Speaking to the Sky Sports Euros Podcast, Sky Sports' Geraint Hughes reflects on Wales' Euro 2020 last-16 defeat to Denmark. The futures of Gareth Bale and Rob Page are discussed along with what might be next for Wales...
Sunday 27 June 2021 23:37, UK
It was a highly disappointing way to go out of the tournament, but Denmark were worthy winners, by some margin.
The 4-0 score hurts because at 1-0 Wales were pushing to try and get back into the game and if that doesn't work, it often happens where the other team goes on to get a couple of extra goals and Harry Wilson's red card didn't help that either.
It ended pretty badly - probably a comfortable 2-0 win for Denmark would have been a fairer result, but Denmark were good.
I thought Wales were purring nicely at first. The way they were knocking the ball around, it was looking good because the Denmark players were taking two or three touches when they got the ball, they were hesitant and looking around whereas Wales were playing one-touch football and they weren't dwelling on the ball.
There was a huge amount of space for Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. I could not believe it.
But all of a sudden Denmark found a response. The Danish bench were looking at the game - and if I could work out what was going on, they certainly knew what to do.
They bought Andreas Christiansen out of the back three, went to a back four and put him in the space in midfield. From that moment Bale and Ramsey just didn't have the same time or space on the ball.
Denmark reacted to Wales' bright start, but Wales couldn't react to Denmark's changes. Denmark just got stronger and stronger and literally took a physical grip of the game.
Once the first goal went in Wales just couldn't get a foothold in the game. Denmark were the dominant side and they controlled possession, they controlled territory and they controlled Wales.
The second goal was key and there were a number of things involved.
First of all, they were caught a little bit cold at the start of the second half. They didn't come out of the traps. You maybe would have thought after a half-time team talk and the situation of the game, Wales would have come out firing and grabbed the ascendancy, but it didn't turn out like that. Denmark started the stronger of the two sides.
The goal itself, it's a foul on Kieffer Moore. I can't see anything other than a foul but it happened up in the Danish half and Wales had plenty of time to try and sort things out from there.
Referees make mistakes - they are not fallible.
I was listening to a colleague from Germany and he said in Germany, in the Bundesliga, VAR would go back that far. They go quite a way back in the move, look at it and possibly overturn the decision. But here at the Euros and maybe in the Premier League, the way we are more used to VAR, you don't go back that far.
Nevertheless, it was calamitous defending when they were trying to clear the ball and the second goal goes in and that was effectively game over.
The disappointing thing for the Wales fans is other than that first 15 to 20 minutes, they didn't really play the football they are capable of playing.
That should be the biggest regret that Wales have because they are capable of playing much better football than they showed.
I think Gareth Bale will continue to play for Wales.
He made it clear he wasn't going to say anything about his future until the Euros were over. Now, the Euros were technically over when he was asked the question, but I imagine the emotion and the fact it came so soon, meant he walked out of the interview.
The question could have been asked in a different way considering Bale was going to be emotional and didn't really want to answer the question.
However, he did speak to our colleagues at Welsh language TV S4C. I think he'd just had a few minutes to reflect on things. He was asked a similar kind of question in a different way and he talked about wanting to play at the World Cup with this group of young players and using the experience they've had at this tournament, using it going forward and that he wanted to continue to play football for Wales. As long as he is playing football, he will play football for Wales.
I'll take you back to an interview we did with him on Sky Sports back in March of this year. It was a much more relaxed interview and we spoke about the World Cup and about his future, and he didn't give any indication that he was hanging up his boots.
It was quite the contrary, really. He's achieved so much in his career at club level and he's now been at two European Championships with Wales, but he's never played at a World Cup. He spoke about it being a dream to play at a World Cup.
So, he said it to Sky Sports back in March and again, after some reflection, to S4C.
In his mind, he clearly wants to find some way of being able to play to keep himself fit to represent Wales at a World Cup.
Then he will be Gareth Bale, serial Champions League winner, serial La Liga winner and a player who has led his country at the Euros. He's been part of a squad which got to the semi-finals at Euro 2016 and if Wales can qualify for the World Cup, he'll probably captain his country at a World Cup.
That is one CV to be proud of.
Rob Page still has the respect of this Wales squad.
He's done a really good job in difficult circumstances. Ryan Giggs is due to stand trial in January of next year; he has stepped away from his role as Wales' national team manager and he has been away for some time now.
Page has not just been in charge for the Euros. He's done two international camps, a World Cup Qualifying camp and a Nations League camp. He's been in charge for a while and I expect that to continue.
Page pretty much said that himself last night. He said he will continue to do the job he's doing until told otherwise.
Giggs clearly cannot come back into the role while he has a trial pending and Page has done a good job.
They got out of the group stages, they got to the last 16 and as circumstances had it on Saturday, it just wasn't their day. Denmark were an immovable force, who could go far at this tournament.
I fully expect Page to still be in the role by the time the next lot of World Cup qualifiers come around in September. They've got Belarus and Estonia in September and then further games in October and November.
I can't see anyone other than Rob Page taking charge of those teams. If he wants the job, if he wants to do it, there's a very good argument he deserves to do it.
I can't normally wear rose-tinted spectacles when I cover Wales. I have to be objective covering the national team, but for this answer I'm going to take that away.
I am not sad after their exit. I'm not feeling terribly upset. You can get a beating sometimes - it happens. Denmark were just too good on the day.
Wales hadn't been to a major tournament for 58 years before 2016. They've now gone to consecutive European Championships, their world ranking has gone up, their co-efficient has gone up, which means they are ranked second in the groupings for the World Cup group they are in now and they are also in the top tier of the UEFA Nations League.
I've never known it so good for Wales, and they've deserved to be there.
They have got a young squad and more young players coming through in the pathway programme and there is a long-term plan for Wales to be going to major tournaments regularly. They don't just want to be one-hit wonders at tournaments.
If that's the plan, which I have been told, then sitting here reflecting, I'm excited because rather than having to watch England at a World Cup or a Euros and no other home nations, I'm looking forward to watching Wales in World Cup and Euros in the years to come
And that is a brilliant place to be in because throughout my childhood years, growing up with my father and grandfather, they never got to see Wales at a major tournament. I have and I'm looking forward to seeing some more as well.
So, to the Wales fans, don't be sad. Don't feel terrible. This is good. Tough things do happen, but we have to move on. We are in a much better place now. The future is looking bright.
