Portugal 3-0 Wales
CHAVES, Portugal, June 2 (Reuters) - Portugal cruised to a 3-0 home win in a friendly against Wales on Friday in their last match before they head to the Euro 2000.
Portuguese striker Luis Figo, who scored the first goal against Wales, said Euro 2000 would be much tougher than Friday's match but his team stood as much chance as any other.
'We know there are other sides with more experience than Portugal, but we have high hopes of having a good championship,' he said. 'We can only talk about title contenders after the first round is over.'
Portugal has been drawn in Group A alongside England, Germany and Romania.
Welsh trainer Mark Hughes said he was disappointed that his side missed two chances to score in the first half that could have put more pressure on Portugal.
'I felt that we worked very hard and made it difficult for Portugal in the first half. Unfortunately we had a deflected goal and one just before halftime, which made it difficult for us,' Hughes told reporters after the game.
Wales looked like taking an early lead when forward Craig Bellamy shot from the right in the 12th minute but hit the bar.
Portugal then settled into the game and a good cross from Carlos Secretario on the right found striker Figo who shot from just outside the area but saw the ball go over the bar.
But Figo was on target soon after and opened the scoring in the 21st with a direct free kick from an acute angle on the left just outside the area which powered its way through a wall of Welsh defenders.
Visitors Wales missed another chance to score after 28 minutes when Portuguese goalkeeper Victor Baia ran forward then lost control of the ball.
Baia, who was out of action for months until recently after knee surgery, then had to stop a free kick by Gary Speed which he parried before recovering possession.
Portugal went 2-0 up after 44 minutes when another burst of speed by Figo down the left opened up a space in the Welsh defence and crossed inside the box to striker Ricardo Sa Pinto who was waiting on the right and blasted the ball home.
In the second half the pace relaxed a little as Portuguese coach Humberto Coelho took advantage of a comfortable lead to try out six substitutes, who took some time to come together as a team.
Substitute Nuno Capucho scored Portugal's third in the 66th from the left when he lobbed the ball from the edge of the penalty area over the head of Welsh keeper Mark Crossley.
Another substitute, Nuno Gomes, wasted two chances to score after bursting through to an unmarked spot near the left post. Once he headed the ball at an acute angle past the right post, and in the final minute received the ball on the six-metre line but miskicked and sent it over the bar.
