Here’s reaction from Daniel Sturridge and Gareth Bale:
Here’s Daniel Taylor’s match report from Lens:
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With this match over, you can follow Ukraine v Northern Ireland in Group C with Simon Burnton.
England’s win means that they’re top of Group B but they shouldn’t get too carried away. But for Daniel Sturridge’s goal, there would have been another inquest because they did not play that well. Plenty of flaws were on display and Roy Hodgson needs a long, hard think before settling on his starting line-up to face Slovakia on Monday. I doubt we’ll see Raheem Sterling from the start in that game, while Harry Kane has started the tournament poorly. But Hodgson deserves credit for his proactive substitutions. Jamie Vardy got the equaliser, Sturridge got the winner and Marcus Rashford made a positive impact. It was heartbreaking for Wales but they shouldn’t be too disappointed. A point against Russia will probably be enough for them to go through and Gareth Bale looks capable of inspiring them. Thanks for all your emails. Sorry I couldn’t use them all. Bye!
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Daniel Sturridge speaks. “Great feeling, unbelievable, I’m grateful to the opportunity from the gaffer. It’s a beautiful feeling to represent your country. It’s crazy. There’s one more game in the group so no one wants to get too excited. But the atmosphere is amazing. It’s great to help the boys win the game.”
Full-time: England 2-1 Wales!
It’s all over! “Hodgson celebrating looks for all the world like a malfunctioning amusement park robot,” says Kari Tulinius.
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90 min+4: There’s time for one last Wales attack - but Bale’s header from 15 yards drifts harmlessly wide. Sturridge’s goal was a triumph of determination.
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GOAL!!!!!! England 2-1 Wales (Sturridge, 90 min+2)
Daniel Sturridge has surely won it for England in stoppage time! He picked up the ball on the left and knocked it to Vardy. He tried to knock it down for Alli, but the ball got away from him. Not to worry, though, because Sturridge was there to barrel through and, with the ball seemingly stuck under his feet, shove a toepoked finish inside Wayne Hennessey’s near post! Roy Hodgson’s substitutions have worked!
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90 min+1: There will be three more minutes.
90 min: Cahill heads Rooney’s corner over. England are running out of time.
89 min: Rashford, who’s looked lively, skips past Chester on the left, but he’s denied brilliantly by Ashley Williams. England attack down the other flank but Walker’s piledriver hits a Welsh head and flies off for a corner.
87 min: England’s final ball has too often been dreadful.
86 min: The camera picks out a Welsh fan who’s having something of an emotional moment. He must have popped up on the big screen, too, because suddenly a huge roar goes up from the Welsh fans. The tears of this young man soon turn to elation as everyone around him bundles in to show their support. Now that’s togetherness.
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85 min: Wales have five more minutes to hold out. A point here will leave them on the brink of qualification for the last 16.
83 min: All these strikers on the pitch for England. Couldn’t they do with a wide player or two? Still, they do have another corner. But Allen boots it away.
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82 min: Joe Allen has been very good for Wales. Liverpool should sign him.
81 min: The commitment from Wales has been magnificent. They’ve fought for everything today.
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80 min: Jonny Williams suddenly bursts through a gap in the England midfield and decides to go for goal from 25 yards. His rising shot rises too high.
78 min: Sturridge tees up Rooney, who brilliantly turns away from Ramsey on the edge of the area. Chester and Williams both throw themselves in the way of his shot.
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77 min: England have lost their rhythm in the last 10 minutes. Wales look comfortable again.
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75 min: Taylor swings a cross towards the far post. Bale bears Rose and tries to Berezutski a header into the top corner. Nothing doing.
74 min: All of a sudden, Jonny Williams wriggles into the England area after a poor header from Cahil, before going down with Smalling nearby. It’s a dive. The referee isn’t interested.
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73 min: Marcus Rashford replaces Adam Lallana. England have three strikers on the pitch. Four if you count Wayne Rooney.
