Wilson’s wonderful winner wows watchers, Latest Football News - The New Paper
Football

Wilson’s wonderful winner wows watchers

Wales manager Giggs pleased with team; Ireland's O'Neill sees positives in defeat

Wales midfielder Harry Wilson produced another brilliant free-kick following his heroics against Manchester United to seal a 1-0 Nations League victory against toothless Ireland in Dublin yesterday morning (Singapore time).

The 21-year-old Derby County player on loan from Liverpool shocked Old Trafford from a set-piece in the League Cup last month, when he curled in the winner with his left foot from outside the area just before the hour mark.

The strike was out of keeping with a lifeless contest at the Aviva Stadium that looked to be heading for a goalless stalemate, with Wales missing Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey and Ireland struggling for inspiration after a miserable run of results.

Bale was out due to injury and Ramsey was in London with his family following the birth of his twins, AFP reported.

It was the first time Wales played a competitive game without the star pair since Ramsey made his debut in 2008, but manager Ryan Giggs has a growing group of young players to call on.

He handed senior starts to Leeds teenage striker Tyler Roberts and 18-year-old Manchester City player Matthew Smith, who is on loan at Dutch side Twente.

Giggs said he was proud of his team, particularly the performance of his captain Ashley Williams and Wilson.

"Harry Wilson, I fined him for the goal at Old Trafford a few weeks ago, I won't be tonight," the former Manchester United winger joked to Sky Sports.

"He does it all the time in training, it's practice, practice, practice. I'm so proud of the team, they dug in right to the end. It was a really brilliant second-half performance.

"The determination pleased me, to not give a goal away. We were led by the captain. Williams was outstanding. He defended, did the hard stuff which gave us the platform to go on.

"We set out to win the group. It's a tough group and now it is in our hands," added Giggs, whose side are top of League B, Group 4, which also includes Denmark and Ireland.

Former Liverpool and Ireland defender Phil Babb was also impressed with Wilson.

"The goalkeeper (Darren Randolph) took a little hop to his left, but there is another (camera) angle of Harry Wilson before that," Babb told Sky TV.

"That camera shows that he looks to that corner and then he looks to the opposite corner, and almost said 'I have given you the eyes'. It is fantastic technique and he is a great player."

Meanwhile, Martin O'Neill has vowed to carry on as Ireland boss despite another demoralising defeat, the Daily Mail reported.

Ireland are bottom with one point from three games and are staring at relegation to the third tier of the competition, as well as entering qualifying proper for Euro 2020 as third seeds.

"I've done that as a player and manager so yes, if you are asking about responsibility, I take it.

"That will not change and, in terms of questioning, I do question everything that happens, I will look back to see what we could have done better... I thought there were a lot of positives despite the result."

O'Neill saw enough positives to look ahead as far as Euro 2020, where he is confident that Ireland will pose a serious title threat.

"I genuinely do think we can mount a serious challenge (for Euro 2020)," he said.

"We need some major players back... Also, some of the younger lads, playing in these big games, they'll go back to their clubs and some will take it on board and try to improve."

Football