As Wales prepare to face Serbia on Saturday in a crucial World Cup qualifier in the final international match of 2016, Dai Sport reflects on a momentous year for Chris Coleman’s team. It featured the country’s first appearance in a major tournament finals for 58 years and an incredible run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Writer Jamie Thomas has chronicled that journey in his new book, When Dragons Dare to Dream. Featuring interviews with players and back room staff, the book details Wales’ incredible achievements in France. This extract recalls the opening tournament victory over Slovakia.
Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux – 11 June 2016
‘I think Ben has watched that block quite a few times since to be fair, so he doesn’t need to be told it was an amazing block – he knows!’
JONNY WILLIAMS, WALES INTERNATIONAL
WE SHOULD HAVE known from the venues. It sounds strange to say, but the architecture, the vibrancy and simplistic beauty of the stadiums where Wales contested their historic fixtures at Euro 2016 – each of them having a unique characteristic perfectly suited to the momentous events that were witnessed within them – should have told the Red Wall that it was in for an incredible few weeks on the continent! How fitting that in Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux – the stunning modernist arena chosen for Wales’ opening gambit at the European Championship against the Marek Hamšík-inspired Slovakia – there would be nowhere to hide from the action, as if anyone in there would have wanted to. Even when wandering around the concourse prior to the game or at half-time – whether that be socialising, queuing to collect your pint of 0.5% alcohol lager, or simply looking for the loo – beyond the sea of red shirts meandering with you, you could still see the pitch clear as day. At every turn, it was still completely visible, the concourse acting as the perfect viewing gallery sandwiched between two tiers of thunderous noise. It was as if the stadium itself was begging its occupants: ‘Please, watch that pitch – something special is going to happen on there today.’
Personally, my Euro 2016 journey had started with a cancelled overnight train from Paris to Bordeaux that left my mates and me playing football with some Spaniards under the Eiffel Tower through the night, but walking up the steps of my block in the stadium in Bordeaux, I stopped dead at the top when I could see the arena in its entirety and pretty much broke down. It can’t have been more than a dozen paces from the concourse at that point, but in some ways it felt like climbing Everest, with every step getting so much easier as my friends and I inched ever closer to a sight we’d all been waiting a lifetime to see. A group of French lads were trotting up the stairs in front of us, decked out in Wales tops and chanting ‘ALLEZ
LES ROUGES! ALLEZ LES ROUGES! ALLEZ
LES ROUGES!’ Not only had Chris Coleman’s men touched the Welsh nation, it seemed, but even the French were behind us. Many more joined Wales’ list of admirers as the tournament went on, thanks to the excellence of the players on the pitch and, in no small part, to the relentless support and chanting from the fans, who kept stadiums rocking and cities awake at night with their passion and excitement for the stage they were all given to perform on. This moment at the top of the stairs in Bordeaux, the buzz in the city, getting there, living there, everything about the country and what followed in Euro 2016 for Wales felt so right. What we all saw on that afternoon in the south of France was sheer perfection: an ocean of red, the stands rammed with the most dedicated of our Dragons’ disciples, each and every one of us wiping tears from our eyes. Serbia, Russia, Romania, Scotland (twice), Yugoslavia – all of it washed away by waves of relief and ecstasy as our minds reeled with exhilaration at the prospect of the fortnight ahead of us, never mind what came afterwards. What we all saw in front of us that day was penance from the footballing gods for all of the times they’d sinned against our nation over the years, and it was magnificent.
As Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau bellowed around the stadium, France itself surely ground to a standstill. Gary Speed – undoubtedly watching over the events unfolding from up there in the sky – surely heard every word of it clear as day, singing along with us. It was absolutely deafening; Wales’ way of announcing their arrival at the summer’s tournament, with the incredible level of noise letting everyone know we were there to stay! Raymond Verheijen was also very moved by the unbelievable atmosphere created by the Welsh supporters during the Slovakia match, and throughout the tournament, as he noted that the fans were among the star attractions that the tournament had to offer. ‘Even when you’re just watching the games on television, you can hear those Welsh fans constantly. The typical Welsh songs, the anthem, the fans were singing non-stop – you could hear the Gary Speed songs loud and clear in every game, and that really gave me goosebumps. I think that the main attraction of Euro 2016 was the fans – the Welsh, the Irish, the Northern Irish, the Icelandic fans – they gave an extra dimension to this tournament, and made for good entertainment in every game.’