71 min: Wales seem to have weathered the storm for the time being. England are getting ready to bring Marcus Rashford on. Wales make their second change, Jonny Williams replacing Hal Robson-Kanu.
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69 min: A lull.
67 min: Joe Ledley is given a huge reception from the Welsh fans as he limps off to be replaced by Dave Edwards.
66 min: Sturridge blooters another shot over from long range. “As an Everton fan I will benevolently admit that Hodgson was right to choose Walker over Hibbert at right back,” says Duncan Smith. “Though Hibbert was obviously a bigger goal threat.”
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65 min: Wales have a corner on the right. Before it can be taken, Joe Ledley needs some treatment after Daniel Sturridge steps on his foot.
63 min: England are pummelling Wales now. Rose reaches the byline on the left and his cross towards the far post reaches Sturridge, who totally fluffs his volley, taking his eye off the ball at the crucial moment.
62 min: Rooney’s free-kick causes havoc in the Wales area. Cahill can’t get a shot away. Dier has a swipe. It’s hacked away. Wales are begging to concede another at the moment.
61 min: Davies is booked for catching Lallana late. England have a free-kick on the right.
60 min: Logic from everyone’s favourite pundit.
Somehow the officials have got that right - but surely the lino should still flag?
— Richard Keys (@richardajkeys) June 16, 2016
59 min: Walker bursts down the right and cracks a cross into the area. Vardy almost gets his head to it, but Hennessey punches it away. Wales are on the ropes now. Moments later, Lallana shoots from 25 yards. The ball hits Davies on the arm again. Corner.
58 min: Only one team are going to win it now.
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GOAL!!!! England 1-1 Wales (Vardy, 56 min)
Wales struggle to clear their lines and the ball reaches Sturridge on the left of the area. He lifts it back into the middle and though Vardy is offside, the ball reaches him via an unintentional touch from Williams. The rest is inevitable. Vardy swivels and smashes the loose ball past Hennessey! The Welsh protests fall on deaf ears. England are level and Hodgson’s changes have paid off.
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55 min: Aaron Ramsey spots Hart off his line and has a dig from long range. Well held, Joe. Up the other end, space opens up for Rooney on the edge of the area. He tries to bend one into the bottom left corner with the inside of his right foot but Hennessey pushes it away for a corner. Wales deal with it.
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54 min: Dier pings a diagonal pass over the top, looking for Vardy, but it’s overhit and runs behind for a goal-kick. “Are England now 20% less Spursy?” wonders John Tumbridge.
52 min: Daniel Sturridge blooters a shot miles over from 30 yards. Selfish.
50 min: England push Wales back but Allen does enough to force Cahill to concede a goal-kick. “I thought Wales wanted people not to think that they were a one-man team?” says David Wall.
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49 min: Walker drives down the right and sees his low cross deflected into the side netting. England have a corner on the right. Cahil heads it away for a throw. Good clearance.
48 min: Bale almost romps on to a loose ball just outside the England area. It breaks away from him and Ramsey can’t gather it. Wales look like they will go for a second goal.
47 min: The England fans are singing the national anthem. England appear to have switched to a diamond formation now.
46 min: With their neck on the line, England get the second half underway. Sturridge and Vardy are on, Roy Hodgson reacting to a the first half ineptitude by making positive changes. Will they work? They need to work. He could be out of a job if they don’t. “Oliver Kahn just proposed that goalkeepers should do without a wall when the free kick is 30 meters or more away from goal,” says Hauke Wemken. “Players like Bale would be left without a reference point for their free kicks and goalkeepers would see the ball earlier. Maybe Bale would be confused. But his team mates could form a ‘wall’ (ghost wall) just to give this reference point. A wall that runs out of the way anyway.”
Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy are coming on for Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane respectively. Give Alan Shearer the job.
In the BBC studio, Rio Ferdinand is calling for immediate substitutions. Alan Shearer wants Vardy and Sturridge on.
“Welsh for sucker punch,” says Gareth Parry. “Baliegolio.”
Can it be classified as a sucker punch if you suspect it was part of the Welsh plan? Sit back, harass England, rattle them, trust Bale.
