Giggs delighted for Wales hero Wilson
Ryan Giggs has joked that he fined Harry Wilson, Wales' hero in the Republic of Ireland, for scoring against his beloved Manchester United.
Published : Oct 17, 2018 10:12 IST
Wales boss Ryan Giggs lauded Harry Wilson for his exceptional free-kick against the Republic of Ireland, joking that he fined the youngster for scoring a similar goal against Manchester United earlier in the season.
Wilson's sensational set-piece strike proved the difference in Dublin on Tuesday, as Wales moved top of its Nations League group with a 1-0 victory.
The Liverpool winger - on loan at Derby County in the Championship - scored an equally impressive free-kick against Giggs' former club United in the EFL Cup in September, and the Wales manager was delighted to see Wilson continue his form on the international stage.
"Harry Wilson, I fined him for the goal at Old Trafford a few weeks ago, I won't be tonight!" Giggs joked to Sky Sports .
"He does it all the time in training; it's practice, practice, practice. I'm so proud - they dug in right to the end. It was a brilliant second-half performance.
"The determination pleased me, to not give a goal away. We set out to win the group. It's a tough group and now it is in our hands."
READ | Republic of Ireland 0 Wales 1: Wilson stunner moves Giggs' side top
Wales is already guaranteed a place in pot two of the draw for Euro 2020 qualifying, and a win against Denmark in its next outing will secure promotion to the top tier of the Nations League.
Ireland, meanwhile, will be relegated to League C should Giggs' side fail to beat the Danes, and Martin O'Neill lamented a lack of creativity in his squad after the home defeat.
"I felt we should have scored early on, and we are not renowned for scoring a lot of goals so we need to take our chances," O'Neill told Sky Sports .
"It was a grandstand finish and I thought we could have got something, but I thought there were a lot of positives despite the result. They have a great spirit, we lack a little bit of technical ability. We have spirit in abundance but that won't take you everywhere. We need to be more creative if we can."