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. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Two Olympic swimmers were taken off their flight from Brazil to the U.S. on Wednesday by local authorities amid an investigation into a reported robbery targeting Ryan Lochte and his teammates.U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky confirmed Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were detained but had no other details.Representatives from the U.S. consulate arrived at the airport shortly after the swimmers were held.The action comes amid increasing tension between Brazilian authorities and the American swimmers over their account of the robbery.Lochte said he was with Conger, Bentz and Jimmy Feigen when they were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi by men with a police badge as they returned to the athletes village from a party, several hours after the last Olympic swimming events were held Sunday.Police have found little evidence so far to support their accounts, and say the swimmers were unable to provide key details in police interviews.NBC reported Wednesday night that Lochte backed off some of his earlier claims. He now says the taxi wasnt pulled over but that they were robbed after making a stop at a gas station.He also said the assailant pointed a gun at him rather than putting it to his head.The investigation intensified Wednesday as the swimmers started heading home to the U.S., and a Brazilian judge ordered the seizure of Lochte and Feigens passports.The U.S. Olympic Committee said police went to the athletes village to try to collect the passports, but the swim team had already moved out.Lochte has already returned to the U.S., and Conger and Bentz boarded a plane later Wednesday only to be removed by the authorities. Feigens whereabouts are not known, though he told the San Antonio Express-News he was still in Brazil.Steve Bentz, father of Gunnar Bentz, when reached by phone late Wednesday night, said: I really dont want to say anything, and hung up.Lochtes father, Steve Lochte, told The Associated Press by phone from his Florida home that his son called him Tuesday after arriving in the United States. The 32-year-old swimmer was going to pick up his car and buy a new wallet to replace the one that he said was stolen in the robbery.Im just happy hes safe, the elder Lochte said. It was an unfortunate experience for him and the other three. I dont know what all the controversy is. They were basically taken out of the taxi and robbed. The main thing is hes very lucky that hes safe and that all thhey got was his cash and wallet.ddddddddddddThe elder Lochte said his sons Olympic credential and cell phone werent taken during the incident early Sunday morning. He said he was sure Ryan had his passport or he would not have been allowed to board a plane.Associated Press reporters waiting outside Lochtes home in North Carolina did not see the 12-time medalist.Lochtes attorney, Jeff Ostrow, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.A police official with knowledge of the investigation told the AP that police cannot find their taxi driver or witnesses from the robbery. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.The group did not call police, authorities said, and officers began investigating once they saw media reports in which Lochtes mother spoke about the robbery. Police interviewed Lochte and one other swimmer, who said they had been intoxicated and could not remember what type and color of taxi they rode in or where the robbery happened, the police official said. The swimmers also could not say what time the events occurred.Ostrow has said there is no question the robbery occurred.Why would anybody fabricate anything? Steve Lochte said. Its just ridiculous.Lochte swam in two events at the Rio Games, winning gold in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Bentz, 21, and Conger, 20, also earned gold for swimming in the preliminary heats of the 4x200 relay. Feigen, 26, received gold for swimming in the heats of the 4x100 free relay, which was won by the U.S.Lochte described the incident to NBCs Today show.We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over, Lochte said. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground -- they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didnt do anything wrong, so -- Im not getting down on the ground.And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, `Get down, and I put my hands up, I was like `whatever. He took our money, he took my wallet -- he left my cellphone, he left my credentials.Lochte told USA Today that he and his teammates didnt initially tell the U.S. Olympic officials about the robbery because we were afraid wed get in trouble. ' ' '