Half-time emails.
“Like others glancing in while supposedly working, I’m wondering if the stretches of play I’m not catching are as ghastly as the ones I am,” says Charles Antaki. “If they are, then can the FA and the FAW send someone up to Iceland to see how they do it? Or American Guam, that would still be an improvement.”
“What’s Welsh for ‘sucker punch’?” says James Irving.
“Right, cool heads, lads,” says Matt Dony. “Take it to the corner, wind the clock down. It’s only 47 minutes...”
“I don’t think I’ve seen a player with such a bad hanging round to contribution ratio as Raheem Sterling,” says Elliot Carr-Barnsley. “He’s for some reason like the kid at school who doesn’t want to do games so loiters as if involved but never actually tries to get the ball.”
“What are the odds on England not getting out of the group now?” says Kelvin. “It seems I was wrong on who would get the red. Change that to Alli.”
“Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey did an awful lot of chatting in the lead up to this match,” says Ian Evans. “I, for one, would like to see the inclusion of Jamie Vardy in this match, who has clearly stated his stance on those who chat too much.’”
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England have had 70% possession. In a way, they’re just like Spain.
Half-time: England 0-1 Wales
Boos from the England fans, cheers from the Welsh contingent. Wales lead thanks to Gareth Bale, who’s done it again with a free-kick, and they are 45 minutes away from booking their place in the last 16. As for England, they’re staring embarrassment in the face now.
45 min+1: There will be one minute of added time.
45 min: Bale’s goal reminds me of Didi Hamann’s for Germany in 2000.
44 min: Still, that was some good swearing from Joe Hart in the tunnel before kick-off.
GOAL!!!!! England 0-1 Wales (Bale, 42 min)
“Surely not,” wrote some idiot. Surely. Gareth Bale has given Wales the lead with a free-kick from a preposterous distance – but Joe Hart needs to have a long, hard look at himself after failing to keep this one out. From roughly 35 yards out, Bale took his trademark run-up and his left-footed effort dipped and swerved over the England wall. It was on target but it wasn’t quite in the corner. There was enough time for Hart to react but all he could do was palm it into the bottom left corner, the ball trickling inside the post and over the line! Wales are in dreamland!
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41 min: Bale lopes forward and picks out Taylor on the left. His cross is poor. Moments later, a frustrated Rooney brings Robson-Kanu down midway through England’s half. It’s a long way out. But Bale’s going to shoot. Sure;y not? “Any one of Stoke or Sunderland’s forwards would have put away that Sterling chance,” says Thomas Hopkins.
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38 min: Are you sitting down? England are short on ideas. Wales are frustrating them excellently. But they’ve yet to get Bale in the game. “Fit or not, I think Mr. Hodgson has to put on Wilshere,” says Scott Stricker. “Is there anyone out there right now who is willing or even capable of driving at Wales from midfield?”
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37 min: The camera lingers on Daniel Sturridge, who’s busily warming up. Harry Kane is yet to contribute much.
36 min: Another corner to England on the right. Rooney lofts it to the far post and Smalling’s header flashes just wide. “Imagine a footballer who was an actual combination of Bryan Robson & Nwankwo Kanu,” says Niall Mullen. “What a player that would be. A ferocious, lanky, elegant box to box dynamo who can finish. Pogba maybe?”
34 min: The BBC is treating us to two co-commentators today: Martin Keown and lamentable Wales cheerleader Robbie Savage. They’re starting to wind each other up now and we could be set for television history if this continues, a live on-air bust up in the gantry. If we’re lucky. Guy Mowbray’s playing chuckling peacemaker.
32 min: A cross from Walker eventually reaches Sterling on the left of the area. He twists and turns before attempting to stand the ball up to the far post. A deflection causes all sorts of confusion in the six-yard box and Kane is the most alive to the situation, rising highest to nod towards goal as Hennessey flaps. However the ball is stopped by the left arm of the unwitting Ben Davies and England appeal for a penalty. The referee’s not interested. You’ve seen them given but it wasn’t intentional handball.
