The Wales goalkeeper is set to feature against Denmark in the last 16 of Euro 2020, in what will be his fourth successive start.
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Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward will be making his fourth successive start in the 2020 edition of the Euros, when the national team takes on Denmark in the last 16 stage on Saturday. Ward admitted that taking on the Danes will be tough, considering the presence of some of the best in the business. However, the 28-year-old backed his teammates to make their presence felt, when it matters the most.
“Kasper’s a good goalie and Denmark are a good team. It’s going to be tough, you have to respect people, but we’ve got to believe in what we want to do. It’s nice to be able to go out and show people what I can do. How can you not enjoy it? My mindset has always been about being a No1. It’s certainly something I’m relishing and enjoying. Wayne and [Wales’ third-choice custodian] Adam [Davies] have been amazing with me. The support they’ve given me has been incredible – I can’t speak highly enough of them. We keep pushing ourselves. The camaraderie we have is something quite unique and special,” said Ward as quoted by UEFA’s official website.
“We fancy ourselves against anyone. We were getting written off a little bit before the tournament. We have a lot of different players compared to five years ago but we’ve given a good account of ourselves. We’re just enjoying it. That’s all we can do – keep enjoying ourselves and making people back home proud,” he added.
The goalkeeper has spent the majority of his career in the role of a back-up player. Ward made just three appearances during a six-year stay at Liverpool between 2012 and 2018. His stint at the club was majorly dominated by loan spells at Morecambe, Aberdeen and Huddersfield Town. The goalkeeper is yet to make his Premier League debut for Leicester City, having made only 14 appearances in all competitions since signing for the club in 2018.
The same was the case even with the national team, having been forced to settle for a backup role due to the presence of Wayne Hennessey, the Dragons’ record appearance holder with 96 caps. However, Ward was handed an opportunity after Hennessey suffered a thigh strain before a friendly against the United States last November, opening up a slot for the goalkeeper.
Ward will be making his 17th Wales appearance in Amsterdam on Saturday, with his tally of 14 group-stage saves bettered only by Turkey’s Ugurcan Cakir. The national team suffered a defeat in their most recent Euro 2020 encounter against Italy, with Matteo Pessina scoring the only goal. However, both teams could celebrate safe passage through to the last 16.
“We didn’t want the game to open up and be end-to-end. We didn’t want to concede two or three goals and we were hoping to use the three up front on the break, but of course when we were down to ten men it was tough and we did well at the back,” said Wales coach Robert Page.
It will be interesting to note the performances of Wales from this stage.