On this gloriously sunny, humid afternoon in Bordeaux, there wasn’t a dry eye in sight as the anthems came to an end and Wales were within seconds of kicking off a tournament that we’d all waited a lifetime for, despite most of us having come to believe that this moment would never arrive. Dylan Ebenezer summarised the mood in the beautiful city of Bordeaux perfectly: ‘It was everything we’ve ever dreamed of! It was one of those moments where you realise that despite what you’ve been dreaming of, it’s not often that the actual reality of it is a thousand times better, but that’s exactly what happened ahead of the Slovakia game! It was just staggering: the whole build-up, getting to Bordeaux and just seeing the Welsh shirts pour in over the course of a few days was something I’ll never ever forget. It was just a massive, joyous celebration at that point though – people didn’t care! It’s funny now, looking back, that we’re all moaning and saying we could have won the tournament, but in Bordeaux there was none of that as everyone was just ecstatic to be there and be a part of history. Wales had qualified, in a beautiful city, with a wonderful stadium, but the atmosphere in Bordeaux the night before the game will stay with me forever – just one big party, everyone singing, dancing and hugging each other just to celebrate the fact that we’d made it to that point.’
What tells you above all else that this was an incredibly emotional, moving occasion, though, was the reaction of the players when they lined up to sing the anthems. We commonly think of footballers as these absolute machines who think only about winning and celebrating success. They generally don’t get taken by any atmosphere or buzz inside the stadium, just focus fully on the task at hand and overcoming the challenge put in front of them. Wales’ fans, though, are so incredible that every single one of the players I spoke to about the tournament told me how emotional they became when the anthems were being sung. Our inspirational leader, Ashley Williams, admitted to being emotional on four occasions in that first game against Slovakia, such was the intensity of the occasion. In truth, it’s totally understandable that the players would be affected in such a way. I mean, if you were wearing a red shirt in Bordeaux, you were probably crying (or ‘rubbing dust out of your eye’) at some point during the day, but the players in particular experienced totally new phenomena in this game, away from the pitch as well as on it.
When the team get together for a game in Cardiff, they’re generally based a few miles outside the city, well away from the buzz that is building, until they travel into the city on the coach on the day of the game. This game was totally different, though, as the FAW’s Rob Dowling pointed out. ‘I remember going to a meeting in the hotel on the morning of the game. There were a lot of fans staying nearby and the windows in the hotel were open, so all we could hear constantly throughout that meeting and the day was the fans singing. All of the players would have heard it; we all heard it – there was just this buzz and excitement inside and outside the hotel. All of a sudden it felt like we were at the Euros, with the fans all congregated around our hotel and the players were mobbed by them as they went for their walk in the morning – I don’t think I’ve ever known emotion like I experienced that day in Bordeaux. To see all of the fans constantly crying on screens, we were all affected by that and the anthems in particular. There were hundreds and hundreds of fans outside the hotel, everyone clapping us, stopping our cars… just a very emotional, unforgettable experience.’
On top of that, before the game the players were all shown video messages from their families and friends, wishing them all the best ahead of what was sure to be an incredibly glorious occasion, regardless of the result. Naturally all of the players were touched by that, contributing even further to the incredible emotional level of this unforgettable occasion. Chris Coleman was on top form too, revelling in the moment, with Mark Evans recalling a brief conversation with the Welsh manager moments before kick-off. ‘The moment that I got really emotionally filled up was in Bordeaux: once during the anthem, and once when Chris Coleman spoke to me after the anthem. When Ashley Williams swaps the match pennant with the opposition captain, I go and collect it from him to look after, and as I turn around and go back, I always shake Chris Coleman’s hand to say good luck. But this time as I did so, he just said “Enjoy it!” I just filled up there and then – what a perfect thing to say to someone like myself. Not good luck, just enjoy it. That Bordeaux experience, before we’d even kicked a ball, that was it – it was just perfect. Then it just got better!’
