Let's be honest, Dragons were always going to defeat lions weren’t they?
In news that England fans could see coming a mile off but didn’t want to face the grim reality of until now, Wales are now officially a better team than the Three Lions, having edged ahead in the FIFA rankings for the first time in history.
Marking a quite incredible and unprecedented rise from the lowly position of 117th back in 2011, Chris Coleman’s Wales hold onto ninth spot while Roy Hodsgon’s perennial underachievers England fall two places to 10th. A fall which some England fans may even argue is slightly too flattering for a team which failed to escape the group stage in the recent World Cup.
Wales, in contrast, might not have made the trip to Brazil but have suddenly become world-beaters in their own right, displaying a gung-ho, flashy style of attacking football which has seen the team rise to the top of their qualifying group for Euro 2016, ahead of nearest rivals Belgium.
And having already beaten the Belgians at home and drawn with them away, you’d be a brave person to bet against them making next summer’s tournament in France. Especially with a squad brimming with Premier League talent (Aaron Ramsey, Ashley Williams, Joe Allen) and one Galactico named Gareth Bale, who arguably seems more comfortable playing for his national team than he does in Spain.
Speaking of the rankings, Coleman added: "We've been low in the rankings and had that rubbed in our face many a time. Now we're doing very well, certain people want to say the rankings are this and they're that, but the players deserve that.
Not that he’s getting carried away, adding: "We need to do something no-one's done. Success is getting to France.”
Let’s hope so, if only so that Tom Jones has to record the official Welsh Euro 2016 song.
[Via BBC Sport]
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