" THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:15 am
The day Welsh tears fell and a nation was inspired... they can never take this moment away
Sunday 12th June 2016
BY CHRIS WATHAN
Whatever happens in the rest of Euro 2016, no-one will be able to take away this history-in-the-making moment for Chris Coleman's special team
Whatever happens in these next few weeks, they can never take this moment away.
Whether Wales go home after the group phase or – as this win sets them up to do – make it to the knockout stages, nothing will be able to stop this day in Bordeaux being talked about for generations to come.
And the best part, should Chris Coleman's men continue to play with the sheer spirit that they delivered on their historic day, should they continue to feed off the support so good it is difficult to find a description to do it justice, then there could be more moments to cherish.
That is for the future, one that is full of excitable chatter of anything being possible, but regardless of how the remainder of Wales' Euro 2016 plays out, then there will always be Bordeaux.
There will always be the day when the dream was realised, when the tears fell as the teams walked out to signal the true end to those years of anguish, of a finals fantasy fulfilled.
There will always be the time where sport's finest anthem was sung from the soul of 25,000 in the sun-kissed Stade de Bordeaux, the harmonies coming from millions at home.
It was a rendition that spoke of 60 years of torment and following false hope in its tenor and tremendous volume.
And there will always be the day where Wales suggested that sometimes it can be worth the wait, that it does mean more to this team, this football nation, than anyone else aiming for success out in France.
No-one else will have gone through what these fans and this team have gone through. Gareth Bale was right – no-one, England or otherwise, have the same pride and passion as this Cymru collective.
There is nothing false about Together Stronger, there is nothing forced about the unity so brilliantly and decisively on show in the south-west of France that will always be associated with one of Wales' great sporting moments.
These are a team in every sense of the word, something many of the sides here cannot boast.
It is why they won their first game in a tournament fixture since 1958. It is why that there may be more Bordeaux moments in the days and weeks to come.
Of course it involved Bale, his brilliant knuckle-ball free-kick after ten minutes making sure the pre-match party atmosphere never blew out but simply gathered further in momentum.
Bale heads straight to the Wales bench and is mobbed by team-matesBale heads straight to the Wales bench and is mobbed by team-mates
As the fans – that must have outnumbered the Slovakians by three to one – hugged random red shirts around them, so Bale ran to re-create that celebration in Cyprus with a chaotic cwtch on the touchline.
But Bale's greatest contribution was his attitude and work ethic, one that underlined – as if it needed to be – how he is part of something and not simply the reason for something.
He played as a lone striker here in a big tactical call from Coleman that he got right, inserting the impish effectiveness and enthusiasm of Jonny Williams to help with a press and to force the game to be played in Slovakia's half, denying them the space and opportunities to counter.
When they did, Wales' defence – in the main – returned to qualifying standards. James Chester was superb in his anticipation to nip in and snuff out danger, Ben Davies superb. The Tottenham man's block from Marek Hamsik on the goalline will be as important as any goal Bale scores in France.
Had Slovakia scored then, Welsh belief may have drained but, instead, they impressed.
Joe Allen orchestrated proceedings, snapped at the heels of Hamsik throughout and grabbed the playmaking mantle for his own. He spread the play as Coleman's ploy to avoid a congested centre worked, the ball from wide played into Williams whose drop of the shoulder drew the foul and set the stage for Bale from 25 yards.
He didn't disappoint. As if he was going to.
Slovakia – a dangerous opponent seen by many as the dark horses of the group – did not know what to do, their coach Jan Kozak admitting afterwards they were not permitted to play.
They did find a momentum after the second half, the natural break in Welsh intensity seeing them sit dangerously deep and, on the hour mark, it cost them as Ondrej Duda scored.
Wales had not given up, far from it, but Bale was isolated, effort was suddenly not enough, but again the anthem inspired and Coleman called it right.
The introduction of Hal Robson-Kanu and Joe Ledley was perfectly timed as a way of getting Bale being able to see more of the ball and run from deep and for Ledley to bring his tempo and tenacity to proceedings.
