Defenders
Wales captain Ashley Williams was immense in his side’s historic 3-1 victory against Belgium. Not only did Williams defend solidly throughout the match, he also scored a vital equaliser and played a crucial part in cutting out the threat posed by Hazard, De Bruyne and Lukaku. Williams was calm and composed throughout the match and his positioning and tackles were spot on most of the times.
Partnering him at the heart of defence is Italy’s Bonucci. The Italian might have missed his penalty in the shoot-out, but he did convert his penalty in normal time and he managed to stifle the threat posed by Gomez and Muller pretty effectively throughout the match.
At the right-back and left-back positions, we have two talented German youngsters, Joshua Kimmich and Jonas Hector. The duo bombed up and down the flanks tirelessly and put in an accomplished performance against a very good Italy side.
Both Hector and Kimmich also scored their penalties like seasoned veterans, showing that they have the ability to keep calm under pressure.
