Wales didn’t just make it to their first major tournament in over half a century, they got out of their group… as winners.
With England failing to break down a stuborn Slovakian defence in Saint Etienne, Wales were breezing past Russia in Toulouse.
Russia, a country over 800 times the size of little Wales. Russia, whose population of 144m people dwarfs Wales’ of a mere 3m. Russia, a country that’s hosting the World Cup in a couple of years…
3-0 it finished, with goals from Aaron Ramsey, Neil Taylor and Gareth Bale sealing Chris Coleman’s side’s passage into the last 16.
As well as savouring the moment, many a Welshman (with help from others) used the result as an opportunity to poke fun at Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
vladimir putin is now trying to work out where Wales is. #WALRUS pic.twitter.com/hzcWhv33bW
— Gordon MacMillan (@gordonmacmillan) June 20, 2016
It's amazing how many times that ball was Putin the back of the net. Full Marx to Wales. There's no rasputin they de-serf'd that win
— sean jones (@seany180) June 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/NathanConstable/status/744999857102913536
In his temperature controlled chamber Putin puts down the atlas. "That's where Wales is".
— Al Murray – DKMS.ORG.UK 🇺🇦 (@almurray) June 20, 2016
Humiliated by Wales thrashing of Russian team, Putin immediately orders execution of a family of humpbacks off coast of Kamchatka #WALRUS
— Lance Gould (@lancegould) June 20, 2016
In winning the group, Wales will now face one of the third place finishers in the next round. England will face the second placed team in Group F – a group containing Iceland, Hungary, Austria and Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal.
