Wales proving credentials – Allen

Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen insists Wales proved they belong at Euro 2016 after picking up a victory in their opening group game over Slovakia on Saturday.

Wales, who are priced at 3.25 to win Group B, made their first appearance at a major tournament for 58 years in Bordeaux on Saturday and showed a good fighting spirit to take all three points.

The Dragons sit top of Group B following a 2-1 triumph after England and Russia played out a 1-1 draw later in the day. Gareth Bale bagged the opener for Wales before Slovakia got back on level terms through substitute Ondrej Duda on 61 minutes.

However, Wales refused to give up and restored their advantage courtesy of Hal Robson-Kanu with nine minutes left to ensure they made a positive start to their campaign. Allen’s performance in midfield earned him the man-of-the match award but he was keen to praise the squad as a whole.

“Never mind my performance, the team was brilliant,” Allen said. “We showed great grit. To go 1-0 up, then get pegged back and for a spell we were against the ropes for a bit, but we dug deep like we always do and that is what this team is all about. “When we got the second goal we were confident we could hang onto it.”

The Liverpool man believes that hard work and team spirit were the key factors in their triumph and hopes they can carry that momentum through to the next games when they face England on Wednesday and then Russia on June 20.

He added: “We wanted the same approach that we had during the qualifying campaign with the understanding that we would have to work hard off the ball. “Everyone put a shift in and we know we are a massive threat on the counter-attack with the likes of Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Jonny Williams and Hal when he came on to get the winner. “We can hurt teams and this was the type of performance I think our fans have come to expect from us, and we have got to make sure we go into our next two games with the same mindset.”