In a terse, tense match, Wales scraped through via a Gareth McAuley own goal. Onward the Welsh go to the quarter finals.
A stolid, stodgy 94 minutes this was, garnished with precious few chances and even fewer moments of fluidity. In the end, Gareth Bale – as he so often does for his country – forced the issue, as it was from his super, spinning cross that McAuley couldn’t avoid turning the ball past his own goalkeeper.
Northern Ireland had set up primarily to defend, defend, defend, and then, perhaps, think about hitting on the break. They pressed the Welsh defenders only up to a point, and compressed the midfield with aggressive tackling and marshalling.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Aaron Ramsey found the going tough, although that was more to do with his frazzled decision-making than anything the Irish were doing. Michael O’Neill’s team simply didn’t have enough going forward, and were rather over-complicated with their set pieces – their best scoring opportunities – twice playing out set routines rather than sending in crosses. Bale always looked dangerous when he ran with the ball, forcing the defenders to react, and thanks to this pressure, Wales are waltzing into the quarter finals.
Here’s a comprehensive rundown of each player’s performance:
Wales
Hennessey – 7: Claimed all he had to in the air, and palmed away any and all shots.
N Taylor – 7: Was loose with the ball, crossing and passing poorly early on. Tackled well late on.
Chester – 6: Appeared nervous and indecisive.
A Williams – 7: Less stable than normal, but grew instature as the game went on. Was involved in a concussive collision with Jonny Williams.
Davies – 7: Solid, and allowed Lafferty very little space.
Gunter – 7: His passing was occasionally poor, but tackled with vigour.
Allen – 7: Was the victim of some vigorous Irish tackling. Passed with snap and poise. A crucial midfield pivot point.
Ledley – 4: Gave the ball away badly in the ninth minute, leading to an Irish chance. Fluffed a defensive clearance, stooping oddly to head. Uncoordinated. Substituted.
Ramsey – 5: Twitched nervously, and had a goal ruled out correctly for offside. Shot ambitiously, and wastefully. His long passing was rarely accurate.
Bale – 8: Muddled early, mishitting a few long passes. Ran fearlessly with the ball, but produced little from his dribbling. Sent in a whizzer of a cross, that was turned in for an Irish own goal.
Vokes – 7: Nodded and chested down long balls superbly. Had the opportunity to power a header on goal early in the second half, but nodded well wide. Substituted.
Substitutes
Robson-Kanu – 7: Made the smart run that took McAuley towards his own keeper, forcing the own goal.
J Williams – 7: A lively insertion, immediately spritzing the contest with his dribbling.
Northern Ireland
McGovern – 7: Batted away a Bale free kick in the second half, with relish. Wasn’t called upon to do much, and had no chance with the goal.
Hughes – 7: Pumped those veteran legs, and ably patrolled his flank.
McAuley – 6: Remained disciplined in the face of Bale’s dribbling and Vokes’ strength. Hugely unfortunate to turn Bale’s cross into his own goal. Substituted.
Cathcart – 7: No errors of note. Added to the considerable heft in the Irish back line.
J Evans – 7: Was the main passer out of defence. Was rather out-muscled by Vokes in the air.
Ward – 6: Belted a shot from distance, after 20 minutes, that Hennessey tipped over. Capable, but not noteworthy. Substituted.
S Davis – 7: Was aggressive defensively and active in possession.
C Evans – 6: Unremarkable and ineffective.
Norwood – 6: A haphazard presence over Irish corners and free kicks.
Dallas – 7: Stung Hennessey’s palms early, from an Irish break. Lofted in some less-than-stellar set pieces.
K Lafferty – 6: Conducted himself powerfully, inserting himself physically into the play, but offered little more than brawn.
Substitutes
Washington – 6: Had no tangible impact on the match, in the few moments he had the chance.
McGinn – 6: Unseen and transparent.
McGuinness – 6: Hurled in a long throw. Had little time to do much else.
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