Wales 3 Belgium 1 Player Ratings

Wales pulled off the unthinkable to set up a winnable encounter with Portugal in Lyon on Wednesday the 6th of July. A remarkable performance left Wales overjoyed and Belgium deflated after their gifted line up failed to produce the trickery which they are capable of. Who was Wales's best player on a night that will go down in history ?

For the match preview see : http://footyblogsforyou.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/can-wales-challenge-belgium-in-lille.html

Wayne Hennesey - 6 
There's a view that he could have been quicker to react to prevent a thumping Nainggolan goal, however he made a crucial save against a close up Carassco shot as well as claiming multiple crosses from sweeping Belgium long balls towards the end of the second half.

Neil Taylor - 7 
The 27 year old Swansea full back was unfortunate not to double his scoring tally for Wales from 10 yards in the first half all be it a good save from Courtois. Taylor dealt well with Hazard throughout, he was rarely troubled and put in a solid shift, including a dramatic off the line clearance.

Ashley Williams - 8 
A captain's performance from the Swansea skipper. Not only did Williams do well to direct a bullet header into the corner of the net but also defended valiantly, getting vital flicks on Belgium crosses to nullify the apparent danger. Williams may have been fortunate not to have given away a penalty on Nainggolan however the Belgium midfielder made the most of the challenge.

James Chester - 7 
Similarly to Williams he did well to direct Belgium crosses away from Lukaku in the box. Gave away a couple of needless fouls and was booked, otherwise a competent performance.

Ben Davies - 6 
A less comfortable performance for the Tottenham full back playing in a more central position. He often gave away fouls and was astonishingly fortunate not to be sent off after tripping Lukaku when he skipped round the Welshman. However he did join Taylor in making a crucial block off the line in the early stages.

Chris Gunter - 7 
The 26 year old has been highly impressive this tournament given his willing desire to bomb forwards whenever necessary. Very effective defensively and provided an exquisite cross for Wales's third.

Joe Ledley - 6 
A quiet display from the Crystal Palace man who did not get on the ball enough from a Welsh perspective. However Ledley did his job in providing a shield in front of the Welsh defence and prevented the central players such as De Bruyne making much of an impact.

Aaron Ramsey - 9
I previously mentioned how Ramsey had been one of the best midfielders at this tournament in the match preview (see above), his MOTM performance justified this. His touch for the second goal was sublime, this epitomised a professional display from the Arsenal midfielder which included some marvelously delivered corners. He is the first player to register two assists in a single match this tournament. De Bruyne, watch and learn ! Ramsey will be gutted to have picked up an unnecessary booking for a handball which sees him missing out on the semi final against Portugal. Given today's balance of play I believe this is a bigger loss than Gareth Bale, which just goes to show Ramsey's divine performance.

Joe Allen - 6
A surprising off-night for one of the best possession keepers in football. Allen was at fault for cheaply giving the ball away in the build up to the Belgium goal and this was not the only occasion he did so. However this average performance will be all but forgotten in Welsh celebrations.

Gareth Bale - 8 
A strong display from the Welsh talisman, he was not afraid to drive at the heart of the Belgium defence and went past defender after defender on the break. Did well to hold the ball up too and set up Ramsey in the build up to the second with a raking ball.

Hal Robsun Kanu - 8 
Gave inexperienced Denayer a torrid time and was unlucky not to get in behind as a result of poor refereeing decisions in the first half. A selfish choice not to lay it off in the box turned into a perfect turn which was ultimately the winning goal.

SUBSTITUTIONS : 

Andy King (Joe Ledley) - 5
An anonymous yet hard working performance from the Leicester man.

Sam Vokes (Hal Robsun Kanu) - 7 
Won the aerial duels as expected to pull off an unstoppable header to seal the victory.
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Thibaut Courtois - 6 
Could not be faulted for any of the Welsh goals and will feel let down by an unorthodox defence in front of him. He made an important save to deny Taylor mid-way through the first half.

Thomas Meunier - 5
Got himself into good positions however he lacked the composure to deliver a good final ball as crosses were all too often over hit, excluding a perfect ball for Lukaku at the beginning of the second half. Was left for dead by Kanu's phenomenal turn.

Thomas Alderweireld - 5 
Similarly to Courtois he must have felt lost without the usual likes of Kompany, Vermaelen and Vertonghen in defence. He failed to show any real leadership in a disorganised defence.

Jason Denayer - 3 
Belgium's defence looked suspect from the off and Denayer did little to prove otherwise. He struggled to deal with Robsun Kanu's strength or Bale's pace in what was a woeful evening on just his 5th cap for Belgium. One feels he may not get many more opportunities after tonight's performance.

Jordan Lukaku - 4 
A poor display from a footballer who will always be referred to as simply 'Romelu's brother'. His inexperience showed as he could have done more for all three goals, especially the final two which were created all too easily down Belgium's left flank.

Alex Witsel - 4 
Went unnoticed, he rarely did enough to stop the likes of Bale and Ramsey flooding forwards. He offered nothing in both attack and defence.

Radja Nainggolan - 6 
Must be credited for what was a thunderous strike but the highly rated Roma midfielder did little otherwise to suggest he possessed true quality.

Yannick Ferraira Carrasco - 5 
Did well to control Lukaku's searching cross and was unfortunate to see his shot blocked by the Welsh keeper. A minimum contribution from then onwards. A shadow of the explosive impact sub in the champions league final for Atletico Madrid.

Kevin De Bruyne - 5 
A player with so much promise who rarely fails to show up for Manchester City did just that for Belgium. He showed glimpses of spark in the first half but was otherwise well commanded by the likes of Ledley and Chester and faded as the game grew on.

Eden Hazard - 5 
It was clear from the off that Wales attempted to surround Hazard as much as possible. This often left the Chelsea winger isolated meaning he could have little impact when Belgium needed him most. Enjoyed a bright spell at the start of the second half but showed little invention or flair, all the same he still has the potential to be world class.

Romelu Lukaku - 4
Other than a precise cross to Carrasco to set up a glorious opportunity at 0-0 many feel Lukaku let down the Belgium nation. The monstrous striker has endured a dismal tournament, from scooping a 1vs1 wide against Italy to grazing an unmarked header off target from just 6 yards out against Wales. Benteke and Batshuayi will feel disappointed that they had not been given the opportunities to prove themselves.

SUBSTITUTIONS 

Marouane Fellaini (Carrasco) - 5 
A classic Fellaini performance. He won headers in the opposition's box yet to no avail and was lucky not to be sent off for a second yellow after several clumsy challenges. Missed a golden chance to level the scores.

Michy Batshuayi (J Lukaku) - 5
The Chelsea bound striker barely got a touch, should have come on sooner