Hal Robson-Kanu scored a sensational goal as Wales came from behind to stun Belgium 3-1 in yesterday’s Euro 2016 quarter-final in Lille and reach their first major tournament semi-final.
Radja Nainggolan gave Belgium a 13th-minute lead, but Ashley Williams equalised before a dazzling strike from Robson-Kanu, whose contract with English second-tier club Reading expired on Thursday, and a late header by substitute Sam Vokes earned Wales a historic victory.
Wales talisman Gareth Bale will now go head-to-head with his Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo when the tournament’s last British representatives face Portugal in Lyon on Wednesday.
In beating Belgium, who they also defeated in qualifying, Chris Coleman’s men surpassed the Wales greats of 1958, whose quarter-final showing at that year’s World Cup in Sweden had been the country’s best previous achievement.
But they will have to do without both Ben Davies and Aaron Ramsey, who set up two of the Wales goals, after they received bookings that ruled them out of the semi-final.
Belgium coach Marc Wilmots will face difficult questions about his failure to achieve more with one of his nation’s finest collections of footballers.
He was missing three of his four first-choice defenders - Vincent Kompany and Jan Vertonghen through injury, Thomas Vermaelen through suspension - but with no other previous tournament-winners in this half of the draw, defeat represented a massive missed opportunity.
Heavy pre-match downpours in Lille heightened fears about the pitch, which was relaid just a week ago, but the slick playing surface held firm and provided the platform for an electrifying game.
Inside the first 10 minutes, Yannick Carrasco, Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard had all gone close for Belgium, while Romelu Lukaku failed to make telling contact with a deep Kevin De Bruyne corner.
Robson-Kanu headed over for Wales and Bale hit the side-netting, but in the 13th minute Belgium went ahead when Nainggolan met Hazard’s lay-off with a blistering 30-yard shot that whistled into the top-left corner.