EURO 2016: Caerphilly’s Aaron Ramsey scored, and turned in a man of the match performance, as Wales topped Group B with a breathtaking 3-0 win over Russia at Euro 2016 on Monday June 20.
Wales went into the crunch tie in Toulouse knowing that only victory would definitely secure a place in the last 16, with anything less leaving their progression from the group dependent on the result between England and Slovakia.
The palpable tension surrounding the must-win match was soon dispelled, as Caerphilly-born Ramsey put his side ahead just ten minutes into the game.
The Arsenal midfield star latched onto a perfectly-weighted threaded Joe Allen pass, raced through, and neatly clipped the ball over goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, sending the travelling Welsh contingent behind the goal into raptures.
Wales’ lead was doubled shortly after, as Swansea full-back Neil Taylor found himself in the box and took two bites of the cherry to score his first ever international goal.
Wales peppered the Russian goal in a dominant performance, notching up 12 shots on target in comparison to their opponents’ two.
Talisman Gareth Bale grabbed Wales’ third of the night and his third of the tournament with a delicious toe flick midway through the second-half to cement the win, which could have seen a much larger scoreline but for the gloves of Russia’s Akinfeev.
Due to England’s failure to beat a stubborn Slovakia, Wales top Group B with six points from a possible nine, and a trip to Paris to face Northern Ireland.
Speaking after the match, manager Chris Coleman said: “The three points are massive for us but the performance was even sweeter than the points.
“I’m absolutely made up for the players. This group are on their way to more success and this is just part of the journey they are on.”