Wales are up and running at the Euros as a vintage Gareth Bale performance takes them past Turkey. Bale danced and dribbled around defenders as he set up Aaron Ramsey to score the opener of the game. Connor Roberts scored late on in the game from a Bale assist to seal a 2-0 win. This result sends Wales almost through to the knockouts from Group-A. Things turned ugly at the end of the match as Turkey lost their heads as they stare at a group stage elimination.
🏴 Superb Wales make it 4 points from 2 games by beating Turkey in Baku! 👏👏👏#EURO2020 | #WAL
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 16, 2021
The first half was one of the liveliest in the tournament thus far. Both sides had huge chances in the early stages of the game. Aaron Ramsey and Burak Yilmaz had the best chances for Wales and Turkey respectively. It was an end-to-end affair throughout and just when we were about to head into the tunnel without a goal, a moment of magic was produced. Gareth Bale played a delightful ball for Ramsey to score just before halftime.
Turkey needed to win this game and they upped the tempo in the second half. They were keeping the ball better and restricted Wales to counterattacking. The dynamic kept shifting every now and then. Gareth Bale on one such occasion won a penalty only to blaze it over the bar. The Turks tried with their everything to salvage something. A determined Welsh defence didn’t let their plans work. Connor Roberts went and added insult to the Turkish injury with a goal in added time.
Robert Page showed trust in his side that earned a point against Switzerland as he named an unchanged eleven. Harry Wilson was left on the bench again and was hoping for a chance from the bench.
Senol Gunes surprisingly dropped Merih Demiral after he scored an own goal against Italy in the opener. Ozan Kabak was overlooked and Kaan Ayhan was brought in. Hakan Calhanoglu was moved to the centre for Yusuf Yazici and Cengiz Under was brought in on the left-wing. Surprisingly both sides opted 4-1-4-1 formation at the start of the game.
THOSE TWO LADS!
Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are the two senior-most figures in the Welsh dressing room. With their coach Ryan Giggs out, they had to support Robert Page and help him run the camp. They knew Wales’ fortunes rested on their shoulders. A lukewarm performance was seen in the first game and they need to step up.
This is what it means to Gareth Bale 😆#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/hPGwZzR9XU
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 16, 2021
Just a perfect response was provided today. Gareth Bale looked like a vintage version of himself with his dribbles and passes. He found Ramsey with a lofted ball earlier in the half only for the Juventus midfielder miss it. Minutes later, there were no such mistakes. Bale arched a lovely lofted pass beyond a dazed Turkish defence. Ramsey left everyone for dead and ran onto it before chesting it and slotting past an onrushing Ugurcan Cakir.
Bale in the second half dribbled towards the Turkey box and drew a cynical challenge on the line which resulted in a penalty. Bale had stuttering run-up and shockingly blazed it over the bar. He was lucky as Turkey didn’t punish him later. He made amends late in the game as he assisted Roberts to seal the game late.
THE DRAGONS TO DO IT AGAIN?
At the start of the tournament Wales were given an outsider’s chance to repeat their 2016 heroics. Losing Ryan Giggs early on didn’t help their cause. Robert Page an inexperienced coach took over and was expected to carry the hopes of a nation. His side’s performance in the first game was unconvincing. if anything they were lucky to walk away with a point.
They had to up their game against Turkey to have any hopes of progression to the knockouts. Robert Page inspired his lads to do the right thing. Their tempo from the start of the game was incredible. If not for Cakir’s saves they could’ve scored more. Their attacking unit was sharp and quick and was led ably by their leader Gareth Bale. He was seen giving an inspired team talk in a huddle with his boys.
🐉 Ramsey = the first Welsh player to score at 2 consecutive EURO finals 🔥#EURO2020 | #WAL pic.twitter.com/zWfMVtjr97
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 16, 2021
Their defence is what stood out today. Every member in the squad burst their lung for recovery or winning a loose ball. Centre-backs Joe Rodon and Chris Mepham stood out like rocks. Joe Rodon literally threw himself on Yilmaz’s boot to win a header. When they were rarely beaten a strong Danny Ward thwarted Turkey in goal. A strong all-around performance make Wales a dangerous team to watch out for in the knockouts. Their trip to Rome can be celebrated well by their travelling fans.
THE DARK HORSES FAIL TO FLATTER
Turkey were considered as the dark horses before the tournament. The Turks had quality across the pitch. Their starters were some of the key players in top leagues across Europe. Burak Yilmaz and Zeki Celik are the French champions with Lille and were in sparkling form. Caglar Soyuncu, Ozan Kabak had decent enough campaigns. They were supposed to make Turkey live up to the dark horse’s tag.
🇹🇷 Will Turkey turn things around?#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/eAATiwwUN8
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 16, 2021
They were unfortunate to go head to head with hot favourites Italy in the first game. The Azzurri steamrolled the Turks as they beat them 3-0. It was forgiven as the players lacked experience on the biggest stage. Their attack was decent and showed promise.
But in Baku today there were no excuses. They had to beat Wales and failed at it badly. Burak Yilmaz was their only inspiration as the forward tried to do everything on his own. Their defence failed at times as they failed to stop Ramsey’s arching runs at times. As a result, they have lost consecutive matches for the first time in 3 years. They are now staring at a group stage exit barring any miraculous events on the final matchday.