Turkey 0-2 Wales
Wales took a gigantic step toward reaching the last 16 of Euro 2020 with their huge 2-0 win over Turkey in Baku.
After a disappointing opening match against Switzerland, Gareth Bale was back to his best against the Turks. The Welsh skipper set up Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts for their goals, which more than made up for his missed penalty.
This result drastically improves the Dragons’ Euro 2020 odds of advancing from Group A, where they sit second behind Italy with four points from two matches.
Highlights of the game
Wales’ two biggest stars – Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey – were both disappointing in their draw against Switzerland. But the two made a bright start against Turkey as they combined to create the first big chance of the match after just six minutes.
Bale picked out Ramsey’s perfectly timed run with a beautiful pass, but the former Arsenal midfielder could not beat Turkish goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır on his near post.
Turkey, who were also disappointing in their 3-0 demolition at the hands of Italy, changed things up tactically by starting Cengiz Under. And the speedy winger set up Burak Yilmaz for their first shot, but the veteran striker’s shot flew just wide.
Bale and Ramsey combined for another brilliant move on 24 minutes, but after making a terrific run, Ramsey once again failed to finish as he blazed his shot well over the bar.
The third time would finally be the charm for Bale and Ramsey, though, as they would give Wales the lead on 42 minutes.
Again, Bale delivered a perfect pass from deep to Ramsey, who made the perfect run in behind the Turkish defence. This time, the Juventus man made no mistake with his finish as he coolly controlled the ball with his chest before confidently slotting it home.
In need of a goal, the Turks turned up their attacking intent in the second half. Perhaps their best chance came nine minutes after the break. The ball fell to the perfect man – Yilmaz – inside the six-yard box, but the Turkish skipper skied his shot from point-blank range.
Ramsey came close to doubling the Dragons’ advantage near the hour mark, but he was again denied by a good save by Çakır.
And just a couple of minutes later, Wales had an even better opportunity to add to their lead. They were awarded a penalty when Bale was brought down on the edge of the penalty area.
After a review to check that the foul was indeed inside the box, Bale stepped up to the spot. But the Welsh skipper could not keep his composure as he sent his penalty flying over the bar.
Bale very nearly made up for his dreadful miss right away as he deflected Çakır’s clearance toward the goal, but it went agonisingly wide.
Let off by Bale’s miss, Turkey continued to press for an equaliser, but they hardly tested Danny Ward in the Wales goal. Although, Ward was called upon on 87 minutes as he denied Merih Demiral’s header from flying in.
Wales had a couple of chances late to seal the win on the counterattack, but they were not quite able to capitalise.
But they would eventually get their second goal deep into stoppage time. From a short corner, Bale strolled into the Turkey penalty area and set up Connor Roberts, who slotted the ball into the goal with virtually the last kick of the game.
Key statistics
The SBOTOP odds for this match were tight, and so were the final statistics. The Turks just edged out the Welsh 18-16 in terms of total shots, although Wales had the slight edge in shots on target (7-6).
Burak Yilmaz had his share of Euro 2020 highlights with six of Turkey’s shots, but he had only one on target.
Meanwhile, Bale was simply brilliant. He had two assists and could have had even more if Ramsey had finished the other chances Bale had set up better. Bale also had five shots of his own.
Ramsey did convert one of his chances to give him his 17th career goal for his country. He is now up to seventh in Wales’ all-time scoring list, still 16 behind Bale’s record 33 goals.
What’s next?
Wales are now in a great position to advance from Group A. All they need is a draw against leaders Italy in their final group game to move on to the round of 16. And with the Azzurri already secured of qualification and likely to rest many of their stars, the Dragons have a decent shot at getting that result.
As for Turkey, they face Switzerland in their final group match. Both teams could still make it to the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams if they win, although Turkey will need a huge win to improve on their minus-5 goal difference.
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