By Jamie Lashley
Wales 2-1 Slovakia
The match didn't start as well as it finished for the Welsh team. Regular goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was ruled out with back spasms earlier in the day, meaning Coleman had to call upon Danny Ward for his first start at international level. Premier League winning midfielder Andy King also missed out on the starting eleven.
Slovakia started brightly, with star man Hamsik nearly opening the scoring early on. Having disposed Bale, the Napoli midfielder proceeded to take three Wales defenders out of the game before beating Ward. A goal looked certain until the covering Ben Davies fantastically cleared the ball off the line.
Wales started growing into the game, pressing high up the field and giving their opposition little time on the ball. The wing backs were taking up good positions in attacking areas, with Gunter especially getting a lot of joy on the right hand side. When the sprightly Jonny Williams was fouled, it was Galactico Bale who stepped up to take the free kick. The goalkeeper Kozacik attempted to predict where Bale would put the ball, but guessed wrong. Welsh hearts stopped as the ball flew through the air, until the crowd erupted when the ball hit the back of the net.
The first half
ended without any other clear cut chances for either side, but Slovakia
defender Martin Skrtel was lucky not to concede a penalty and a red card when
his flaying elbow connected with Williams while the Liverpool man attempted to
shepherd the ball off the pitch. Somehow the incident was missed by the 5th
official, and questions were again raised over the point of the official behind
the goal.
Slovakia's equaliser came after 61 minutes, when winger Robert Mak picked up the ball and surged into the Wales box. His pass found substitute Ondrej Duda, who let the ball run across his body before he coolly finished with his left foot. At that stage, a betting man would be forgiven for backing Slovakia to get a winner, as momentum switched their way.
Aaron Ramsey may have failed to convert Robson-Kanu's cross with his header, but the duo linked again with the Arsenal midfielder turning provider. His clever outside of the boot pass found Robson-Kanu with just enough space in the area. Although his finish was not the tidiest by any means, Wales will not mind one bit as the keeper was left wrong footed once more.
With Slovakia searching for a second equaliser, they came close when Nemic's header rattled the post. Wales continued to defend heroically to claim three points in their first ever European Championships, putting the pressure on England and Russia before their clash later that evening.
Powell's Perspective MotM: Aaron Ramsey. The energetic midfielder was constantly influential in both attack and defence, with a tireless performance that ultimately resulted in a match winning assist.
Wales 2-1 Slovakia
An 83rd minute
winner from substitute Hal Robson-Kanu gave Wales a win in the their first game
of the European Championships.
This is their first major tournament for 58
years, as Chris Coleman's side deserved their 2-1 win against Slovakia.
Talisman Gareth Bale opened the scoring for Wales with a free kick from 30
yards out, but the Eastern European side equalised in the second half. However
that wasn't enough, as Coleman brought on Robson-Kanu, who converted Aaron
Ramsey's pass. The 40,000 strong crowd in Bordeaux was dominated by the red of
Wales, and they fully got behind their side.
The match didn't start as well as it finished for the Welsh team. Regular goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was ruled out with back spasms earlier in the day, meaning Coleman had to call upon Danny Ward for his first start at international level. Premier League winning midfielder Andy King also missed out on the starting eleven.
Slovakia started brightly, with star man Hamsik nearly opening the scoring early on. Having disposed Bale, the Napoli midfielder proceeded to take three Wales defenders out of the game before beating Ward. A goal looked certain until the covering Ben Davies fantastically cleared the ball off the line.
Wales started growing into the game, pressing high up the field and giving their opposition little time on the ball. The wing backs were taking up good positions in attacking areas, with Gunter especially getting a lot of joy on the right hand side. When the sprightly Jonny Williams was fouled, it was Galactico Bale who stepped up to take the free kick. The goalkeeper Kozacik attempted to predict where Bale would put the ball, but guessed wrong. Welsh hearts stopped as the ball flew through the air, until the crowd erupted when the ball hit the back of the net.
Bale opened the scoring, much to the delight of his squad
Slovakia's equaliser came after 61 minutes, when winger Robert Mak picked up the ball and surged into the Wales box. His pass found substitute Ondrej Duda, who let the ball run across his body before he coolly finished with his left foot. At that stage, a betting man would be forgiven for backing Slovakia to get a winner, as momentum switched their way.
Aaron Ramsey may have failed to convert Robson-Kanu's cross with his header, but the duo linked again with the Arsenal midfielder turning provider. His clever outside of the boot pass found Robson-Kanu with just enough space in the area. Although his finish was not the tidiest by any means, Wales will not mind one bit as the keeper was left wrong footed once more.
With Slovakia searching for a second equaliser, they came close when Nemic's header rattled the post. Wales continued to defend heroically to claim three points in their first ever European Championships, putting the pressure on England and Russia before their clash later that evening.
Powell's Perspective MotM: Aaron Ramsey. The energetic midfielder was constantly influential in both attack and defence, with a tireless performance that ultimately resulted in a match winning assist.
Comments
Post a Comment