to Ronaldo for Portugal staying in contention is incorrect.Other than one performance that did meet the incredibly high standards the three-time world player of the year has set for himself, Ronaldo has counted more glaring misses than goals.Yes, the two goals he scored in Portugals group match in Lyon were critical to salvaging a 3-3 draw with Hungary and advancing to the knockout rounds. But he has gone goal-less in the other four games, including a missed penalty.Yet despite all its warts, if Portugal has gotten this far it is because Santos players have become experts in the art of survival.The greatest value they have shown throughout the tournament is the mental poise needed to perform error-free as the clock ticks down and the pressure mounts.On no less than four occasions has Portugal stared at a deficit that spelled elimination; and not once did it flinch as it overcame three one-goal deficits against Hungary and an early goal from Poland.Nor has it been all gloom on the pitch. Nani and Quaresma have picked up some of the scoring slack for Ronaldo, 18-year-old Renato Sanches is one of the tournaments sensations, and Pepe has played masterfully in defense. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. 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For the players, though, it could be the clichéd game changer -- giving them recognition, respect and, above all, cold hard cash.Playing in the national team was difficult. Nobody knew about us, no one came to congratulate us. We won a gold medal, yet we were unknown, says Surender Nada, a part of the national team that won the gold at the South Asian Games in February.Today, he is the captain of Bengaulru Bulls in the Pro-Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 4 and one of the most expensive players with an auction price of Rs 30 lakh.It feels good to be a captain. Kabhi nahi socha tha yahan tak pahuchunga (I never thought Id come this far), he says.With Pro-Kabaddi making a mark on the television audience, the players now find themselves in the midst of a fan following beyond their hometowns.As a child, I remember the way people used to show respect to the kabaddi players in my hometown in Nizampura. They were an inspiration for all. The kind of craze I saw for the game back then helped me see it as my future too, says Mohit Chhillar.Chhillar, 23, known for his defending skills, became the most expensive player in the league when Bengaluru Bulls bid Rs 53 lakh for him this year. But hes unfazed by the success. Im too young to think about profit and loss. I let my father take care of all this, he says.Years ago, Chhillar got rejected, not once but twice, by the Delhi state team. He was then roped into the Rajasthan team and eventually the national team.That was the best time of my life. Desh ke liye khelne ki baat hi alag hoti hai (It is a different thing altogether to play for the country). When we won the gold against Pakistan in the finals of the South Asian Games, I thought I had it all. It was one of the best moments of my life, he says.Echoing a similar feeling, teammate and raider Rohit Kumar says, Its good to be a part of a league like Pro Kabaddi. It has given the game a lot of exposure. People now recognize us because of it. But it wouldnt be right to compare it with the national games. The feeling you get there is totally different, he says.Nada, however, had a different take. While he loved playing for the country, he credits the league for making him what he is.I love playing for the country, but its different and the difficulty level is more over there, he says. We have too push ourselves to the extremes every day because we have the responsibility of a country.dddddddddddd. Pro Kabaddi, on the other hand, does not come with that kind of pressure. And it has given us the recognition that we couldnt get in the beginning. Very few people knew about the game or the players before this. This has certainly made life easier. If I have to say which one I prefer, I would choose the league.Is there a difference between the amateur and professional games? I dont think there is too much, apart from a few rules, says Chhillar. The main difference is the level of pressure. We dont get second chances at the international level. You play to win or you are out. It is more flexible in the Pro Kabaddi tournament.In the South Asian Games, for example, the fixtures are put together in a round-robin format where each team has to compete with every other before getting through to the medal rounds. In the PKL, the eight teams play each other home and away -- a total of 60 matches.The busy schedule -- PKL pre-season training lasts several months and can be intensive -- leaves the players with little time for their families or friends. Kumar, who was adjudged the most valuable player last season, is pursuing his graduation but rarely finds time to go to college. My entire childhood was spent focusing on kabaddi. To date, whenever my friends tell me about an event in college, I cant help but miss being there, he says.Chhillar, however, has found a family in his team. I dont miss home that much. I talk to them every day. They too wanted me to reach here, after all. Also, my teammates are no less than a family now, he says.The league has allowed several players from other countries to participate, helping the sport create an international platform for itself. But critics say this may cause harm to Indias dominance in the sport. Its great for kabaddi as a sport, but yes, it does make competitions tough for us with countries like Iran now excelling in it, says Nada.The bottom line though is that going pro has given the players far more options. It has evolved from a largely rural and playground sport to one that can hope for a brighter future.Meri toh ab yehi khwahish rahegi ki ek din ye game Olympics tak jaaye aur hum usme gold leke aaye (I would now only hope for a day when this game becomes an Olympic sport and we win a gold there), says Chhillar. ' ' '