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31 min: This has been like a very bad Premier League match. Stoke v Sunderland in the Saturday lunchtime slot.
29 min: Robson-Kanu muscled Smalling off the ball earlier. Now he does it to Cahill. That’s good hustle from the Wales striker.
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27 min: Walker charges down the right. He wins a corner. “We’re off,” trills the BBC’s Guw Mowbrary. “It’s started.” Yes, Spain, France, Italy and Germany will be terrified if they’re watching this.
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26 min: From the left, Rooney dinks a teasing ball into the area. Cahill rises above Williams easily but his flicked header is straight at a grateful Hennessey.
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25 min: Bale has his pocket pinched by Alli. The ball runs to Sterling, who gives it away. England continue to push, though, and Ledley is penalised for a foul on Rose.
23 min: Ramsey is having a storming game.
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22 min: Three Welsh players converge on Alli but Ledley clips his heels. England have a free-kick around 30 yards from goal, a little to the right. Kane backs himself to locate Row Z and his optimism is justified.
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21 min: “Is it just me, or is the slow, half-hearted, straightish, chipped ball into the area towards nobody in particular a singularly English tactic?” says James Irving.
It’s matched only by the slow, half-hearted, straightish, chipped ball into the area towardsa 5ft 6in forward.
20 min: By my estimation, Bale has touched the ball no more than five times in these opening exchanges.
19 min: “The commentary team have said a few times now that they’re surprised Wales haven’t pressed too aggressively yet,” says Matt Dony. “I think that’s smart. Bluster aside, Wales might indeed have more ‘passion’ in their squad, because of the 50-odd year wait for tournament football. But as we’ve seen too many times, unchecked passion leads to mistakes and/or over-aggression. They’re playing smarter than that. And I’m enjoying it. Also, as a Welsh Liverpool fan, I thoroughly enjoyed Sterling fluffing his chance.”
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18 min: Sterling does well to win the ball off Ramsey. There’s a good intensity to England. Sterling’s cross is headed behind by Williams for another corner. Rooney’s delivery is just too high for Dier.
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16 min: Wales haven’t been out of their half for a while.
14 min: The pattern has been set, Wales sitting back, England probing. There’s not much space for England to exploit. That Sterling chance aside, Wales must be happy with this at the moment.
13 min: Rooney is invited to shoot from 30 yards by the Welsh defence. At some point in the future, the ball will return from the sky.
10 min: Robson-Kanu chases a ball down the left and beats Smalling to it, outmuscling the England centre-back too easily. He waits for support and finds it in the shape of Gareth Bale. He romps into the area from the left, with Walker careful not to bring him down, and sees his fierce effort deflected wide by Cahill. From the resulting corner from Ramsey, there’s a scare for England as Hart lets it slip out of his hands. He’s fortunate to see it hacked away.
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7 min: Harry Kane judges a bouncing ball well, reading its flight to shake off his marker and start an England counter-attack. He lofts a cute pass over Taylor for Lallana to chase and the England winger is away. He bursts down the right and looks up for support. Spying Sterling in the area, he knocks the ball into the six-yard box, a perfect cross that should result in a goal for England. Instead the sliding Sterling turns it over the bar! What a miss.
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5 min: Wales mount a coherent attack for the first time and Ramsey is involved again, winning a free-kick on the left touchline after a shove from Walker. The free-kick’s headed away but Wales come again. Taylor crosses from the left and Williams gets his head to the ball, but Hart gathers it comfortably. Here, the Tottenham players seem to be targeting Arsenal’s Ramsey.
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4 min: Harry Kane is off corners. This is a disgrace. Wayne Rooney’s trotted over to the right to take it. Wales head it away and Aaron Ramsey and Dele Alli hare off in pursuit of it. As Ramsey shepherds it out of play, Alli gives him a little judge and sends the Wales midfielder clattering into the advertising hoardings. The referee has to calm everyone down.