It paid off. Ledley was involved as he teed up Ramsey, the Arsenal man seemingly losing control but sending Martin Skrtel the wrong way with the deftest of movements. Robson-Kanu turned, shot and sent the day into history.
Sunday 12th June 2016
BY CHRIS WATHAN
Whatever happens in the rest of Euro 2016, no-one will be able to take away this history-in-the-making moment for Chris Coleman's special team
Whatever happens in these next few weeks, they can never take this moment away.
Whether Wales go home after the group phase or – as this win sets them up to do – make it to the knockout stages, nothing will be able to stop this day in Bordeaux being talked about for generations to come.
And the best part, should Chris Coleman's men continue to play with the sheer spirit that they delivered on their historic day, should they continue to feed off the support so good it is difficult to find a description to do it justice, then there could be more moments to cherish.
That is for the future, one that is full of excitable chatter of anything being possible, but regardless of how the remainder of Wales' Euro 2016 plays out, then there will always be Bordeaux.
There will always be the day when the dream was realised, when the tears fell as the teams walked out to signal the true end to those years of anguish, of a finals fantasy fulfilled.
There will always be the time where sport's finest anthem was sung from the soul of 25,000 in the sun-kissed Stade de Bordeaux, the harmonies coming from millions at home.
It was a rendition that spoke of 60 years of torment and following false hope in its tenor and tremendous volume.
And there will always be the day where Wales suggested that sometimes it can be worth the wait, that it does mean more to this team, this football nation, than anyone else aiming for success out in France.
No-one else will have gone through what these fans and this team have gone through. Gareth Bale was right – no-one, England or otherwise, have the same pride and passion as this Cymru collective.
There is nothing false about Together Stronger, there is nothing forced about the unity so brilliantly and decisively on show in the south-west of France that will always be associated with one of Wales' great sporting moments.
These are a team in every sense of the word, something many of the sides here cannot boast.
It is why they won their first game in a tournament fixture since 1958. It is why that there may be more Bordeaux moments in the days and weeks to come.
Of course it involved Bale, his brilliant knuckle-ball free-kick after ten minutes making sure the pre-match party atmosphere never blew out but simply gathered further in momentum.
Bale heads straight to the Wales bench and is mobbed by team-matesBale heads straight to the Wales bench and is mobbed by team-mates
As the fans – that must have outnumbered the Slovakians by three to one – hugged random red shirts around them, so Bale ran to re-create that celebration in Cyprus with a chaotic cwtch on the touchline.
But Bale's greatest contribution was his attitude and work ethic, one that underlined – as if it needed to be – how he is part of something and not simply the reason for something.
He played as a lone striker here in a big tactical call from Coleman that he got right, inserting the impish effectiveness and enthusiasm of Jonny Williams to help with a press and to force the game to be played in Slovakia's half, denying them the space and opportunities to counter.
When they did, Wales' defence – in the main – returned to qualifying standards. James Chester was superb in his anticipation to nip in and snuff out danger, Ben Davies superb. The Tottenham man's block from Marek Hamsik on the goalline will be as important as any goal Bale scores in France.
Had Slovakia scored then, Welsh belief may have drained but, instead, they impressed.
Joe Allen orchestrated proceedings, snapped at the heels of Hamsik throughout and grabbed the playmaking mantle for his own. He spread the play as Coleman's ploy to avoid a congested centre worked, the ball from wide played into Williams whose drop of the shoulder drew the foul and set the stage for Bale from 25 yards.
He didn't disappoint. As if he was going to.
Slovakia – a dangerous opponent seen by many as the dark horses of the group – did not know what to do, their coach Jan Kozak admitting afterwards they were not permitted to play.
They did find a momentum after the second half, the natural break in Welsh intensity seeing them sit dangerously deep and, on the hour mark, it cost them as Ondrej Duda scored.