The resolve of the Welsh nation, however, was tested almost instantly. Hamšík danced his way through Chris Coleman’s defence, finding himself one-on-one with Liverpool’s Danny Ward – a late inclusion after Wayne Hennessey had suffered back spasms in the team hotel the night before – and dinked the ball over the goalkeeper’s 6’ 3” frame. One supporter perfectly summarised the emotions of the entire nation in that moment, when Hamšík’s effort appeared to be flying into an empty net: ‘Within a handful of touches from that little fella (Hamšík), he’d sliced our defence open, found himself with just Ward to beat and lobbed him to score what looked like a certain goal. In three minutes our campaign slogan seemed to go from ‘#TogetherStronger’ to ‘Here we go again’ – but then Big Ben swung in and saved the day!’ Quite possibly Wales’ tournament too! Ben Davies should have been included in UEFA’s team of the tournament because of that clearance alone, never mind his impressive composure on the ball and his tremendous ability to read the game, which helped Wales at both the attacking and defensive ends of the pitch in every game Davies played.
I’ll never forget that sound for as long as I live: the gasping that seemed to get louder as Hamšík’s effort inched closer and closer, spinning through the air towards the goal line, and the volume further increasing as the Red Wall realised Davies was sliding in acrobatically to try and save the ball from flying in and sinking Welsh hearts. In one of those incredible twists of fate that really makes you believe that today is going to be your day, Davies did clear the ball. Wales could start again, with their fans doing the seemingly impossible by chanting even louder than before – thanks in no small part to the realisation that they’d almost witnessed their dreams of succeeding in France that summer snatched from before their very eyes. Hamšík had caught the Welsh defence totally off guard. They’d been briefed pre-match that the Slovak – as anyone who watches Hamšík fairly regularly will know – although seriously skilful and always capable of dribbling through defences (as he did against every team he faced in this tournament), likes to shoot early to catch defences by surprise. As a result, his decision to do the opposite this time caught the Welsh defence out, and meant he was able to get as close to scoring as he did. Davies’ block was exceptional and – as Jonny Williams would later quip: ‘I think Ben has watched that block quite a few times since to be fair, so he doesn’t need to be told it was an amazing block – he knows!’
A surprise inclusion in the starting line-up in Bordeaux, Joniesta’s first game for Wales – way back when he represented the under-15s – had also been against Slovakia, with Wales losing 5–0. Thankfully, history wouldn’t repeat itself on this occasion, but the gutsy attacking midfielder noted the wider significance of Davies’ block and how it would go on to have much further-reaching ramifications for Wales’ success at Euro 2016: ‘If we go 1–0 down there, it’s an uphill battle immediately and you never know how those things pan out. Ben’s block early on in that game, that set us up for the tournament really – we just had immense belief from that point onwards that something special was going to happen.’ It was a perfect barometer of what Wales are all about. Davies’ block showed fierce desire and just how willing he was to put everything on the line for his teammates – he could quite easily have done himself some damage chasing that ball. Most players would have left it to go in, such was the apparent hopelessness of the situation at that moment, but Davies’ incredible determination proved everyone wrong and showed the continent, who would watch this game back afterwards, exactly what kind of team Wales are, as he cleared the ball and the Dragons were given another chance.
