On their greatest night in its soccer history, Wales on Friday swept past the world’s No. 2-ranked team at the Euro 2016 tournament.
Wales stormed back from a rough start to beat Belgium 3-1 in a pulsating quarter-final won by classy goals from two unheralded forwards.
As usual, Gareth Bale was excellent and, of course, all the talk would be of him and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo before the two teams meet in a semi-final next week: The two most expensive players in soccer history; Real Madrid teammates; stars on overachieving teams at Euro 2016.
Photo: AFP
Still, unlike Portugal, Wales and Bale have been wonderful and a truly refreshing surprise in reaching a first semi-final at a major tournament.
“We are so excited to be here. We have never been at this level,” said Wales coach Chris Coleman, who took over a team ranked outside the top 100 four years ago. “You dream about nights like this. You’re never sure if you’re lucky enough to experience it and when you’re involved, you can’t describe it.”
After 25 minutes on Friday, the dream seemed far away against a fast-starting Belgium side who were playing almost a home game just 10km from the border.
Photo: AP
The ferocity of Belgium’s opening goal in the 13th minute, a rifled shot by midfielder Radja Nainggolan rising into the net, did not bode well.
However, Wales captain Ashley Williams hauled his team back into the fight in the 30th when he stooped to head in a corner.
Then, forwards from second-tier clubs in England, Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes, settled the game with goals in the 55th and 85th minutes.
In Robson-Kanu’s career-best moment, he deceived three defenders with a “Cruyff turn.” The big forward shaped as if to shoot, then suddenly dragged the ball back and swiveled into clear space, freeing him to place a shot past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“It’s instincts,” said Robson-Kanu, who is a free agent after letting his contract with English second-tier club Reading expire. “That was the best option to create the space and fortunately I am then in on goal. It’s a good feeling.”
Vokes came on as a substitute to meet Chris Gunter’s cross with a glancing header and spark wild celebrations in the Welsh corner of a stadium packed with Belgium fans among the crowd of about 46,000.
“It was like playing in Brussels tonight,” said Coleman, who also led his side to an upset win over Belgium in their qualifying group last year.
As the stadium emptied, Wales players and fans paid tribute to Iceland by copying the celebration ritual of the other feel-good story of an overachieving small nation at Euro 2016. Bale and his teammates raised their arms and clapped slowly, exchanging salutes with thousands of fans.
By conceding Nainggolan’s spectacular strike, Wales failed to open the scoring for the first time in five games at Euro 2016.
Belgium had their chances: Forward Romelu Lukaku missed badly from close range when his team made fast starts in each half.
“For the first 20, 25 minutes we dominated Wales, but then we dropped back and I can’t explain why,” Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said.
Belgium had no fewer than four clear opportunities in a hectic seventh minute. Rapid-fire shots from Yannick Carrasco, Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard were saved, blocked or deflected for a corner. When that was crossed in, Lukaku missed the ball from close range with the goal unguarded.
Belgium’s fast breaks stretched the Wales defenders, who collected three yellow cards before momentum shifted in the 26th.
After Aaron Ramsey got behind the Belgium back line, Courtois was forced into a diving save from Neil Taylor’s sharp shot. Soon after Williams scored, he exploited more poor marking to connect for another header that flew too high.
A mostly untested Belgian defense, who did not concede a goal in their three previous games, suffered without the injured Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Vermaelen, who was suspended.
Belgium are also missing captain and central defender Vincent Kompany at the tournament.
Suspensions are to take a toll on Wales. The tireless and influential Ramsey plus defender Ben Davies were shown yellow cards on Friday and are to miss the semi-final.
That game against Ronaldo’s Portugal will be the biggest in Welsh history. Just like the challenge to overcome Belgium.
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
CUNNINGHAM CONNECTS: In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons snapped their record 15-game playoff losing streak by beating the Knicks to level their series at 1-1 Kawhi Leonard on Monday scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver. “It feels like he didn’t miss a shot,” James Harden said. “His shot-making ability is elite.” Good thing, too, because his teammates were a combined 26 of 66 for a 39 percent clip. “I made shots tonight,” Leonard said. “I just keep playing, try to stay in the zone no matter if I’m making or missing shots.” The fifth-seeded Clippers needed every bit of his brilliance to snatch the homecourt advantage in the series
RSS