Paris
Wales 1-0 Northern Ireland
Gareth McAuley (75’)
Two teams enjoying their first participation in the European Championship. Wales were Group B winners and they had Gareth Bale so they were the favorite to win this match, and they did just that.
Not a lot was expected from Northern Ireland. They had made it to the knockout stage by winning one of their three Group C matches and lost the other two.
After a goalless first half, Northern Ireland started the second half with purpose. They were playing better than most would have imaged. Wales looked like a team without a plan.
Despite playing better football than expected against the Welsh in the second half, Wales were quite comfortable throughout the match.
In the 75th minutes, a Gareth Bale’s cross into Northern Ireland’s penalty box was deflected into the back of the net by Northern Ireland’s defender Gareth McAuley, giving Wales their winning goal.
Heartbreak for @NorthernIreland and Gareth McAuley. Joy for Wales and @GarethBale11! #WALNIR #EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/cp47QgXPsN
— UEFA EURO 2016 (@UEFAEURO) June 25, 2016
To be fair to McAuley, Welsh striker Hal Robson-Kanu was also in a great position to knock the ball into the goal.
As equal as the match was, Northern Ireland over performed, and Wales underperformed. The most important thing was to win and progress in the tournament, and that is what Wales did.