Jonny Williams’ inclusion in this game was an inspired choice – one of the many that Chris Coleman made throughout the tournament in terms of his line-up tweaks and the timing of his substitutions. Hal Robson-Kanu took a seat on the bench for this game, as he had lacked match practice in the buildup to the tournament, but the little whippet Joniesta was perfect as his replacement. A persistent menace, hounding opposition defenders and generally making a right nuisance of himself to cause Slovakia all kinds of problems, he slotted seamlessly into the front three with Ramsey and Bale. The trio would rotate positions constantly throughout the game to keep Slovakia guessing, and their relentless energy really limited Slovakia’s main threat: their incredible ability to hurt teams in transition. Whenever Wales lost the ball, BANG: those three were there, ready to press the centre backs and the number 6 whilst Wales’ wing backs and holding midfielders kept Slovakia’s full backs and other midfielders busy. Although there must have been nerves within the Wales camp ahead of this, a game they’d all waited their whole lives to contest, it translated into purpose and joie de vivre as Wales’ aggressive pressing game left Slovakia resorting to a long-ball approach that found their forwards hopelessly mismatched against the physicality of Ashley Williams, James Chester and Ben Davies in the Welsh rearguard.
Two more mind-blowing twists of fate were still to come, however, with the first arriving after ten minutes of play. When the oft-labelled Prince of Wales, Gareth Bale, scored his first goal for the Dragons back in 2006, he netted a 25-yard free kick against Slovakia. Ten years later, who was it that scored Wales’ first goal at a European Championship, with Wales’ first shot on target, from a 25-yard free kick against Slovakia? Yep, that man Gareth Bale! Joniesta was again at the centre of proceedings, winning the free kick for Bale to convert, but what an absolute racket the Wales fans made when that goal was scored! The keeper really should have saved it – he more or less dived out of the way, to be honest, but absolutely nobody in red cared! We were all just immensely happy to be there, whether our Dragons won, lost or drew; but now, after Davies’ block and Bale’s free-kick, well, we celebrated and sang and leapt around like Wales had just been confirmed as winners of the tournament. The rest of the first half is somewhat of a blur, to be honest with you – none of us could hear ourselves think, and we were all dizzy and exhausted from the constant jumping around and dancing. Gary Speed, Coleman, Bale, Joe Ledley, Hal Robson-Kanu – they all got their turn having their names chanted by the fans. The singing just went on, and on, and on, right up until half-time, where Wales found themselves 1– 0 up, having dominated the majority of the first 45 minutes.
Half-time went by in an instant, with everyone in the concourse catching flies as they walked around openmouthed, contemplating what they’d just witnessed and been a part of. But this is Wales we’re talking about… and the second half didn’t start as rosily as the first. A change of tactics, formation and personnel for the Slovaks – who had beaten the mighty Spain in qualification and Germany in a pre-tournament friendly, don’t forget – suddenly had Wales hanging on to their lead for dear life. Ondrej Duda scored after an hour for the away side, to level the scores at 1–1, but some fantastic, brave decision-making from Coleman turned the game on its head and gave the Dragons the initiative, as Andrew Gwilym – a vastly experienced sports reporter for Westgate Sports Agency – remarked: ‘You would have to say that Chris Coleman at this tournament was a man totally sure of his own mind, with total belief in what he and his staff were doing. That’s not to say he didn’t have that during qualifying, but when he came into the job he didn’t have that degree of authority or comfort in the role, and it’s something that has had to come gradually over time. Against Slovakia we were at 1–1, we’d not played in a major finals for 60 years… most people at that point, including myself, would have taken the draw. After 75 minutes I’d have taken 1–1, and Chris Coleman could have – maybe the Coleman of a few years ago would have – but he didn’t. He looked at it and thought there was still something there for the team, and he was brave enough to go and take it. The two changes he made – bringing Hal Robson-Kanu and Joe Ledley on – were very brave because if Wales had conceded a goal, he’d probably have come under fire. But he had the feel of the game spot on, so it allowed Wales to find the space to play in and go on to win the game – it was a feature of the entire campaign that he made great decisions like that.’
A great decision indeed, as Robson-Kanu came on and was fed by Aaron Ramsey after six minutes on the pitch, mishitting a strike through the legs of Ján Ďurica and into the back of the net. Peeling away from the box, with the rest of Wales’ Dragons in tow, HRK’s goal was celebrated with a pile-on by the corner flag in front of a set of supporters that were erupting with excitement at the prospect of seeing their beloved little nation succeed on a major international stage and become the first British country ever to win their opening game at a European Championship. The scenes in the crowd were incredible, tear-jerking – absolutely insane, there is no other way to describe it – and this was only the first game!
