Wales have kicked off their Euro 2016 campaign with a 2-1 victory over Group B opponents, Slovakia, thanks to goals from Gareth Bale and Hal Robson-Kanu in Bordeaux.
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Playing their first game at a major championship since the 1958 World Cup, Wales took a 10th-minute lead courtesy of Gareth Bale’s fine free-kick, only for Slovakia substitute Ondrej Duda to equalise.
Asked about his spectacular opening strike, Bale said: “It doesn’t matter about the goals”.
Wales did not simply collect three points in Bordeaux; they comfortably won with a scintillating display of attacking football that will have their fans starting to believe.
Wales wrestled back the ascendancy and it was another substitute who made a decisive impact, when Aaron Ramsey’s pass found Hal Robson-Kanu and he scuffed home a curling low drive past a helpless Matus Kozacik.
He came on and he got in behind the defence, he got our defenders ten or 20 yards further up the pitch which meant it was away from our goal because they were there for too long, 15, 20 minutes on top of us.
He scored seven of his side’s 11 goals and will be eager to make an impact during his first taste of worldwide tournament football.
Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey could return to face England on Thursday after missing his side’s Euro 2016 opener because of a back problem.
“Everyone will look at his goal, and he’s fast and powerful, but some of his best moments were at the end of the game when we were 2-1 and his intelligence”, Coleman said.
Keeper Wayne Hennessey was ruled out by a late back spasm with Danny Ward stepping in to make his first global start on the biggest of stages. Then we did score, and there was a part of the game where we totally dominated, we put a lot of pressure on them, and they were just kicking the ball away.
Wales grabbed the victor on 81 minutes when Ramsey came into the box and his miscontrolled ball fell to a lurking Robson-Kanu.
“When he was heading the ball out of play to waste time, anything for the three points for the win for Wales”.
The other Group B match will be played between England and Russian Federation at Stade Velodrome in Marseille later Saturday.
Bale said: “There’s no other fans like the Welsh”.
“We’re delighted to be here”, he said.
“We have to stop other players, you can’t just focus on Gareth Bale”. We came back and they got right behind us. “The players give their best, and when they are at their best we are a good side”. We could have prevented the second goal, but that’s football.
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“I had one when I missed the Liverpool game for Crystal Palace, I had an exact similar one”.
