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BAKU. — Wales moved a big step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages of the European Championship after Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts scored in a 2-0 win over Turkey in their second Group A match at the Olympic Stadium last night.
Ramsey failed to convert two chances early in the first half but scored just before halftime when he made a run through the middle to chest down Gareth Bale’s perfect ball over the defence and slip it past the goalkeeper.
Wales could have doubled the lead at the hour mark when Bale was tripped by Zeki Celik at the edge of the box and awarded a penalty, but the Welsh skipper skied his effort after a stuttering run up.
Wales scored right at the death in injury time when a corner was played short and Connor Roberts was on hand to divert a Bale pass past goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir to seal the victory.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Aleksei Miranchuk scored a stunning first half stoppage time winner against Finland to put his team’s Euro 2020 campaign back on track with a 1-0 victory that keeps Group B wide open.
Man-of-the-match Miranchuk scooped his shot into the far top corner as Russia, unbeaten against Finland since their first meeting in 1912, made amends for their loss to Belgium with their first win in their last seven matches at Euro finals.
“We got the job done, we are moving forward,” Miranchuk said. “We need to capitalise on our moments. This is a tournament that features good teams, so each moment can be a unique chance. You have to score.”
The Finns, winners 1-0 over Denmark in their first game that was marked by Christian Eriksen’s heart attack on the pitch, almost made the perfect start when Joel Pohjanpalo’s third minute header beat the Russian keeper but was ruled offside after a VAR review. It was Russia, fired up by the home crowd, who took control in the first half, with Finland sitting back and soaking up the pressure.
The visitors waited for the occasional break and both Pohjanpalo and Teemu Pukki tested goalkeeper Matvei Safonov.
An injury to Mario Fernandes after a rough fall in the 26th minute did not shift Russia’s focus and his replacement Vyacheslav Karavaev almost tapped in a cutback at the far post minutes after coming on.
Their dominance finally paid off in stoppage time thanks to a piece of magic from Miranchuk, who took on two defenders on the right, changed direction and scooped the ball into the far corner with a superb left-footed effort with Russia’s first shot on target. — Reuters.
Online Reporter