Whilst everyone rightly lauds the introduction of Robson-Kanu, the arrival of Joe Ledley – yes, the same Joe Ledley who had broken his leg only 35 days prior to all this – onto this incredible stage was a fantastic choice as well. Gaps were suddenly being plugged everywhere, counter-attacks were starting much more quickly, the ball fizzed around much more when Wales had it. This was a guy who had been in tears just over a month earlier at the prospect of missing what he may have thought, with the likes of Emyr Huws coming through the ranks, would be his last chance to be a regular starter for Wales in a major tournament. Yet here he was, running around like a blue-arsed fly to win the initiative back for Wales.
It was particularly touching to see him sharing an emotional embrace with Wales’ Head Physio Sean Connelly – who also works for Ledley’s club Crystal Palace and oversaw Ledley’s rehabilitation from start to finish – just before coming on in the Slovakia match. Wales’ bearded hero recalled the experience of succeeding in making it onto the bench in Bordeaux after an incredibly fast recovery: ‘I’d never thought before the tournament that I’d make the first game – we’d always aimed for the third – so to come on in the first game and be a part of the goal, and to start every game after that, was a remarkable achievement for everyone involved. I’d played nearly every game in the qualifiers so I obviously wanted to start, but you have to be realistic and I was nowhere near ready to do that. When the national anthem went out I was obviously gutted not to be starting, but I had a lump in my throat because the fans just took over that day, they were absolutely incredible. Then the gaffer told me to warm up, and suddenly I was coming on with the scores at 1–1. Obviously I had to appreciate Sean, you know after everything he did for me. We worked hard together every day for four weeks – he took time out of his own schedule as well. It means so much to me and I’ll never forget that – that’s why I had to give him a hug before I came on!’
John Martin, a comedian and very close friend of the Speed family, spoke glowingly of Wales’ performances in the tournament on the whole, as well as about what happened immediately after scoring the winner against Slovakia, where a flag with Gary Speed’s face on it was perfectly placed in the background of the celebrations: ‘Gary worked day and night to see the potential of these players realised and have them contesting a major tournament. It was something he tried so hard to achieve as a player himself and something he wanted to achieve as a manager, which is why he started the process of maybe being more professional and thorough than it had been previously. Chris Coleman got these boys to France in emphatic fashion through qualifying, and you just know Gary was looking down on Chris and these players, cheering and smiling. Seeing his face on a flag in the background as Wales celebrated the winning goal was perfect. Purely coincidence I know, but it was almost as if he was watching over them! These were great times in Welsh football – with many more to come surely – and it is fantastic to see the memory of that great man is still being celebrated today, hand in hand with Chris Coleman’s and Wales’ incredible successes!’
The reaction from Wales supporters after the match was such that many were convinced Slovakia weren’t supposed to be that great an outfit and were surprised at how well they’d performed against Wales at times in the match. That was an incredibly unfair assessment. The fact that they were unbeaten in their last eight games running up to this opening Euro 2016 fixture against the Dragons – a run which included victories over Iceland, Switzerland and the World Champions Germany (who Slovakia beat comfortably) – should have made it abundantly clear to everyone that this was not a team to be trifled with. Even so, some fans were still surprised at Hamšík’s quality, the ability of Vladimír Weiss to create havoc every now and then, and the overall performance of Slovakia, although Wales’ tactics prevented Ján Kozák’s men from performing anywhere near their best.
UEFA’s Welsh Football Correspondent Mark Pitman – usually impervious to emotion in his coverage or analysis of a match – waxed somewhat lyrical about the atmosphere inside the stadium in Bordeaux, as well as Wales’ performance on the day. ‘There was something unique about the atmosphere: this was THE game, the game that so many had waited for, for so long. I tried to put my finger on what was unique, and I believe it was a collective determination from the fans that this day would not be another day of Welsh football disappointment. Welsh football has had so many over the years, but there seemed to be a feeling that this could not possibly be another one. The fans had so much passion and energy for the anthem, it was hair-raising. You could sense it in the streets before the match, in the stadium – the players could sense it. There were some fine margins that decided the game, but it was beautiful and incredible, and it was a result that really set the tone for the remainder of Wales’ campaign.’
