Fri 1 Jul 2016 17.02 EDT
First published on Fri 1 Jul 2016 13.30 EDT- Match report
- Full-time! WALES 3-1 BELGIUM
- GOAL! WALES 2-1 BELGIUM (Vokes 86)
- GOAL! Wales 2-1 Belgium (Kanu 55)
- Second half: Wales 1-1 Belgium
- And we're back talking about Wales ...
- Great minds think alike ...
- Half-time: Wales 1-1 Belgium
- GOAL! Wales 1-1 Belgium (Williams 31)
- GOAL!!! Wales 0-1 Belgium (Nainggolan 12)
- Wales v Belgium is go!
- Not long now ...
- Spare a thought for the folks at Folkstone
- How Wales will line up
- Wales v Belgium line-ups
- Belgium manager Marc Wilmots speaks
- Wales manager Chris Coleman speaks
- Team and injury news
- Gary Speed (1969-2011)
- Hello everybody (translation: helo pawb)
Live feed
- Match report
- Full-time! WALES 3-1 BELGIUM
- GOAL! WALES 2-1 BELGIUM (Vokes 86)
- GOAL! Wales 2-1 Belgium (Kanu 55)
- Second half: Wales 1-1 Belgium
- And we're back talking about Wales ...
- Great minds think alike ...
- Half-time: Wales 1-1 Belgium
- GOAL! Wales 1-1 Belgium (Williams 31)
- GOAL!!! Wales 0-1 Belgium (Nainggolan 12)
- Wales v Belgium is go!
- Not long now ...
- Spare a thought for the folks at Folkstone
- How Wales will line up
- Wales v Belgium line-ups
- Belgium manager Marc Wilmots speaks
- Wales manager Chris Coleman speaks
- Team and injury news
- Gary Speed (1969-2011)
- Hello everybody (translation: helo pawb)
Match report
That’s all from me for tonight! I have to go and record an episode of our European Football Daily podcast, which should make for very pleasant listening for our Welsh listeners tomorrow. You’ll be able to download it in all the usual places or listen to it on site later tonight or first thing in the morning. If you’re not already a regular listener, here’s last night’s episode for you to try out. Thanks for your time and your emails, which have gone largely unread due to the frenetic pace of the match.
So that’s that, then! It’s worth repeating: Wales are through to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and join hands to do their sprint-and-slide of honour into one of the corners of the ground that is peopled by their fans. Belgium’s players, by contrast, traipse off looking thoroughly despondent. They were a goal up against a team they almost certainly consider to be Gareth Bale And Ten Other Blokes, but somehow contrived to lose ... and lose heavily. They’re out and Wales go into the last four, where they’ll meet Cristiano Ronaldo And Ten Other Blokes.
Full-time! WALES 3-1 BELGIUM
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeep! It’s all over - Wales are through to the semi-finals of Euro 2016. They’ve knocked out the second ranked team in the world, which I suppose must make them the best. They were excellent tonight - under the cosh at times and riding their luck a little towards the end before Sam Vokes gave them that two-goal cushion. But they desewrved this win - every man jack of them stood up to be counted tonight and the people of Wales should be very, very proud of their football team.
90+1 min: Wales’s fans are in fine voice as their team sees out the first of three extra minutes. This is incredible - they’re going to contest a European Championship semi-final against Portugal and on the evidence of this performance, will have every chance of beating them.
90 min: Aaron Ramsey is hooked, after a wonderful display. James Collins comes on to shore up the Wales defence.
88 min: You’ll be wanting to know more about that goal from Vokes. He leapt like a salmon making it’s way up the river Wye, getting the jump on his man - Alderweireld, I think - to convert a Chris Gunter cross from the right. I thought Gunter was heading for the corner flag to waste time, but he had other ideas. Very good ideas, as it turned out.
87 min: Belgium win a corner, which is sent into the penalty area. James Chester half-clears with a header, before Belgium win another corner. It’s pulled back to De Bruyne outside the Welsh penalty area, but his shot is blocked.
GOAL! WALES 2-1 BELGIUM (Vokes 86)
Crikey! Sam Vokes puts Wales two goals ahead with a wonderful header past Thibaut Courtois that goes inside the left upright. Wales are going into the European Championship semi-finals.
85 min: Just five minutes of a thrilling football match to go, ubnless Belgium can find an equaliser.
84 min: Belgium substitution: Michy Batshuayi on for Romelu Lukaku, who hasn’t had a night to remember.
