By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
Earlier in the week, Wales voted out of the European Union,
Northern Ireland voted to remain. Wales won that particular battle in the
political circle. They also won the battle between the football teams on
Saturday to remain in the party at EURO 2016.
The Parc des Princes was the setting for the first-ever
match in the knockout rounds between British teams at the European
Championships. After all of the hype, the game itself was starved of any real
quality. Wales though have one world-class player and he made the difference.
Gareth Bale drew a blank on the scoresheet but it was his
wicked delivery in the 75th minute that saw the luckless Gareth
McAuley guide the ball into his own net. Wales won the game 1-0 and advance
into the quarter-finals.
A plucky
effort
Northern Ireland’s gameplan was clear from the outset. It
was to set-up tight and restrict the Welsh attacking influences in Bale, Sam Vokes
and Aaron Ramsey.
It was a plan that certainly was working and they were also
posing more of a threat on the counter, which they didn’t really achieve when
they put this plan into place in their group opener against Poland.
Wayne Hennessey was forced into a couple of decent saves in
the first half and the 3-5-2 formation Chris Coleman had set was quickly
becoming a 5-3-2 as Stuart Dallas and Jamie Ward almost pushed Neil Taylor and
Chris Gunter out of their wing-back roles.
It was a cagey affair that never really sparkled into life
but this was how Northern Ireland wanted it to be and it was a plucky effort.
On the day, they were arguably the better team. What they were missing thought
was the quality to finish chances off.
Kyle Lafferty worked hard but was beaten in his battles with
the outstanding James Chester and Ben Davies. Will Grigg was an unused
substitute, whilst Josh Magennis came on too late to make an impact and Conor
Washington couldn’t get into the game on his arrival from the bench.
Two goals in four matches in France clearly show where
Northern Ireland’s main problem was and that was finishing off chances. It
would cost them in the last quarter.
Coleman’s
changes work
 |
| Gareth Bale celebrates after his cross set-up the winner vs. Northern Ireland |
Sensing that Plan A was not working, Coleman turned to Plan
B. Vokes was hauled off shortly after the resumption of the second half and Hal
Robson-Kanu was introduced. This enabled Bale (pictured) more freedom to float around and
drift into wide positions.
This ended up being the right move from the manager and it
is where the solitary goal would come from. Ramsey and Bale combined
brilliantly for about the only time in the game. Bale’s cross was terrific and
the unfortunate McAuley got a touch on the ball, but it was only enough to turn
it past Michael McGovern in the Northern Ireland goal.
It was harsh on Michael O’Neill’s team and on McAuley who
has had an awesome tournament at the heart of the defence. If he hadn’t
intervened on Bale’s delivery, Robson-Kanu was just behind to tap the ball
home. It was one of those things. He couldn’t be blamed even if his unwitting
contribution settled this tight contest.
Northern Ireland will leave downcast but can return with
heads held high. They haven’t disgraced themselves at all and their fans have
had a huge party. They will be missed in terms of fan power at EURO 2016 and
the win over Ukraine will stick long in the memory with many of their
supporters and neutrals.
Wales now progress into the last eight and await the winners
of the Hungary vs. Belgium tie which takes place on Sunday night. That
quarter-final will happen in Lille and Welsh fans are now daring to dream that
this could have a very happy ending in two weeks’ time.
My best
three players of the match
Man of the Match: James Chester (Wales)
Chester plays in a left-back role for West Bromwich Albion
but it is clear that he is a natural central defender. He enjoyed his battle
with Lafferty throughout the afternoon and won the majority of the aerial
duels. It was a performance of assurance and control in an engaging tussle.
2nd: Gareth Bale (Wales)
Gareth Bale was on the periphery of this match for the first
hour but when he was given more freedom by the manager after Robson-Kanu’s
introduction, he flourished. His ball for the winner was superb and ultimately,
the only difference between the two teams.
3rd: Steven Davis (Northern Ireland)
He led by example in rallying his troops and in a packed
midfield, he took control. Distracted Joe Allen’s rhythm throughout and made
Joe Ledley and Ramsey work very hard for possession throughout. He won his
battle, even if the team lost theirs.
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