Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts have put Wales on the verge of the knockout stages of Euro 2020 after a 2-0 victory in Baku, but they could have had an comfier ride had Gareth Bale not blazed a second-half penalty horribly high of the target.
Bale was otherwise inspirational for Wales, and teed up Ramsey several times before the Juventus midfielder finally made no mistake in the 42nd minute – Ramsey timed his run into the penalty area to perfection, chested down a lofted ball from deep and stabbed the ball home emphatically.
Shortly after the hour mark, Bale was brought down by Mehmet Celik on the edge of the penalty area as he cut inside from the left. He stepped up to take the spot-kick himself but his aim was badly askew.
Despite late jitters, with Danny Ward having to save well from Merih Demiral, Wales hung on. Weathering a late storm, Bale then dribbled along the touchline deep in stoppage time from a corner before teeing up Connor Roberts, and with four points from two games they are now in an extremely strong position in Group A.
Ben Fisher’s match report from Baku Olympic Stadium will follow shortly
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