Euro 2016: Wales vs Belgium - 5 players to watch out for
The second quarter-final of UEFA Euro 2016 sees Wales take on Belgium, in what promises to be an exciting, open and free-flowing encounter of football at the Stade Pierre- Mauroy in Lille. Wales and Belgium were in the same qualifying group and the 2 matches between them saw Wales win one and the other ended in a tie.
Both Wales and Belgium have performed well to reach this far but expectations from both teams are very different. While Wales’ fans are enjoying a dream run in Euro 2016, and a place in the quarters is more than a satisfactory result for them, Belgium will be expecting their golden generation to win some silverware.
Having fizzled out in the quarters against eventual runners-up Argentina in the 2014 world cup, fans of the Red Devils will demand a much better performance from their team tonight. Let’s take a look at 5 players who will influence the result of tonight’s encounter.
#1 Gareth Bale
The Real Madrid ace has been symbolic of everything good about Wales thus far. Bale has had the single largest contribution behind Wales making it to the quarter-final. Having scored 3 goals in 4 matches, Bale has ensured that the likes of Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes, quite average players at best, do not come under too much pressure up front.
While the Welsh do have some decent players in terms of world class game-changers, Bale is isolated. In the modern game, it is virtually impossible for a player to carry a team on his own, and yet the 26-year-old seems to defy logic in this regard. The epitome of the modern day footballer who is an athlete first and foremost, Bale relies on sheer pace and strength to get by opponents.
His uncomplicated dribbling and intuitive passing coupled with a ferocious shot have propelled Wales into the quarters after they topped their group despite losing to England. Welsh fans will be hopeful of another masterful performance from their number 11 tonight.