Euro 2016 Recap: Wales Vs Slovakia

Fulltime: Wales 2-1 Slovakia

Bale (WAL) 10'
Duda (SVK) 61'
Robson-Kanu (WAL) 81'

It was a game of spurts and breaks. This Euro 2016 encounter between Wales and Slovakia has been the most physical in the day-old competition. It pits a swift-running side against a rugged, defensive outfit. The result could have swung towards either end.

An Action-Packed Half

The match started with much agitation. Gareth Bale almost cost his team dearly with an error that almost gifted Marek Hamsik a goal in the 3rd minute. If not for the heroics of Ben Davies; who made a clearance near the goaline, the Dragons would have been chasing the game early on. It was untypical for the Real Madrid star who carries most of the expectations on his shoulders. He more than made up for his blunder in the 10th minute, though.  A beautifully taken freekick dipped just out of the reach of goalkeeper, Matus Kozacik. One-nil to Wales.

It wasn't one-way traffic, though. Slovakia has won more of their head-to-head matches in the past, after all. The Repre had their own chances at goal. Juventus playmaker, Hamsik and Robert Mak were always threatening. In fact, they showed more industry in attacking. Their build-ups were satisfactory, but clearly lacked the precision. They would have been on top at halftime, if only they were more coordinated. Or lucky. On the defensive end, Martin Skrtel was a daunting wall of protection. The Liverpool defender was lucky not to surrender a penalty when he took down Jonathan Williams inside the box. The incident was greeted with much criticism; even Rio Ferdinand tweeted his disgust. Really now? Did you expect Skrtel to go in to the Euros and play soft? Aaron Ramsey had a great game for Wales in general. But he was also wasteful in front of goal.

Magical Substitutes

The second-half started from where it left off in the first. Slovakia found more cause to move the ball forward, and torment the Welsh defense. It almost seemed like Wales lost their motivation for offense. A brilliant 60th minute double substitution by Slovak manager Jan Kozak immediately paid dividends. Ondrej Duda caught the defense napping, and scored from a play that seemed to have nothing in it. Game on!

Cris Coleman conjured a double-change of his own. Joe Ledley and Hal Robson-Kanu in at 69 minutes. But, a mix-up from the fourth-official deferred the entrance of Robson-Kanu for a couple of minutes. Fresh legs always help in games that swing rapidly from one end to another. It took just ten minutes for Coleman's bright decisions to paydirt. Ramsey received a long pass from Ledley. A disorganized defense allowed him to dance freely in the box and find an open Robson-Kanu, who beat the keeper. Excellent stuff!

The Bad Tackle

Wales actually surprised me with the performance. Despite of all the missed chances and cheap turnovers, they functioned like a team. Bale would always be the main man. As I stated in my Euro 2016 preview, he would be one of the players to watch in this tournament.  And, he didn't let me down. But, it was Joe Allen and Williams who kept the dynamism. Allen controlled the midfield superbly. And, Williams' pace gave the markers a lot of headaches. Ramsey has top qualities. But he needs to be more accurate with the chances that come his way. My general impression is, they have the goods to help them get to the next round. And yes, beat England along the way.

Slovakia needs to be more cohesive. They have the right ideas when attacking. But, they sputter as they execute the final touches. I also think that they aren't in the best physical condition. Prior to the winning goal, Skrtel was complaining of cramps. That was just over an hour into the match. A few minutes after that, Ramsey was given safe-passage inside Skrtel's zip code to dish-out the decisive assist. Hamsik and Mak are the brightest performers in the squad. And, they could give Russia and England a tough time.