The European Championships is reaching its climax with two teams booking their places in the semifinals of the competition. I’d say that this is the best time to bet on Euro 2016 with William Hill with teams like Wales springing surprises in the tournament.
The Welsh side, led by former Fulham boss, Chris Coleman, has been a class act all tournament long, and last night performance also showed that it’s not always around Gareth Bale. Credit to the Welsh talisman for stepping into the plate with three goals in the competition so far, but in Aaron Ramsey, the Welsh have a vital cog in their midfield that has been a class act for the entirety of the tournament. Maybe it’s the blonde hair, I really don’t know.
Unlike, Arsenal where he plays with some restrictions on the wing, or in the box-to-box role when Santi Cazorla was unfortunately injured, Ramsey has been given the license to roam with ease at Wales, and he’s all over the place for his nation. His first performance against Slovakia was tame but he turned up the screw against Russia, getting a goal and an assist to his name.
When the Welsh fought against Northern Ireland in the Round of 16, Ramsey worked really hard for his team and their place in the quarterfinals were well deserved. Then came Belgium, one of the pre-tournament favorites, with all the big names here and there but that didn’t deter the Welsh from putting up another committed performance.
Belgium opened the scoring with a stunner from Radja Naingollan. The AS Roma-based midfielder has been on Chelsea’s radar for some time but his shot was way too much for Wayne Hennessey to handle. Ramsey got his first assist on the night when he lofted a corner that has headed home by skipper, Ashley Williams. This was a player that was tipped to miss the game.
Ramsey’s second assist on the night was made possible by some brilliant individual play by Hal Robson-Kanu. The Reading striker latched onto Ramsey’s cut back and made a fool out of his marker before slotting the ball past Thibaut Courtois. Wales put the game beyond doubt when Sam Vokes nodded Chris Gunter’s cross late on, and it was curtains for the highest ranked European team in the tournament.
There was some sorrow for Ramsey and Wales when he received a yellow card that would rule him out of the semifinal clash with Portugal. Bearing in mind that all cards would be cleared off in the semis, Ramsey messed up pretty bad to get himself booked.
According to Squawka, Ramsey had two shots, created six chances, made seven crosses, completed three take-ons, had a passing accuracy of 86% and he won 100% of the aerial duels he attempted. A Man of the Match performances in my books.
It has been an awesome tournament for Ramsey and we can only hope he carries this sort of form into the new season with his No. 8 jersey. On the interim, I wish him and his nation well in the Euros as they face another stern test in the form of Portugal.
Sayonara.
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