Ireland beware as Welsh Dragons breathe fire after Euros

Wales’ march to the semi-finals was the continuation of the momentum which had been generated through an impressive qualifying campaign, writes Liam Mackey.

Back in August of last year, John Hartson was in Dublin and in bullish mood as he talked up Wales’ chances of dominating Ireland in the qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The reaction in Ireland to drawing the Welsh as top seeds in our group was almost celebratory. At the least, there was a strong consensus that in avoiding European superpowers like Germany, Spain and France, a significant bullet had been dodged.