Gareth Bale, Real Madrid’s star and the talisman of Wales, scored three goals in the ongoing Euro football championship group stage, one for each game, to top the scorer’s list and guide the debutants to the last 16 as Group B victor here.
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They will be underdogs once more as they go toe-to-toe with Gareth Bale and company in a battle of Britain that will be refereed by Englishman Martin Atkinson.
“That can definitely push you on”, he said.
“I will probably be working until I am over 70, so I don’t see why the Europeans should get special treatment”.
“We’re in such a position here to create history”. “We ” re united, together and we want to go as far as we can”.
Bale will take time out with the rest of the squad on Tuesday, meeting up with his children and fiancée before returning to Dinard to prepare for their last-16 clash at the iconic Parc de Princes.
As former under-21 team-mates, Evans has enjoyed a long view of the Hamilton Academical goalkeeper’s progress.
UEFA fined Russia and handed its football federation a suspended disqualification over the Marseille violence, meaning the team would be thrown out of the tournament if their fans caused more trouble inside stadiums.
“What can I remember from that one (in 2004)?” He was a great shot-stopper.
“I think it’s certainly something we need to improve on”, the Liverpool midfielder said.
“Obviously you come to the tournament for one reason – to win”, Bale, the competition’s joint top scorer with three goals, said.
“Yes we would love to win it, but all our focus now is on Northern Ireland”.
The midfielder opened the scoring for Wales, with Neil Taylor and Gareth Bale scoring in the 3-0 win over Russian Federation.
“He’s been fantastic. I can’t speak highly enough of him”.
“We appreciate everything that they’ve done for us since they’ve been here”, Evans added of the support. “He’s an incredible player”. Their last victory dates back to May 1980 in Cardiff.
It was inspiration from on high that saw Ireland eke out a place in the knockout stage, according to some fans.
Wales overcame the odds to top the group ahead of England thanks to their 3-0 victory over Russian Federation in the final round of group fixtures, while the Three Lions could only draw 0-0 against Slovakia.
Chester, 27, owes his Welsh qualification to his Rhyl-born mother and only made his worldwide debut two years ago before the start of the Euro 2016 qualifiers. They’ve also all been scored by substitutes.
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Wales’ last major tournament was the 1958 World Cup, when they reached the quarter-finals, and their fans were keen to make up for lost time, having transformed Bordeaux into a Welsh enclave before generating a cacophony of support in Toulouse. “We’re happy to be in the round of 16, whether it’s against a team that normally wins like Spain or Germany, or a newer one like Northern Ireland”.
