Wales defied even their own expectations to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016 at the expense of a Belgium side lacking the cohesion and opportunism of Chris Coleman’s team.
Wales 3 Belgium 1
A master class from Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey (7.6), and a moment of brilliance by free agent Hal Robson-Kanu (6.0), made all the difference as Wales won a pulsating quarter-final clash with Belgium.
Gareth Bale (10.5) has grabbed much of the attention in France, but it is Ramsey who is emerging as the team’s driving force and he consolidated that status with two assists in a match full of an attacking purpose noticeably lacking from the tournament as a whole.
Belgium can take a certain amount of credit for that, and it was they who opened the scoring when Radja Nainggolan smashed home a long range drive in the 13th minute from an Eden Hazard pass.
Marc Wilmots’ men failed to capitalise on their early dominance and were left to rue that profligacy when Ashley Williams (5.5) headed in an equaliser from a Ramsey corner.
That was one of a match-leading four attempts by the Welsh captain – equalled by his counterpart Hazard – as Belgium struggled to deal with Wales’ set-piece threat.
This prompted Wilmots to bring on Marouane Fellaini for Yannick Carrasco at half-time as Belgium switched from 4-2-3-1 to 4-5-1, with the full-backs far more advanced.
The decision ushered in a second period of dominance for Belgium, with right-back Thomas Meunier particularly influential, but their lack of an end product cost them dear when Robson-Kanu’s superb turn and cool finish gave the Welsh an unlikely 55th minute lead.
Ramsey supplied the final ball for the goal, one of six chances he created (to go with seven crosses for stellar DraftKings returns).
The match was superbly balanced throughout, with Wales edging the shot count 15-14 (7-4 on target), until substitute striker Sam Vokes (5.9) headed home against the run of play from a late Chris Gunter (5.0) cross to seal the deal.
It capped a glorious night for Wales, but also a bittersweet one – a needless yellow card for handball earlier ruling Ramsey out of the semi-final against Portugal.
That will hugely hurt Wales’ attacking threat – Ramsey has a tournament-leading four assists to his name – and hit the 20% of managers who own him in the official Uefa game particularly hard. Defender Ben Davies (5.0) will also be suspended.
That will likely see Andy King or Jonny Williams drafted into midfield, with West Ham’s James Collins set to get the nod in defence as Davies’ replacement.
Wales v Portugal will no doubt be hyped as a galactico battle between Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, but both sides have proved themselves to be rather more than their superstars.
The key, however, could well be the absence of Ramsey, and they will need the enterprise of Robson-Kanu to help take some of the attacking load off Bale’s shoulders for a Welsh side that might otherwise struggle to break down a resolute Portuguese outfit.
