Taylor-made for a long run
AS Neil Taylor raced into the Russian penalty area in Toulouse, one thought crossed his mind: “Who can I pass to?”
For most players, going clean through on goal for your country at a major tournament is something they will have dreamed of. Taylor is no different but this was uncharted territory.
The Swansea full-back had never scored for his country. In fact, he had not scored in 208 games stretching back six years to a goal for Wrexham against Grays Athletic in the Conference in April 2010.
On that occasion, there was a crowd of just 298 and Taylor and his colleagues changed in Portakabins. Understandably, playing in front of 30,000 with a place in the knockout stages of Euro 2016 on the line proved a very different matter.
“Of course I was nervous. I even looked to square it twice but no one was there,” said Taylor. “I looked to put it through the keeper’s legs and he didn’t open them. So when it came back to me I decided just to put my foot through it.
“I managed to score in the end and that was a very special feeling.” Goals are such collector’s items for Taylor that he still clearly remembers his strike from back in his non-League days, a matter of months before his move to Swansea and his Wales debut.
“Yes, I remember it. Grays away. It was my last game for Wrexham,” said the 27-year-old.
“It was a volley at the back post – so it was a bit nicer than this one – but it was great to score and I would like to score more. I play higher up the field for Wales than I do at Swansea and the onus is on me and Chris Gunter to get up there as often as we can.
“It was a crucial goal as that second one gave us some breathing space.” Taylor’s goal capped a perfect night for Wales, with Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale also netting in the 3-0 hammering of a woeful Russia to help Chris Coleman’s Dragons top Group B and set up a last-16 clash against one of the best thirdplaced teams in Paris on Saturday.
It also made him the first player of Indian descent to score at a major tournament and put him ahead of some illustrious figures in the tournament’s goalscoring charts.
“I am actually ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic now, so hopefully it can stay that way,” he said. “Gareth is top scorer for us and we are the top scorers as a team. We are enjoying every moment and hopefully Wales will empty out again for Paris.”
Bale terrorised Russia’s bedraggled defence at every opportunity and the Real Madrid star ranked it as one of the finest nights of his glittering career. The 26-year-old is now daring to dream of how far Wales can go, having given themselves a more negotiable path to the latter stages of the competition.
“It is hard to describe, it was an unbelievable occasion. It is right up there with anything I’ve done,” said Bale. “Given the pressure of the game that was one of the best team displays I have ever been a part of.
“Finishing top definitely gives us the best chance of going a long way.”
‘I’m actually ahead of Ronaldo now’