83 min: Radja Nainggolan goes down in the Wales penalty area while trying to get on a through ball from Eden Hazard. Replays show that should have been a penalty - Ashley Williams caught him on his instep with a mistimed lunge. Wales are riding their luck a bit here!
82 min: Ben Davies prevents Lukaku getting on a long ball from deep, putting the ball out for a throw-in deep in his own half.
81 min: Wales substitution: Sam Vokes on for Hal Robson-Kanu-Cruyff.
79 min: Axel Witsel shoots over from the edge of the penalty area - his fizzing effort wasn’t too far away. Moments previously, Ben Davies had brought down Romelu Lukaku on the edge of the penalty area after the striker had turned him, but got away with it. That should have been a free-kick on the edge of the area for Belgium and a second booking for Davies. He’s a lucky boy.
78 min: Wales substitution: Joe Ledley off, Andy King on.
77 min: Some desperate defending from Wales, as Belgium pile on the pressure again. Fellaini heads down for Witsel, but the ball’s just out of the midfielder’s reach.
75 min: Hangdammit! Aaron Ramsey gets booked for deliberate handball. It’s a yellow card that will rule him out of the semi-final, should Wales advance. He’ll be a huge loss. Belgium substitution: Dries Mertens on for Jordan Lukaku.
73 min: Toby Alderweirteld sends a wonderful cross to the far post from the right. Marouane Fellaini gets the jump on James Chester, makes firm contact with the ball and somehow sends the ball wide from the edge of the six-yard box.
70 min: Good block from James Chester, who slides in to intercept a low Kevin De Bruyne cross from the right that was heading towards Romelu Lukaku.
68 min: Wales advance into Belgium territory, but Nainggolan wins the ball and sends Eden Hazard on his way up the right flank. Jordan Lukaku receives a pass on the left flank and attempts to pick out his brother Romelu with a cross. It’s too high and the ball sails over the right touchline for a Wales throw-in.
65 min: Wales corner. Aaron Ramsey laughs as some Welsh fans behind the goal refuse to return the ball. When he eventually gets it, he swings the ball towards the far post, where Marouane Fellaini half-clears. Jordan Lukaku’s attempt to help the ball on its way is somewhat hapless and Joe Allen steals the ball of Nainggolan’s toe on the edge of the penalty area. His shot into a thicket of bodies is blocked.
64 min: De Bruyne’s up-and-down free-kick fizzes over the Wales wall and into the warm and tender embrace of Wayne Hennessey.
64 min: Belgium win a free-kick for an Ashley Williams foul. Kevin De Bruyne stands over the ball, about 30 yards from goal, a little right of centre ...
63 min: There seem to be at least five Aaron Ramsey’s on the pitch and one of them attempts to pick out Gareth Bale in the Belgium penalty area with a cross from the right. It’s intercepted and cleared. Belgium are in all sorts of bother here, having completely dominated the early stages of this second half.
60 min: Wales win a corner after more good play from Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. The ball’s sent into the mixer, Thibaut Courtois flaps and the ball breaks for Williams. He attempts to dig it goalwards, but his effort is blocked by Courtois.
58 min: Hats off too, to Aaron Ramsey, who galloped about 50 yards up the inside right to take down a long ball from deep. On the right side of the penalty area, his first touch was immaculate, allowing him to square the ball for Ramsey, who was the only Welshman in the area, with three defenders to beat. He made fools of all three of them with one deft turn. Incredible stuff.
56 min: What an incredible goal from Hal Robson Kanu, who took out three Belgian defenders with a Cruyff turn after picking up a cross from Aaron Ramsey on the right. Having wrong-footed three - three! - defenders with his slick soft-shoe shuffle, he buried the ball past Thibaut Courtois with a low drive from 10 yards. Wales have one foot in the European Championship semi-finals!!!
GOAL! Wales 2-1 Belgium (Kanu 55)
Hal Robson-Kanu fires Wales in front!
53 min: Belgium continue the screw, with Hazard pulling the strings again. The pressure is alleviated as Aaron Ramsey wins a free-kick after slipping while contesting a ball with Nainggolan.
51 min: Belgium continue to dominate.Hazard scampers across the face of the Wales penalty area and plays the ball to Meunier. He floats the ball towards Romelu Lukaku at the far post, but Ashley Williams averts the danger with a fine defensive header that called for him to stretch every sinew. Corner for Belgium, which is cleared by Ben Davies.
50 min: Eden Hazard cuts in from the left and tries to curl the ball inside the right upright. Wide. Wales are under some serious pressure here.