Euro 2020: 5 things we learned from Wales v Turkey

Wales are not just the first British side to hit the four-point mark at Euro 2020 - they're the first team in the competition. Here's what we learned...

TURKEY V WALES As it happened

1. Starting XIs aren’t just about the starting XI

Wales dressed as Australia rather than Spain this time, but picked the same XI (indeed, the same XXIII) as they had in their opening match against Switzerland. That day, Rob Page had made only two of five possible substitutions: in the 75th and 93rd minutes. Here, in Baku-ing hot conditions, there’d surely be half-time changes.

Nope. Despite the heat, despite momentum shifting towards Turkey, and despite top dribblers such as David Brooks, Harry Wilson, Jonny Williams, Neco Williams and Tyler Roberts being ready to turn tired Turkish legs into jelly, Wales’ front four remained in situ for almost the full 90 minutes. At least this victory should ensure rotation in Rome… right? 

2. If it’s hot, start hot

Both sides needed to win, and realising these conditions weren’t conducive to chasing a game, both started quickly. The first 15 minutes brought two good chances apiece and the next 15 brought much of the same. That included two Turkish headers cleared off the line by Joe Morrell, as those Welsh wobbles in defending corners reared their head just as their defenders failed to do.

3. Turkey by name...

Not so much dark horses as overcooked horse meat, Turkey started brightly in attack but bleakly at the back. Giving generous amounts of space to their opponents, and in particular Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, bit them hard when the two combined to give Wales a first-half lead.

Senol Gunes’ response was to take off both of his central midfielders, moving Kaan Ayhan forward and Hakan Calhanoglu back into a makeshift two. Oddly, this didn’t solve the problem.

4. Aaron Ramsey is the world’s best player – at one thing

He’d been virtually anonymous against Switzerland, but here, Rambo smelled first blood. It’s easy to forget how little he’s featured for Wales of late: various injuries meant that a cameo in his nation’s warm-up against France a fortnight ago was only his fourth appearance in a run of 22 Wales fixtures. Here, he looked match-fit again, even making a last-gasp sliding tackle in the 80th minute.

And nobody on Earth can better identify and time those runs in the box. Three times, Bale found Ramsey’s run, and after missing two superb chances, having seemingly brought his 2016 confidence but not his 2016 composure, Ramsey found the net from a sublime chipped through ball.

5. Party like it’s 2016?

Just as the internet has been awash with tales from Wales’ lads-on-tour Euro 2016 success, the Welsh FA flooded Twitter with pictures and videos from Baku of players having a laugh. Seeking to rejuvenate the relaxed attitude that worked five years ago, the tournament’s third-youngest squad look as if they’re on a school trip run by unmotivated teachers. 

But there was nothing relaxed about Bale’s penalty. In a moment reminiscent of one scene from Mike Bassett: England Manager, Bale, on a long goal drought, looked uncharacteristically nervy and ballooned his spotkick. 

Suddenly the rest of Wales was just as nervy. More Wales chances went begging, Merih Demiral forced an excellent save from Ward, and Joe Rodon did what Joe Rodon does: throw his head at everything. But this Cymru side are fighters – literally, by the game’s end – as seen in nine of their previous 24 matches since the start of 2019 finishing 1-0 in their favour. It would’ve been 10 in 25 had Connor Roberts not converted Bale’s neat pass in the 95th minute.

5.5. Give the aerial a whack

Having dragged Welsh fans all the way to Azerbaijan, UEFA treated everybody back home with coverage that repeatedly cut out, then cut to one camera, then featured different audio, then featured commentary that was ahead of the play. Baku’s going to be hosting a quarter-final – issues with the feed had better be fixed by then.

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