sexta-feira, 1 de julho de 2016

Wales 3-1 Belgium: Chris Coleman's men come from behind to claim semi-final place - 9 things we learned

Resultado de imagem para euro 2016

Ashely Williams cancelled out Radja Nainggolan's opener before second-half goals from Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes gave Wales an historic win


Wales secured one of the most famous wins in their history, as they came back from a goal down to beat Belgium 3-1 and book their place in the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Belgium took an early lead when Radja Nainggolan blasted home from outside the area after just thirteen minutes.
But Welsh heads didn't drop and they found themselves level after half an hour, when Ashley Williams benefited from some sloppy defending to head home from a corner.
There was further joy for Chris Coleman's men after the break, when free agent Robson-Kanu turned in the box and fired past Thibaut Courtois to put them in the lead.
The Belgians turned up the pressure, but Wales sealed one of the most famous victories in their history when Sam Vokes headed home with five minutes remaining.
Here's what we learned from an historic night in Lille.

1. Coleman proves his worth


ReutersWales' Ashley Williams celebrates scoring their first goal with Wales head coach Chris Coleman and team mates.
History maker: Coleman has led Wales to the semi-finals

Chris Coleman might have been overshadowed by the antics of box-office Antonio Conte in France but plenty of Premier League clubs will surely have sat up and taken notice of his achievement at Euro 2016.
Wales have him tied down for another two years and he'll want to lead his country to Russia in 2018, but right now his stock has never been higher.
And the question Coleman must be wondering wonder: Can it get any better than this for me and Wales?

2. Williams is a proper defender


GettyThibaut Courtois of Belgium saves the shot by Ashley Williams of Wales during the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter final match between Wales and Belgium.

Ashley Williams has proved you don't have to have been schooled in Italy or Germany to be a proper defender.
Hednesford Town and Stockport County are hardly master-class acadamy's of defending - but that's where the 31-year-old Black Country boy learned his trade.
And there are few in the Premier League - and on the international stage who give have a bigger heart, bigger character and bigger appetite for the fight.

3. Wales show England how it's done


Michael Regan
Leveller: Wales wasted no time after they fell behind

After going a goal down, more than a few Welsh fans will have been worrying that the attack-minded Belgium squad would kick on from there.
But Wales showed exactly how you should respond to falling behind, immediately getting on the front foot and taking the game to Belgium. An equaliser soon came after and Chris Coleman's men finished the half in control, with their key men taking responsibility and doing their jobs.
Contrast that to England's response to going 2-1 down against Iceland and you can see why the Dragons are the Home Nations' best side.

4. Belgium's back-ups fail to impress


GettyBelgium's defender Jason Denayer (L) vies for the ball with Wales' forward Hal Robson-Kanu.
Not my fault: Denayer struggled against Robson-Kanu.

Mat Wilmots's side went into the game with an injury-hit defence and it showed.
Jason Denayer and Jordan Lukaku were parachuted into the full-back roles and looked nervous, with the Manchester City youngster making Hal Robson-Kanu looking like a world-class talent.
Ramsey and Ledley were quick to find gaps between the lines, while set pieces were a particular worry for the Red Devils.

5. We really are approaching end of days


ReutersHal Robson-Kanu scores a goal.
Now we've seen everything

After a week of political and economic chaos that would have been written out of House of Cards or The Thick of It for being too far fetched, we know the game's up now.
Hal Robson-Kanu doing a Cruyff turn to score the winning goal that puts Wales in the semi-finals of a major tournament?
Come off it, mate.

6. Chelsea shouldn't give up their Nainggolan chase


GettyRadja Nainggolan of Belgium celebrates scoring his team's first goal.
Ninja strike: The Belgium midfielder drew first blood

The latest reports on Chelsea's pursuit of Belgium's Radja Naingoolan have suggested that the Blues are losing patience with Roma and have begun looking at other targets.
But after just 13 minutes, the midfielder showed what he can bring to the party, when he pinged the ball past Wayne Hennessey to put the Red Devils ahead.

7. UEFA's yellow card rule must change


Stu Forster
Not down, but out: Ramsey will miss the semi-final

The new expanded tournament has brought about new rules after UEFA has shoehorned an extra eight teams into proceedings.
While this in some ways can be good - see Wales and Iceland's inclusion - there are also some areas that must be reviewed.
Among the worst is the fact that yellow cards are not wiped out until the semi-finals. That means you can be booked in the first group game, not put a foot wrong for another three-and-a-half matches, but then miss the semi-final.
Because of this Wales will be without Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies for the semi-final against Portugal, which is a crying shame.

8. Wales' team spirit more than just a hashtag


Stu Forster
Dragons roar: The Welsh side belt out the anthem

If you've spent more than 30 seconds on Twitter over the last few days then you'll have no doubt stumbled on the #TogetherStronger hashtag.
And while Wales' Twitter game stinks of over-enthusiastic marketing suits with the gift of the gab having their way with people that don't know any better, the squad's rendition of the national anthem before kick-off showed that this team have something special when they get together.
Bring on the semi-final.

9. Gary Speed will never be forgotten

Gary Speed might be gone - but he'll never be forgotten by the hoardes of Welsh fans who have followed their heroes in France at Euro 2016.
The former Welsh manager started the ball rolling for Chris Coleman and his stars and last night in the Stade de Lille in Northern France the fans didn't forget that.
They sang his name loud and proud - and made sure he'll always be a part of Welsh football folklore.

Match Stats — Team Stats

WalesWALESV.BELGIUM

Wales

  • 1W. HennesseyGoalkeeper
  • 5J. ChesterYellow Card
  • 6A. WilliamsGoal
  • 4B. DaviesYellow Card
  • 7J. Allen
  • 3N. Taylor
  • 10A. RamseyYellow CardSubstitution Off
  • 16J. LedleySubstitution Off
  • 2C. GunterYellow Card
  • 11G. Bale
  • 9H. Robson-KanuGoalSubstitution Off

Substitutes

  • 8A. KingSubstitution On
  • 17D. Cotterill
  • 19J. CollinsSubstitution On
  • 13G. Williams
  • 21D. Ward
  • 23S. Church
  • 20J. Williams
  • 15Jazz Richards
  • 22D. Vaughan
  • 12O. Fon Williams
  • 14D. Edwards
  • 18S. VokesSubstitution OnGoal
Coach
 Chris Coleman

Belgium

  • 1T. CourtoisGoalkeeper
  • 16T. Meunier
  • 2T. AlderweireldYellow Card
  • 21J. LukakuSubstitution Off
  • 15J. Denayer
  • 7K. De Bruyne
  • 10E. Hazard
  • 4R. NainggolanGoal
  • 11Y. CarrascoSubstitution Off
  • 6A. Witsel
  • 9R. LukakuSubstitution Off

Substitutes

  • 17D. Origi
  • 18C. Kabasele
  • 19M. Dembélé
  • 23L. Ciman
  • 8M. FellainiSubstitution OnYellow Card
  • 12S. Mignolet
  • 20C. Benteke
  • 14D. MertensSubstitution On
  • 22M. BatshuayiSubstitution On
  • 13J. Gillet
Coach
 Marc Wilmots

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