WALES are almost certainly there, they will surely play knockout football at Euro 2020 thanks to a wonderful 2-0 win against Turkey.

After the most nervy of evenings in Baku, how nice to pretty much have the job done ahead of Rome, ready to enjoy a free hit against a formidable Italy team.

Robert Page's men are guaranteed at least third in Group A and four points should be enough to make it to the last 16, whether as runners-up or one of the leading third-placed nations.

This performance suggests that they are a team that others will want to avoid – it had pretty much everything apart from the finishing.

South Wales Argus:

They were so much better than in the opener against Switzerland, when fortunate to escape with a precious draw.

Gareth Bale pulled the strings and picked out the passes, Kieffer Moore provided a focal point and there was a combination of energy and discipline.

Chris Mepham and Joe Rodon were massive at the back when they shouldn't really have needed to be.

Wales battered Turkey in the first half and finally made the pressure count in the 42nd minute when Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey combined for a glorious goal.

After the fear that chances would cost Cymru, there was massive relief but more was needed from the resumption to avoid a huge task in Rome.

Surely Turkey would improve?

South Wales Argus:

They did but it should have been game over when Bale won and then missed a penalty on the hour.

Thankfully it didn't prove to be costly and Connor Roberts slotted at the death from a cunning corner.

Boss Page stuck with the XI that started against the Swiss, resisting the temptation to switch to five at the back or bring in some midfield protection in the shape of Ethan Ampadu.

Wales started exceptionally well with Bale on the left and Dan James on the right – and it was the captain that created a golden chance in the sixth minute.

Bale played in Ramsey and he cut inside but failed to beat Ugurcan Cakir at his near post, the 'keeper saving with his right boot.

Wales should have been 1-0 up and were close to being 1-0 down after eight minutes when a quick free-kick ended with a Burak Yilmaz shot being blocked well by Chris Mepham, Danny Ward having the deflected effort covered.

Turkey were looking open at the back and Kieffer Moore headed over in the 13th minute – more encouragement for Page's men.

Another chance came two minutes later when a ball from James, switched to the left, was nodded across goal by Bale and then again by Ramsey only for the ball to be cleared via the elbow of Caglar Soyuncu.

Rightly, a penalty was not awarded.

There was another wasted opportunity in the 23rd minute when a delightful Bale ball put Ramsey in, be controlled but blazed over when going for power.

Wales were all over Turkey yet showed set piece vulnerability when a pair of corners had to be cleared off the line on the half hour.

That signalled a better spell by the men in red, yet they played themselves into trouble only to have another lucky escape.

Bale pounced on a loose pass and there was a three on two – Leicester's Soyuncu defended it superbly to snuff out the danger but the centre-back shouldn't have been given a chance.

Wales should have been more than 1-0 up but they settled for that at the break after the peach of a goal as the whistle approached.

Bale pinged a wonderful ball over the top, Ramsey timed his run perfectly and this time made no mistake after chesting the ball down.

Turkey responded with a pair of half-time changes, bringing on Merih Demiral in defence and Yusuf Yazici to provide a spark.

They were staring down the barrel, and started more aggressively as expected, while Wales had to finish the job.

Bale fired over from distance and then Burak Yilmaz did likewise from close range when he should have levelled.

The chances kept coming with Cakir staying big to deny Ramsey after a deflected drive approaching the hour.

Then came the opportunity to stretch the lead from the spot after Bale was fouled by Zeki Celik – it was a chance that the captain fired high.

The superstar nearly made immediate amends by blocking 'keeper Cakir's clearance only for the ball to agonisingly drift just wide.

It was horrendously tense and Page brought on Ethan Ampadu for the tiring Joe Allen.

The clock was ticking slowly and Wales were getting deeper against a Turkish team unable to pick out a killer pass.

Yet with 86 on the clock it took a fine Ward stop to deny Demiral from a corner – hold on for 1-0? Nope, the win was sealed when Roberts slotted from a corner.

Wales: Ward, Roberts, Mepham, Rodon, Davies, Allen (Ampadu 72), Morrell, Ramsey (Wilson 85), James, Bale, Moore.
Substitutes: Hennessey, Gunter, N Williams, Lockyer, Wilson, Roberts, Norrington-Davies, Williams, Brooks, Davies, Levitt.
Goal: Ramsey, Roberts.