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I'm not a soccer fan but Wales have managed to beat Russia 3-0 in the Euro 2016 championship and thus top the group ahead of England and Slovakia. Seeing as they haven't qualified for any major international championship in about 58 years, this is amazing for a little country like my homeland.
Angharad.
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I saw some of the pre-England
I saw some of the pre-England/Wales hype and the way they were describing the Welsh team it was apparent that they weren't expected to do well. Or at least that was the impression I got from the experts. I guess the underdogs of the tournament have been found...
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
Torn between the two
As someone with a bit of Welsh, English and Irish (both sides of the border) blood in me I want all of the British Isles sides in the competition to do well.
The Welsh TEAM are just that, a real Team. Sadly, that will take them only so far. They can't rely on GB to win them the trophy or can they?
So for today, I want Northern Ireland to beat Germany. Won't happen but it would be nice because they like Wales are a real team.
England? Well, the old problem. Many sides just put 11 players behind the ball when playing England. That was obvious last night.
The experts said the same
The experts said the same thing in 2003 when the Patriots played the "Greatest show on turf"
We in the US have never been taught that Wales is a separate country like Scotland. It nice to learn, no matter how old.
I'll be rooting for Wales in the finals.
Karen
well
As I can claim English, Welsh and German amongst the smorgasbord of my genes almost any result would be a result! However I follow the countries largest participant sport and 22 men kicking a bladder around a field is fairly llow on my ffangirl llist (see what I did there?)
Now the 8 yo riding up the Tourmalet - that's a feat worthy of note.
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Wait, it's a Country?!?
Huh... learn something new everyday i guess. I'd always thought Wales was a county within England, simular to Yorkshire. After doing a bit of light reading after seeing this post i can see I'd been wrong my whole life lol.
Wales as a nation
has a longer pedigree than the English being the remnant of the Romano-British displaced by the Saxon invasion, along with Cornwall and originally parts of Cumbria and Northumbria, the names of the latter two areas deriving from the British (later Welsh) term Cymro meaning 'the people'.
The term British was really only revived during the Hanoverian period to try and distract from the fact the Royal family were actually Germans. It was also during this time that much of the culture of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales were invented, especially things like tartans. So much of the history and pageantry here is actually as fake as the Chinese made souvenirs they sell in vast numbers at heritage sites.
Angharad
Meanwhile, over the border...
England scraped a draw to come second in group.
Wales will next face a third-placed team on Saturday - so if they keep up their performance, could feasibly make it to the Quarter Finals, while England will face a second-placed team on Monday.
Slovakia came third and Russia fourth - so they don't have to worry about being disqualified due to fan violence, as they've been knocked out through their players' own lacklustre performance.
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!