3 min: Rooney quarter-backs a high crossfield pass from left to right, looking for the rampaging Kyle Walker. Neil Taylor is forced to head behind for a corner. England have started well.
2 min: England wear white, Wales wear red. Of course Wales are in their away kit.
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And finally, we’re off! Wales get the game underway, kicking from right to left in the first half. For reasons that remain unclear, they’re wearing their black away kit. Perhaps they’re still trying to work out why when they almost gift England a goal straight from their own kick-off. A revved up Harry Kane almost charges down Ashley Williams, only for the Wales defender to get the ball away just in time. Rooney picks up possession and shapes to shoot, before trying to disguise a pass through to Sterling. Wales survive.
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Before we begin, some huddles. Both teams are doing one, meaning that they’ve cancelled each other out.
Joe Hart. No further comment necessary.
It’s time for the anthems. Wales go first, to backing whistles from assorted England fans. Good of them to join in, though they didn’t seem to be in sync with the tune. Then it’s time for the England effort. Once again, top marks for Joe Hart, who appears to have been sniffing raw meat in the dressing room.
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The teams are in the tunnel. “Move the ball, move the fucking ball,” chirps Joe Hart. The BBC commentator apologises on behalf of the Hartdog. And with that, here come the teams. The atmosphere is magnificent. “I am a “dumb American” that doesn’t know anything about “soccer.”,” says Bryan Tisinger. “Can you or another “expert” on the sport of “football” explain to me why England’s center forward, their primary goal scorer, is taking corner kicks. Even as a dumb American, I know that is a strange tactic.”
The last time England played in Lens, David Beckham did this against Colombia in 1998. Still, good to have Harry Kane on corners.
These people. “As a teacher I dealt with this situation creatively by taking a sabbatical for the Summer term,” says John Davis. “Currently elsewhere in the world in a very amenable timezone with a cold beer (but not being paid).”
Chris Coleman speaks! “The 90 minutes will come and go. I understand the interest. We’ve got to take the emotion out of it. We know who the opposition is and they know who we are. If we do that and play to our capabilities, this could be a good day for us. It’s three games in close proximity so we were always going to change our 11. In this game, we’re able to change one or two.”
The Guardian’s Danny Dyer reports.
No segregation between main block of Wales and England fans. Exactly the same as Marseilles. Let's see how this one goes
— Barney Ronay (@barneyronay) June 16, 2016
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“As a teacher I have to deal creatively with watching 2pm kick-offs,” says Alex Ross. “I thought I had the all clear this afternoon to watch it but have now been put on cover until 2:05pm. Could you please have a word with the sides to ensure that nothing much happens in the opening few minutes. I should be able to make it to a screen somewhere in the school by about 2:06pm.”
Aren’t you just supposed to put it on in the classroom? What kind of teacher are you? I blame the EU.
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More from Mr Roy. “It’s a special game, it’s the European Championships and it’s England versus Wales. Once the whistle blows it will settle down into a game of football and that’s when I feel more comfortable and the players feel more comfortable.”
Roy Hodgson speaks! “It could be an exciting game. Wales have been very consistent with their system for a long time now. I’m sure we’ll be finding a well packed defence but I hope it will be an exciting game.” He’s lying through his teeth!
@JacobSteinberg maybe this explains a little: https://t.co/YWsECPvFvM
— Neil - Row Z (@RowZ6) June 16, 2016
“Uninspired is how I feel going into this game,” says Jacob Steinberg Burton. “The Slovakia result yesterday shows just how poor England were in the first game by not beating an incredibly poor Russia. Roy is so inflexible in his approach to the squad that Chris Coleman will have guessed this England squad on Sunday morning and been training the team in anticipation for the last few days. Anything less than a win here and Roy has to go at the end of the tournament.”
Yes, about that Slovakia performance. I did think there was a bit too much fanfare about England’s draw with Russia, who are very much not good at football. How many clear chances did England create?
