Welsh Dragons Catch Fire in Baku

Image: WalesOnline

UEFA EURO 2020: Turkey 0-2 Wales 

When Gareth Bale is on, opponents have a big problem. Turkey were plummeted into crisis as Wales' star man showed up in a big way to put his nation on the brink of qualification into the knockouts.

"One nation with two states" are what former Azerbaijan president Heydar Aliyev  described his country and Turkey's relations, making it no surprise that Baku was a hostile backdrop for Wales. With everything on the line after both teams suffered defeat in their first fixtures, a frantic start never cooled off throughout a captivating 90 minutes. The chaos ensued when Ben Davies' header drifted wide, before a huge chance for the Welsh went begging when, in just six minutes, Aaron Ramsey was picked out in the area by a delightful Gareth Bale ball, smashing his effort at the keeper.

As the ball continued to pinball around the ground, Turkey were reliant on skipper Burak Yılmaz to change their fortunes, and the striker's shot was denied in the opening minutes, before teammate Cengiz Ünder should have done better. Kieffer Moore, one of the revelations from his side's first game against Switzerland was again a menace in the box as he was unmatched when he leapt in the air to head Daniel James' cross off target.

Clamorous appeals for a handball from Çağlar Söyüncü in the area were brushed off following a ruckus in the box as the temperature was continuously cracked up in the Caspian Sea. They got even closer when Ramsey and Bale again connected ending with the Juventus man scuffing his shot wide after a sensational pass.

Turkey's set-pieces seemed to be the most probable avenue of their breakthrough, as Söyüncü made good contact, but too often the hosts were clawing back as the electric James left dust clouds in his wake as he sprinted down the wing. The eventual breakthrough itself would not come from any sustained attack, but rather a spontaneous piece of magic from their star man.

After Wales knocked the ball about in the middle of the park, Bale lofted an inch-perfect ball into the lap of Aaron Ramsey, timing his run like clockwork as he chested it before swiping the ball into the far corner and sparking euphoria around The Land of Castles and beyond. Turkey did try to respond before the half was out but Cengiz Ünder was denied.

Turkey attacked with a vengeance after the break but unlike the Welsh defence, they were too easily infiltrated and suspect. Söyüncü and keeper Uğurcan Çakır had a brief lapse in communication, while Bale's volley flew over the bar - the Turks had much less quality in their responses until Burak Yılmaz was granted the chance he had been waiting for all game. The captain prodded the loose ball well over the bar when he had more time than he first thought. Minutes later he had no one to find in the box when he broke on the right, so tamely struck the ball wide past the post.

The afternoon got worse for Şenol Güneş when Bale was impeded on the edge of the box to hand the opposition a golden chance to wrap the game up from the penalty spot. In what was a wicket plot twist, Gareth Bale clumsily blasted his shot way over the bar and the game remained for the taking. He almost blocked the keeper's clearance into goal in the subsequent moments but disaster was evaded.
Spurred on by the near miss, Turkey pushed hard but the efforts were too simple for Danny Ward. Despite all signs pointing to Wales holding the ball and seeing out the full-time whistle, they still had the itch to go out and close the game off. James exploded down the left on the break but couldn't find Harry Wilson with his cross, before Bale capped off a remarkable game with a last minute assist to score the points.

A corner was played short to the winger who weaved his way past several defenders to reach the near post, cutting the ball across to Connor Roberts who drove it through the legs of the keeper and hand their nation a victory that will be remembered for years to come - and in the near future, a gigantic step towards the round of sixteen.

Image: The Mirror

Analysis: Bale sparkles for The Dragons

The consensus was that when Gareth Bale moved on loan to Tottenham at the start of last season, he had the Euros in his mind. Struggling to get a consistent string of games at the Bernabeu, the former record transfer holder wanted to get back to familiar territories in order to ramp up his form on the run-up to the tournament. He's had his moments at Spurs but he's also had games like the one against Switzerland, where he struggles to make an impression. In Baku, things could not have gone more different, Bale ran the game and asides from the penalty, he allowed the Welsh to transcend and all but book their place in the knockout spots. Three delicious passes to Aaron Ramsey in the first half - one of which was converted to a goal, the other two which could have followed suit on another day - were key instances of the winger using more of his skill, as the wear and tear of his body prevents him from making those electric runs down the channel that we were used to seeing in years passed. While his penalty would have given Wales they needed in the game a lot earlier, he redeemed himself with a magical run from the short corner to set up Roberts for the dagger. If Bale can continue to show up like this, Wales have a massive chance.

Add into the mix the brightness from Daniel James, a fully fit Aaron Ramsey and a towering Kieffer Moore, and a Welsh side firing on all cylinders have a chance to ignite something special that resembles Euro 2016. The knockout stages are all but secured and now awaits them a litmus test of all litmus tests, a showdown with one of the perennial favourites, Italy. 

Turkey now find themselves staring down the barrel despite quietened optimism in the Middle East. Burak Yılmaz's lack of pace cost them on several occasions, with the lack of service around him reducing Turkey's chances, but he will undoubtedly be replaying the chance in his head when he knocked it over from close range. Turkey's other stars Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Cengiz Ünder simply didn't do enough and now they need a miracle to save their tournament.