London (AFP) – Ryan Giggs said it was the “greatest night in Welsh football history,” after Wales beat Belgium to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Victory in Lille saw Wales into the last four of a major tournament for the first time in their history.
It was a result made all the more impressive by the fact that this was Wales’s first appearance in a leading global event since they were beaten by eventual champions Brazil in the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
Manchester United great Giggs, a former Wales captain, was in no doubt of the signficance of his country’s 3-1 win over Belgium, which set up a semi-final against Portugal.
“I’m so proud,” said the 42-year-old in his role as a pundit for British broadcaster ITV.
“It’s quite simply the greatest night in Welsh football history, the best result in Welsh football history but more impressively, it was the best performance.
“To make a team ranked second in the world look so ordinary and in the end win comfortably is very impressive.
“They (Wales) were the better team in every area — defensively, offensively, they won every challenge, and they looked comfortable.
“Of course Belgium had their moments, but so did Wales. And three fantastic goals,” he added of well-taken efforts by skipper Ashley Williams, Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes, all of which came after Radja Nainggolan gave Belgium a 13th-minute lead.
Giggs, capped 64 times by Wales, is the most decorated player in United’s illustrious history and he amassed a record 963 appearances and 35 major trophies before going on to serve as an assistant to former managers David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
However, there were reports in the British media on Friday that he was about to quit United and so end an association with the Old Trafford club stretching back 29 years after being offered a reduced backroom role by incoming manager Jose Mourinho.