The problem for England is that they need to play more than Wales do. Wales are playing some kind of 5-2-2-1 formation and will be happy to sit back, soak up the pressure and - get this - feed Gareth Bale on the break. 5-2-2-1, though. Marcelo Bielsa has nothing on Chris Coleman. I wonder what the #tacticalexperts on Twitter make of it*.
*I don’t, that was a lie.
“I was reading The Knowledge and I came across this,|” says Kelvin. “As I’m rooting for Wales today, I’m hoping Rooney gets so frustrated when Ramsey score the second goal he does that to stop a third.”
Our shiny interactive now has player ratings. What more do you want from life?
“To be fair to Roy, while Vardy has scored loads of goals, he is completely wasted on the wing,” says Ben Lake. “That’s not his position. I can see why he would prefer Lallana there, although it would be nice for his faith to be repaid with a cross that could be considered on target. I have more issue with Rooney in the middle personally. Yes he was pretty good against Russia but they seemed to have heard some disturbing rumors about his personal hygiene and were staying well away from him. During the FA cup final he gave the ball away multiple times when under pressure. It’s just not that easy to switch position, no matter how good you are. I seem to be the only one who feels like this though so feel free to throw it back in my face when he scores a hat trick, rips his shirt off and reveals a Ronaldo style body we never knew was there.”
On the subject of Rooney, here’s Rob Smyth’s Hot Take.
“Bit harsh on Lallana, Jacob,” says Robert Petersen. “What’s Vardy got that he hasn’t, aside from electrifying pace, lethal finishing, and a Premier League winner’s medal?”
I like Lallana. He’s a good player and it could pay off - but I’m still not sure that I’d have him in the starting line-up.
“By choosing the same 11 who started against Russia, Roy is showing his inability to adapt,” says Mike Mackenzie. “As the saying goes: “horses for courses” ... Vardy and Sturridge must be feeling down though I’m sure they’d say they are all for the team.”
One weakness in this England line-up is the lack of goal threat. Yes, Harry Kane is there, while Wayne Rooney is England’s top goalscorer. But Lallana and Sterling lack belief in the final third.
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Aaron Ramsey’s hair: discuss.
“In your opinion, if Jamie Vardy had scored 4 or 5 goals for Liverpool this season, and Adam Lallana had scored 24 for Leicester, would Vardy be in the England team for this game?” asks Shaun Wilkinson.
Vardy would have been knighted already.
My colleague Steven Morris is sampling the atmosphere in Cardiff. He’s written this piece. Read it.
Lens High Street packed with England and Wales fans. #ENGWAL #EnglandvsWales #ENG pic.twitter.com/3zZvGnC1RP
— Tom Jenkins (@TomJenkinspix) June 16, 2016
England are unchanged from the draw with Russia. Wazziesta continues in midfield, Raheem Sterling is on the left again, Adam Lallana is on the right and there’s no place for Jamie Vardy, that bloke who scored all goes for Leicester City, the champions.
Wales have made three changes from the win over Slovakia. Hal Bryan-Nwankwo, who got the winner in that game, is fit enough to take his place in attack from the start, replacing Jonny Williams, which means that Wales are at full strength. He’s billed as the Didier Deschamps to Gareth Bale’s Zinedine Zidane but England will need to keep a close eye on Robson-Kanu given that he’s got one more goal than one of their strikers in this tournament. Meanwhile Wayne Hennessey has replaced Danny Ward in goal and Joe Ledley is back, in for Dave Edwards. Ledley has recently recovered from a broken leg. That’s some effort.
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The teams!
England: Hart; Walker, Cahill, Smalling, Rose; Dier, Alli, Rooney; Lallana, Kane, Sterling.
Wales: Hennessey; Gunter, Chester, Williams, Taylor, Davies; Ledley, Ramsey, Allen; Robson-Kanu, Bale.
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany).
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And here’s today’s edition of The Fiver for your, well, not necessarily your enjoyment, but for something any road.
Meanwhile, here’s the scene in Lens, from Tom Jenkins.
