Wales vs Belgium match report: Welsh Dragons roar into Euro 2016 semi-finals with stunning destruction of Belgium

Wales 3 Belgium 1: One of the greatest nights in Welsh sporting history puts Chris Coleman's men on the cusp of history - just Portugal stand in their way of the final

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When the heroes of the 1958 World Cup returned to Wales after reaching the quarter-finals, the players disembarked at Swansea rail station without so much of a sideways glance, but the boys of 2016 will be given the freedom of Cardiff, Newport and Wrexham after stunning Belgium to reach the semi-finals of the European Championships.

Passion, commitment and togetherness, combined with breathtaking goals from Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes, following a captain’s equaliser from Ashley Williams, sent Belgium crashing out of the tournament to set up a semi-final against Portugal in Lyon next Wednesday.

It will be Cristiano Ronaldo versus Gareth Bale, a clash of two football titans, but Portugal will be wise not to under-estimate the rest of Coleman’s squad. Even without Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies, who picked up yellow cards which see them suspended, the Welsh have proven they can be a match for anyone.

‘Are you watching England?’ chanted the Wales fans during this destruction of one of the pre-tournament favourites.

England, with all of their Champions League-playing superstars, could not even beat the minnows of Iceland, yet Wales claimed the scalp of Belgium with the goal of the game scored by Robson-Kanu, a player whose Reading contract expired 24 hours earlier.

A day after becoming a free agent, he scored the goal of his life.

Despite claiming a victory in Cardiff and draw in Brussels against Belgium during the qualification campaign for this tournament, Wales manager Chris Coleman acknowledged prior to this game that his team would face a different proposition in Lille, and not just on the recently-relaid pitch at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.

Sam Vokes is the picture of joy after scoring Wales' third (Getty)

With Lille just 16km from the border, over 100,000 Belgians invaded the city in the hours before kick-off, leaving the vocal Welsh contingent hugely outnumbered in the stadium.

This was as good as a home game for Marc Wilmots’ team, a reality underlined by Eden Hazard’s first return to Lille since his transfer to Chelsea in 2012. Belgium claimed three-quarters of the stadium and also boasted the returning hero as their captain, so Wales certainly had a mountain to climb.

And Belgium, having flattered to deceive at the 2014 World Cup, have graced the Euro 2016 stage and justified their status as second-best team in the world according to the Fifa rankings.

The Rode Duivels had reached the quarter-finals with a 4-0 destruction of Hungary in Toulouse and, despite losing their central defence following the suspension of Thomas Vermaelen and injury to Jan Vertonghen, Belgium started with confidence and belief.

It was as though they were in a rush to secure their first appearance in a major semi-final since being cut down by Diego Maradona and Argentina in the 1986 World Cup.

The opening ten minutes were a blur for Wales, with Belgium hitting Coleman’s team with wave after wave of slick and quick attacks.

Hal Robson-Kanu wheels away delighted (Getty)

Seven minutes in, the Welsh survived three successive efforts on the goal in the space of ten seconds, with goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey initially saving Yannick Carrasco’s shot before Neil Taylor blocked the follow-up from Thomas Meunier.

When Eden Hazard rifled the loose ball back, it appeared destined for the back of the net until an outstretched Welsh leg diverted it over the crossbar.

Wales, struggling to catch their breath, flashed a warning to Belgium when Gareth Bale raced down the left before shooting into the side-netting, but the Belgians then opened the scoring in spectacular fashion on 13 minutes when Nainggolan struck one of the goals of the tournament.

The AS Roma midfielder, a summer-long target for Chelsea, beat Hennessey with a rocket of a right-foot shot from 30 yards after being teed up by Hazard.

Hennessey, his sight blocked by Williams and Ramsey, had no chance as the ball arrowed into the top corner beyond his outstretched palms.

Belgium deserved their lead and Wales began to ship water, with three defenders – Davies, James Chester and Chris Gunter – picking up yellow cards in the early skirmishes.

But Wales steadied themselves and stemmed the Belgian tide. Hal Robson-Kanu offered himself as a battering ram up front and Coleman’s players began to create chances of their own.

Thibaut Courtois produced a reflex save to keep out Taylor’s right-foot effort after the Swansea defender had been teed up by Ramsey and Bale threatened again.

But the equaliser came from a set-piece on 31 minutes when Williams, who overcame a badly bruised shoulder to start the game, escaped his marker to direct a header into the net from Ramsey’s corner.

It was a reward for Wales’s persistence and Bale, clearly determined to seize the moment, forced another fine save from Courtois when the Chelsea ‘keeper dived full-stretch to keep out the Real Madrid winger’s right-foot strike.

Williams then sent another header from a Ramsey corner before Robson-Kanu forced a save from Courtois late in the first-half.

Having been outplayed and outrun for 20 minutes, Wales ended the half in the ascendancy, with dreams of the semi-finals still alive.

Belgium were suddenly reverted to type. High on talent, but low on delivery.

The Wales team mob Ashley Williams after his opener (Getty)

Wilmots attempted to regain control of the midfield by introducing Marouane Fellaini in place of winger Yannick Carrasco and Belgium started the second-half as they started the first, with Romelu Lukaku and Hazard both going close inside the opening five minutes. Williams then headed clear just as Lukaku was set to head in at the far post.

There is an unbreakable spirit in this Wales team, however, and a refusal to cave in and they once again rolled off the ropes to hit Belgium hard on the counter.

It was a spectacular response too. Robson-Kanu, having received the ball with his back to goal from Ramsey, sent three Belgian defenders the wrong way with a Cruyff turn ten yards out which left one-on-one with Courtois.

Without a hint of tension, the former England U-19 forward coolly guided a left-foot shot beyond Courtois to put Wales 2-1 ahead and 35 minutes away from the semi-final.

The Belgium fightback would surely come, a team of such talented players in front of their vast army of fans?

They tried, somewhat half-heartedly, but the defending of Williams, Davies and the hugely impressive James Chester became more resolute with every passing minute.

Fellaini wasted a close range header, Axel Witsel failed to connect a knockdown from the Manchester United midfielder and Nainggolan was unlucky not to win a penalty when Williams trod on his foot nine minutes from time.

But Wales were the team with energy, desire and belief and their incredible performance was crowned when Burnley forward Vokes headed Gunter’s cross beyond Courtois on 86 minutes.

An unforgettable moment in a summer to remember for Wales.

They are now just ninety minutes away from the Euro 2016 final.