Wales v Northern Ireland background
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Article summary
Wales will attempt to extend a positive run of results against Northern Ireland which stretches back 36 years as the British duo come together in the round of 16.
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Wales will seek to maintain a positive run of results against Northern Ireland that stretches back 36 years as the sides meet in the UEFA EURO 2016 round of 16.
Previous meetings
• Wales have had the better of the countries' 95 encounters: W44 D24 L27. The Welsh are also unbeaten in the last eight of those matches (W4 D4), a run dating back to a 1-0 friendly win for Northern Ireland in 1980.
• The teams' most recent tussle was a 1-1 friendly draw in Cardiff on 24 March, a late penalty from Simon Church cancelling out Craig Cathcart's opener.
• Their only previous EURO meetings came in qualifying for the 1968 finals, where they drew 0-0 at Belfast's Windsor Park before Wales edged the return fixture 2-0 in Cardiff.
EURO facts: Wales
• Group B winners Wales are playing at their first UEFA European Championship. Their previous best performance came in 1976 when they went down 3-1 to Yugoslavia on aggregate in the quarter-finals, losing the first leg 2-0 in Zagreb before a 1-1 draw in Cardiff.
• This is Wales's first outing at Parc des Princes, though older fans may remember the stadium as the one-time home of the French national rugby union side.
• Wales also made it through the group stage (following a 2-1 play-off victory over Hungary) in their only FIFA World Cup appearance in 1958; they fell 1-0 to eventual winners Brazil in the quarter-finals.
• Gareth Bale has scored in all three Wales games at UEFA EURO 2016; he also notched seven of their 11 goals in qualifying, providing two assists – meaning he scored or set up 82% of his team's goals.
EURO facts: Northern Ireland
• Northern Ireland are featuring at their first EURO. They had not played at a major tournament since bowing out of the 1986 World Cup at the group stage.
• Northern Ireland's greatest achievement was reaching the last eight of the 1958 World Cup (just like Wales) – they lost 4-0 to France in Norrkoping, Sweden.
• Northern Ireland are playing at Parc des Princes for the fourth time: they succumbed 1-0 to Germany at the venue in the group stage, having previously earned a 0-0 draw – and a 4-0 defeat – against France in friendly matches at the stadium. They have thus yet to score in three outings there.
Coach and player links
• Josh Magennis came through the ranks at Cardiff City FC (2007–10) while Wales’s Aaron Ramsey and Chris Gunter were making their first steps in the first team.
• Bale has registered in all three Welsh fixtures so far; two of those strikes have been direct free-kicks – as many as anyone has ever scored at a EURO.