Wales are through to the quarter-finals of the European Championship after a nail-bitting win over Northern Ireland earlier today.
Though they largely dominated possession, it was never an easy game as Northern Ireland parked the bus and remained defensively rigid for much of the game. A telling sign was Wales’ inability to register a single shot on target in the first half, as opposed to them hitting nine on target, in the first half against Russia last time out.
But in the second half, the game got a lot more stretched as both sides began to adopt a more attacking approach to the game. Wales’ breakthrough came on the 75th minute mark as Gareth Bale powered a cross from the left flank – one that was imminently reaching Robson Kanu’s onrushing figure. Unfortunately, Gareth McAuley’s leg got there earlier and he sent it into his own net.
Michael O’Neill’s men upped their tempo in the final 15 minutes, sending on an extra striker in a bid to help score the coveted equalizer. But Gareth Bale and Co did more than enough to hold on, as they continued their fairytale run in the competition by booking a last-eight spot. Nonetheless, here are the three players that impressed tonight!
Gareth Bale
It was never an easy game for the Real Madrid flanker as the Northern Irish lads sat deep and kept a close eye on him for the entire 90 minutes. But Bale showed flashes of his brilliance at certain points of the match, and it only took one moment of brilliance from him to help Wales break the deadlock. McAuley was unfortunate, but the cross was nothing short of stupendous.
Jonny Evans
While everyone predicted Wales to run riot in this game, it ended up being a tight, scrappy affair, thanks to Northern Ireland’s resilient defending. They sat deep and remained incredibly organized, with Evans playing a pivotal part in it. His experience with Man United allowed him to guide his fellow defenders in dealing with the pace of Gareth Bale and trickery of Aaron Ramsey.
Ashley Williams
Yes, Northern Ireland barely had any clear cut chances, but when they did make those speculative forays into Wales’ defence, Ashley Williams too difficult of a fort to break down. He was strong, aggresive and constantly urged his teammates to maintain their defensive line, which was so crucial towards the end of the game, just as Northern Ireland upped their tempo hunt for an equalizer.
FULL HIGHLIGHTS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7AEKM0NaWs
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