Wales had not given up, far from it, but Bale was isolated, effort was suddenly not enough, but again the anthem inspired and Coleman called it right.
The introduction of Hal Robson-Kanu and Joe Ledley was perfectly timed as a way of getting Bale being able to see more of the ball and run from deep and for Ledley to bring his tempo and tenacity to proceedings.
It paid off. Ledley was involved as he teed up Ramsey, the Arsenal man seemingly losing control but sending Martin Skrtel the wrong way with the deftest of movements. Robson-Kanu turned, shot and sent the day into history.
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Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:16 am
" THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
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Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:16 am
" THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
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Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:26 am
" THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
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Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:29 am
After over half a century, Wales have made their return to major tournament football.
And after waiting for so long, they made a winning start to their Euro 2016 campaign, seeing off Slovakia 2-1 in Bordeaux.
And after waiting for so long, they made a winning start to their Euro 2016 campaign, seeing off Slovakia 2-1 in Bordeaux.
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Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:39 am
They where brilliant annis
Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:40 am
" THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
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Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:40 am
Annis did you write that..
Brilliant if you did..
It makes you feel proud..
Lets hope we can keep this dream going..
Brilliant if you did..
It makes you feel proud..
Lets hope we can keep this dream going..
Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:43 am
cardiff 74 wrote:They where brilliant annis
What a fantastic/brilliant day for the whole of Wales
Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:44 am
Howieblue wrote:Annis did you write that..
Brilliant if you did..
It makes you feel proud..
Lets hope we can keep this dream going..
No, but I loved every word of it,a brilliant/superb day for Welsh Football
Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 7:00 am
Fair play to Johnny Williams to who proved to be a pain constantly for Slovakia to deal with!
Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 8:05 am
Absolutely stunning performance!
Everything from the rookie goalkeeper to the never give up defence, the brilliance of Bale and surely the WORLD'S greatest supporters meant the sum of the parts of this team was magnified ten fold to produce such a remarkable result.
As someone commented there was an element of Leicester City about this team and we all know what they managed to do against the odds
Everything from the rookie goalkeeper to the never give up defence, the brilliance of Bale and surely the WORLD'S greatest supporters meant the sum of the parts of this team was magnified ten fold to produce such a remarkable result.
As someone commented there was an element of Leicester City about this team and we all know what they managed to do against the odds
Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 9:37 am
After watching Wales for years this is the proudest I have ever been I thought it was brilliant .the anthem was mind blowing the sea of red overwhelming.
I'm a proud Welsh man .
Lots of Cardiff city flags banners it's great in it .
England drew was makes it interesting.
Can't wait for Thursday's now.
Common wales.
I'm a proud Welsh man .
Lots of Cardiff city flags banners it's great in it .
England drew was makes it interesting.
Can't wait for Thursday's now.
Common wales.
Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 9:51 am
brickyblue wrote:After watching Wales for years this is the proudest I have ever been I thought it was brilliant .the anthem was mind blowing the sea of red overwhelming.
I'm a proud Welsh man .
Lots of Cardiff city flags banners it's great in it .
England drew was makes it interesting.
Can't wait for Thursday's now.
Common wales.
Watching England vs. Russia the England fans tried to emulate the Welsh by singing GSTQ. They did a reasonable job but in comparison with the Welsh fans rendition of Hen Wlad fy Nhadau it was simply a no contest, in football terms Real Madrid vs. Crawley Town
Even the much lorded Men of Harlech was light years ahead of anything the English did and this has brought some begrudging admiration from the English dominated media.
Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Sun Jun 12, 2016 1:36 pm
Isn't it nice not to be known for causing trouble and to be praised by the locals. Maybe you cardiff lot could learn a thing or two
Re: " THEY CAN NEVER TAKE THIS MOMENT AWAY "
Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:12 am
Trefelin06 wrote:Isn't it nice not to be known for causing trouble and to be praised by the locals. Maybe you cardiff lot could learn a thing or two
Learn a thing or two? the majority of our support is cardiff fans, then north Wales and a few jacks.