Wales secured their first victory at a major tournament since 1958 after beating a tough Slovakian side 2-1 in Group B clash at Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux on Saturday.
Ladbrokes are offering a matched £50 bet for new customers when they sign up – click here to claim your free £50 bet now.
Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale opened the scoring for Wales from a brilliant direct free-kick, although Slovak goalkeeper Kozacik could have done better.
Bale might be a problem at the Euro’s. pic.twitter.com/BU967Hjb4F
— thepunterspage.com (@ThePuntersPage) June 11, 2016
Bale became the first player to score for Wales with their first ever shot on target at European championships. He also became the first player to score from a direct free-kick at the Euros since Andrea Pirlo, who scored against Croatia in 2012.
The Welshman is a reported summer transfer target for Manchester United with reports emerging the Red Devils are preparing a massive €120m bid to secure his services. He has been simply sensational for his country, scoring or assisting 10 of the last 12 goals in all competitive matches for Wales.
Incidentally, Bale scored his first ever goal for his country against Slovakia in 2006, and surprisingly, it came from a direct free-kick as well.
Slovakia restored parity in the second half through Ondrej Duda. The youngster, coming on in the second half, scored the fastest Euro goal by a sub, since Valeron vs Russia in 2004. He also became the first player to score against Wales at a major tournament since Pele in 1958.
Róbert Mak with the great run to set up Ondrej Duda who slots it in for #SVK! 1-1! #EURO2016 #WALSVKhttps://t.co/whzzghSZRd
— Jalen Jones (@JalenDSN) June 11, 2016
From there on, Slovakia dominated the midfield and took control of the match with Napoli’s Marek Hamsik bossing the midfield from deep lying position.
Wales regrouped themselves and looked to hit on the counter. With 10 minutes left from the normal time, Wales took the lead again, thanks to a strike from substitute Hal Robson-Kanu.
Robson-Kanu puts #WAL back on top! 2-1! #EURO2016 #WALSVKhttps://t.co/WzxMT1mXGd
— Jalen Jones (@JalenDSN) June 11, 2016
With that victory, Wales have put themselves in a strong position to qualify from Group B. Slovak coach Jan Kozak said after the match that a draw would have been a fair result.
Ladbrokes are offering a matched £50 bet for new customers when they sign up – click here to claim your free £50 bet now.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