Lens High Street packed with England and Wales fans. #ENGWAL #EnglandvsWales #ENG pic.twitter.com/3zZvGnC1RP
— Tom Jenkins (@TomJenkinspix) June 16, 2016
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Stats? I’ll give you stats. England have beaten Wales 66 times, drawn with them 21 times and lost to them 14 times. They’ve not been beaten in this fixture since 1984, a Mark Hughes goal enough for the Welsh to prevail in a Home Nations clash at the Racecourse Ground. Whatever became of him?
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Soccer fans will be on their toes today!
What’s behind the Welsh footballing resurgence? Don’t look at me, look at this video.
“Although the pre-match talk (from one side, at least) has been all about passion, wouldn’t the ability to clear-headedly stick to a game plan be more useful in what is likely to be a frantic match?” says David Wall. “That said, when Little Steven thinks about real patriotism he thinks about lions (rather than dragons), and you don’t argue with the mob.”
Preamble
Morning. Let’s see how far we can get into this preamble before mentioning Gareth Bale. D’oh! Well this already a miserable failure. Nothing new there. But in your trusty MBMer’s defence, he’s only following the rest of the herd because it’s impossible to talk about Wales without talking about Gareth Bale and it’s impossible to talk about England versus Wales without talking about Gareth Bale. Sure, we can all stroke our chins thoughtfully, furrow our brows and focus on Hal Robson-Kanu and Chris Gunter. This is what it’s really about. Don’t you see? If you don’t see, you’re not looking at it properly.
Yes, let’s pretend that Roy Hodgson hasn’t been thinking about James Milner bringing him a warm glass of milk and a slice of plain bread a Harry Kane corner finding an England head Bale every time he closes his eyes at night, picturing a galloping Bale leading a Welsh counterattack against an exposed England defence, or Bale strutting up to a free-kick 25-yards from goal, or Bale powering a full-blooded header past Joe Hart. But it’s no use. If you’re English, you’ve been thinking it. If you’re Welsh, you’ve been thinking it.
Bale has been omnipresent during the buildup to this fixture, goading England with jibes about their lack of passion, poking them in the chest by saying that none of their players would get into the Wales side, terrifying them simply by continuing to exist and refusing to suffer a groin strain or a hamstring tweak, the cheat. Seems he’s learned a few things from Pepe, his Real Madrid team-mate. It’s been quite the performance from Bale this week, a tour de force in the art of childish troublemaking, every line delivered with a wink and a smile. England have done well not to rise to it; it’s not been easy.
What might worry England more is what Bale’s going to do when he gets on the ball. It’s rare for the underdogs to boast the best individual in a game of this nature but Wales have every reason to believe that they can get at least a draw if the Real Madrid forward, fresh from winning the Champions League, is in the mood. He’s already made an impact, banging in a free-kick against Slovakia, and it shouldn’t be forgotten that Wales actually won their opener.
It wasn’t all down to Bale, of course, and at this point it should probably be made clear that they do have other players, like Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey, Tottenham’s Ben Davies, Swansea’s Ashley Williams and Crystal Palace’s Joe Ledley. Robson-Kanu scuffed in the goal that saw off Slovakia – who looked pretty handy in their win over Russia yesterday – and overall Wales looked like a team who can handle themselves. Chris Coleman has built a solid unit and Wales are unlikely to be overawed.
England need to watch out. Their draw with Russia has certainly been placed in a different light after Slovakia’s display against the same opponents and they’ll be in danger of a disastrously early exit if they don’t win today. They encouraged in some aspects of their performance in their opener, with Eric Dier assured, the full-backs positive and Wayne Rooney surprisingly effective in midfield, but there were also areas of disappointment. Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling lacked conviction in the final third, Harry Kane was ineffective, Hodgson’s substitutions backfired, there was no sight of Jamie Vardy and England’s game management was poor in the dying stages. There’s no need to panic just yet, but there’s no room for complacency and plenty for improvement. As ever, though, it comes back to the same question: how much do you trust England not to mess it up?
Kick-off: 2pm BST, 3pm in Lens.
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