England overcame hordes of brave Welsh defenders to claim a 2-1 victory in yesterdays poor quality yet undeniably entertaining match in Lille, putting them in pole position to qualify from Group B.
The Three Lion’s started the match in very similar fashion to their previous outing against Russia, having nearly total possession yet producing next to no quality end product. Raheem Sterling above all was particularly wasteful starting on the left hand side of a front three, a gaping miss adding to numerous reasons why Roy Hodgson probably won’t start him for England’s remaining games this tournament.
The Welsh, coming into the fixture with the added comfort of winning their opening match, defended superbly from the off, with a at one stage seemingly un-penetrable wall of 5 defenders completely nullifying Harry Kane’s service.
Indeed it was the tournament debutante that struck first after Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale fired home a free-kick from 30 yards past a poorly positioned Joe Hart.
Very much to his credit, Hodgson went for broke in the second half, bringing on both Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge, a little later even Rashford made an appearance.
Under such intense attacking pressure, Wales eventually caved and conceded when Jamie Vardy struck from close range.
After the goal, England’s momentum had seemingly tapered, suggesting Chris Coleman’s men were about to claim a superb point. That is until Daniel Sturridge popped up with a sneaky toe-poke with seconds left on the clock to send the English contingent absolutely mental.
Whilst the performance left a lot to be desired, the fact that England claimed their first ever win from a losing position at the tournament will have done wonders for their confidence. Whilst it was slow and predictable from the get go, England’s array of attacking players in the second half may perhaps give fans hope that the side can go deep into the tournament.
Wales on the overhand fought like warriors and will no doubt be disappointing they couldn’t hold on for a point. However, a draw against a poor Russia side should confirm a richly deserved place in the next round.