Stifling Slovakia’s counter-attacking game with aggressive pressing, smart line-up choices and shrewd substitutions – features that would serve Wales well throughout the tournament – Chris Coleman’s side had got the job done in an opening game against very strong opposition, where nerves and that sense of anticipation, from both the fans and the players, would be at their highest levels for Wales. Sam Vokes, who didn’t feature in Wales’ first two games of Euro 2016, but would have a profound impact for the Dragons later, summed up the experience perfectly: ‘What a great day! You could feel the energy and the anticipation before we’d even got to the ground, and I think the way we performed really set us up for the tournament. If we’d lost or drawn that game, we’d have been up against it, so the win was absolutely massive for us because it calmed the nerves and got us off and running. We wanted to get out of the group, and winning the first game was massive in helping us ensure that. Even just warming up, the fans were all there early to sing and cheer and take everything in, and they just made the whole experience even better for us as players, right throughout the tournament. Just a big sea of red… It’s a credit to the fans how good they were all tournament, but that Slovakia game was like a big celebration for them – it was really special.’
Ben Davies, the real match-winner in the eyes of many after his third-minute block, admitted when speaking to me after the tournament that he had watched the moment back many a time, but the other special moment for him in the match involved Danny Ward and Jonny Williams. ‘Of course I’ve seen it back! But I’ve watched Hal’s winning goal more times! As a defender it’s your job to stop goals, and that’s all that I saw that I was doing in that game. The anthem in that game was special, probably the best anthem I’ve heard Welsh fans sing. I’ll always remember this game so well, with it being our first game in a major competition for so long. The nerves, the excitement, it all felt extra special given it was our first game, and to get the win was a very special feeling. Having my good friend Danny Ward come in on such short notice and put in the performance that he did is a great credit to him and to all of the boys in our squad – sharing that moment with two people (Danny and
Jonny) who have been teammates of mine since the Under-16’s was even better!’
The Welsh fans hadn’t given Bordeaux chance to get much sleep the night before the game, as a sea of red on the city’s quayside belted out the anthem non-stop, so loud that you couldn’t even hear the locals celebrating an opening victory for the Euro 2016 hosts against Romania, and so touching that it garnered attention from all of the country’s media the next day (the first of many occasions). It only got better after this victory against Slovakia. My friends and I ended up walking back from the stadium to the city centre, which took about two hours, but when we got back everyone was still singing, hugging, dancing – just really loving and lapping up every single second of the amazing occasion that we were all a part of. Sure, the screens in every pub showing that England had just drawn 1–1 with Russia made for extra pretty viewing, but despite the deafening chants of ‘WE! ARE! TOP OF THE LEAGUE! I SAY WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE!’ everyone was just so delighted to be there, and the Slovaks were fantastic too, hugging and congratulating us all.
In the main square, I bumped into two fantastic people – Lauren and Holly – who were working on a ‘Fans’ Reaction’ piece for FAW TV and I just had to go over and hug them, because look at what we were standing in the middle of! Probably one of the most beautiful cities in the world, red-shirted fans thronging the streets and Calon Lân, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, the Hal Robson-Kanu chant and countless other amazing sounds all mashed up into what I imagine music must be like in heaven – absolutely breathtaking! I just didn’t think it could get any better than that. I was convinced from the minute I left Bordeaux that nothing would top that experience, but it did – it just kept getting better and better and better! In a region best known for its wines, Wales had become the most famous and popular red in the land by far by the time the fans, players and staff reunited again in Lens five days later for an all-British clash against their archrivals, Roy Hodgson’s England.
When Dragons Dare to Dream is out now, published by Y Lolfa. http://www.ylolfa.com.