Wales enjoy one of their greatest nights
THERE WERE SPECIAL scenes in Toulouse as fans and players shared unconfined joy – and even tears – as Wales booked their place in the Euro 2016 knockout stages.
Aaron Ramsey, Neil Taylor and Gareth Bale converted Wales’ dominance against an abject Russian side on a special night for Chris Coleman’s side.
Afterwards, Coleman promised there would be more to come from his players and from their showings in Group B, which they topped, it is hard to disagree.
They will now face a third-placed team from Group A, C or D in Paris on Saturday and will go into the last 16 tie with real confidence.
From the outset this evening they were purposeful and inspired by individual performances from Ramsey, Bale and Joe Allen in particular. Wales are no one-man team, even if they relied heavily on Bale to this point.
“The three points are massive for us, but the performance was even sweeter than the points,” Coleman said. “I thought the players were brave. And I don’t mean brave in terms of without the ball, I mean in possession of the ball.
“I’m absolutely made up for the players. This group are on the way to something else, on the way to more success. This is just a part of the journey they’re on and me and my staff are just glad we’re on it with them.”
Hodgson’s selection gamble backfires
Roy Hodgson insisted he was pleased with his England side after they fired blanks against Slovakia to somehow finish behind Wales in Group B.
It was another frustrating and uninspiring night for The Three Lions as they continue to huff and buff their way through tournament football with no conviction.
The result was almost predictable and it leaves England facing a potentially tricky tie against the runners-up of Group F, which contains Hungary, Portugal, Iceland and Austria.
England were utterly dominant in Saint-Etienne but rarely looked like breaking the deadlock. The decision to make six changes, including resting Wayne Rooney, looked more and more questionable as the minutes ticked down.
For a player who was continuously slated by fans during the season, the reception Rooney got when he came on as a second-half substitute spoke volumes. So often criticised but the Man United man remains England’s key player.
He injected a bit of life into England and instantly pulled the strings from midfield, but it wasn’t enough.
The same goes for Dele Alli, who made an instant impact when coming on. Hodgson is still unsure of his best XI and formation and continues to use a trial and error method in an attempt to stumble upon the right formula.
In his press conference he said he believed it will only be a matter of time before this toothless England forward line find their shooting boots.
Tonight he gambled and it may prove costly down the line.
Ramsey proves his doubters wrong
While Gareth Bale has starred in Wales’ campaign, tonight it was Aaron Ramsey who stole the show with an all-round performance which will help silence his critics.
It was generally assumed that Wales’ hopes would hinge on Bale and certainly he is their main man but Ramsey demonstrated his worth in midfield and it appears he’s coming into form just at the right moment.
His goal, set up exquisitely by Joe Allen, highlighted his confidence and he grew in stature as the game progressed with his assist for Bale in the second half a particular highlight.
Ramsey is a player who drifts in and out of games but when he’s hot, he’s hot. We haven’t seen it often this season but if there were any doubts about his ability to unlock defences then tonight surely dispelled them.
For his goal, he timed his run perfectly, composed himself and applied a deft finish past Igor Akinfeev for his 11th international goal. But there was much more to his performance than that single moment.
He made more passes than any of his team-mates (39 in Russia’s half) and his link-up play with Bale will have left Welsh fans licking their lips.
Coleman will be desperate the Arsenal midfielder can continue in that same vein as Wales head into the knock-out stages. With Ramsey and Bale firing, and Ashley Williams marshaling a well-drilled defence, who knows where they can go.
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