Wales have been talked of as a one-man team because of Gareth Bale’s brilliance, but with Friday’s win over Belgium they became so much more.
Isn’t British soccer supposed to be spiraling into crisis?
The script had been written for Wales. They were to equal, but not better, the team of 1958 that narrowly lost to Pele and Brazil. The grainy black and white videos would forever be played alongside footage of Gareth Bale’s free kicks, Aaron Ramsey celebrating, and Bale’s head in his hands after a loss to Belgium. Wales were supposed to continue the downward spiral of British soccer tonight. They didn’t.
This soccer team doesn’t care about history, it doesn’t care what the script is, it throws it up in the air, re-arranges it, hell — it re-writes the script and breathes hell-fire and brimstone down on the history books.
To think if UEFA detractors had gotten their way, we likely may not be talking about this wonderful Welsh team reaching the Semi Finals of Euro 2016.
In the lead up to the tournament pundits and written media whined and complained about the expanded format. “It’ll dilute the quality” some said. They worried about the likes of Albania; Northern Ireland; Iceland; and Hungary being in the tournament. Well three of those four sides went through to the knockout rounds, and not just because they scraped through a group — because they deserved to be there.
Expanding the competition enabled teams like Northern Ireland and Iceland to play in either their first ever major tournament (Iceland), or play in their first knockout round since 1958 (Northern Ireland). Iceland have beaten England, they’ve played to comfortable draw with Portugal and now they play France in the Quarter Finals of Euro 2016. Northern Ireland defended for their lives and shocked the world until they met this Welsh side which was just too good.
Just look how hungry Wales look in every game they play.
Wales have been confident since minute one of this tournament. Gareth Bale as their media darling has had cameras and microphones shoved in his face left, right, and center and the message has always been the same — we believe we can win games; we believe we have as much chance as any.
“We’re Belgium’s bogey team” Bale even chided in the lead up to Friday evenings game against a Rode Duivels side largely tipped to go ahead and not just beat Wales, but win the tournament too. Even though Wales went 1-0 down in the 13th minute to an incredible strike by Roma midfielder Radja Nianggolan, they reacted superbly.
Ashely Williams came out of nowhere in the 30th minute to peg Belgium back, and suddenly Wales were in control. Wales has now trailed opposition in this tournament for just over 20 minutes total. It sounds exactly as bonkers as it is.
Chris Coleman’s Dragons never looked back, they ran out eventual 3-1 winners over a Belgium side ranked second in the world by FIFA. It’s time to start taking Wales seriously, and stop thinking of them as a “cinderella” story.
After England crashed out of the tournament — as usual — media set about making their own referendum on English and British soccer. “The players aren’t as good as we think they are,” “the Premier League isn’t as good as we think it is,” “British players don’t have any heart.” These people clearly haven’t been watching Wales play.
Aaron Ramsey, Joe Ledley, and Joe Allen has been the best midfield combination in the entire tournament so far. They have bossed the middle of the park in every game they’ve played, France and Paul Pogba cannot say that; Italy cannot say that; hell, even Germany cannot say that.
It may not always be pleasing on the eye but when Wales attack, they attack with purpose — when they defend, they put their bodies on the line for each other. They are the embodiment of what British soccer should look like; never say die attitude, wear their hearts on their sleeve — warriors who never give in.
Prost wrote earlier in the tournament about how the Dragons would need to build on their impressive displays in the group versus Slovakia and Russia by relying less on Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey and boy, have they.
Gareth Bale was decidedly quiet Friday night, rather than try and play “Roy of the Rovers” like a Steven Gerrard or Eden Hazard type player might, he simply opened up the channels for his compatriots and made the rest of his team look better.
The pivotal moment in the game? When freshly released from Championship strugglers Reading Football Club striker Hal Robson-Kanu delivered a crushing blow with an audacious Cruyff turn that the dutchman himself would’ve been proud of taking out three Belgian defenders in the process.
That moment signaled a shift in the power in these European Championships. Wales officially no longer rely on Gareth Bale, a lesson Marc Wilmots learned the hard way. Chris Coleman’s side take on a Portugal team in the Semi-Finals whom have yet to win a game in normal time — they must be licking their lips at the prospect.
In a year where Jamie Vardy has become one of the hottest commodities in English football after playing non-league football just four years ago, and Leicester City have won the Premier League — Wales’ Dragons have emerged from the ashes of their former selves to become a dominant force in a European Championships where nobody gave them a chance.
Wales have officially had their tournament defining moment by beating Belgium in Lille. The Dragons have laid down the gauntlet to the rest of the teams left in the tournament and on this form — it looks like Wales’ championship to lose.
