Wales 1 - 0 Northern Ireland

Wales reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 as Gareth McAuley's own goal gave them victory over Northern Ireland in a tense last-16 encounter.

The defender continued his fine form with an immaculate defensive display of concentration and perfect timing

Northern Ireland shaded much of the game and largely snuffed out Wales's attacking threat, but they also lacked a cutting edge in attack. Wales only managed one shot on target and the game was settled by the one moment of real quality at Parc des Princes.


Northern Ireland's resistance was finally broken when centre-back McAuley turned Gareth Bale's low, whipped cross into his own net. It means Wales - in their first major tournament finals since the 1958 World Cup - will face Belgium or Hungary in the last eight in Lille on Friday.

Chris Coleman's side were blunted by their dogged opponents, but the scrappy nature of victory and the winning goal will matter little to their jubilant fans.

For Northern Ireland, the manner of defeat was galling, particularly for the 63-cap McAuley, who had scored in the 2-0 group win against Ukraine, which had helped his country reach the round of 16.