BRITAIN goes to the polls later this week but Wales showed no signs of wanting to exit Europe anytime soon with a near-perfect performance to leave Russia reeling.
Chris Coleman’s men romped to a 3-0 victory on a balmy and simply barmy night in Toulouse, producing perhaps Wales' best ever display.
An evening that started with all sorts of worries about whether Wales would make it through to the knockout stages of Euro 2016 ended with Russia ripped apart.
And not only do Wales progress but they do so as Group B winners after England could only manage a 0-0 draw with Slovakia.
The Russian defence looked frankly terrified of the men in red running at them at full throttle right from the off.
Gareth Bale cut in from the right flank and let fly with a rasping drive in the first minute and the rebound fell to Sam Vokes, picked ahead of Hal Robson-Kanu and Jonny Williams.
The Burnley striker's shot was saved by Igor Akinfeev’s legs but the offside flag was raised and the Welsh fans behind the goal had to calm their hysteria.
But not for long. That early scare was a warning of what was to come for Russia.
And in the 11th minute Wales produced a classic counter-attacking goal – speed, style and superb skill combined to leave the Russians stunned.
James Chester, a strong contender for Wales’ best player of the tournament so far, started it with a brilliant interception on the edge of his own box.
He found Joe Allen and the Liverpool midfielder controlled the ball effortlessly before splitting the Russian defence with a perfect ball through to Aaron Ramsey.
And the Arsenal ace did not disappoint with a sublime dinked finish to give Akinfeev no chance and set Wales on their way to dreamland.
And if the red sea of fans behind Russia’s goal thought that was amazing they would have been rubbing their eyes in disbelief at the identity of Wales’ second goal scorer on 20 minutes.
Left wing-back Neil Taylor had not scored for his country before in more than 30 internationals.
In fact he hadn’t scored at any level since netting for Wrexham against Grays Athletic in the Conference way back in 2010. Talk about picking your moments!
The Swansea City defender did need two attempts to find the net after being played in by Bale.
The first was saved by Akinfeev’s legs. But luck was on Taylor’s side and he thumped home the rebound to spark wild scenes of celebration both on the pitch and in the stands.
The fans couldn’t quite believe what they were watching but once they’d caught their breath they ran through their full repertoire of songs, from the national anthem to Don’t Take Me Home – no chance of that just yet.
And, inspired by Bale’s brilliance, Wales were not happy to settle for what they had. They went for the kill, revealing a ruthless streak that this side has rarely shown in the past.
Coleman’s men had 10 shots in a breathless first half, eight of them on target.
Bale set up Vokes for another effort, before failing to win a penalty from a referee who offered Wales very little protection all night from some rugged Russian challenges.
That was the only fool proof way of stopping the rampant red hordes.
Ramsey had another crack from distance, which Akinfeev could only scoop away awkwardly with his forearms, and Bale found time and space to have two more efforts before the half-time whistle gave everyone a breather.
Russia had only threatened on two occasions in the first 45 – when a long punt from Akinfeev caught out Ashley Williams and on the break in stoppage time – and Wayne Hennessey was alive to the danger both times.
Wales couldn’t possibly keep up that frantic pace for the whole game. But they gave it a good go.
Ramsey, having one of his best games in a Wales shirt, found Chris Gunter with a neat ball inside the left-back, and the Newport-born defender saw his cross deflected into the side netting.
Bale, again set up by Ramsey, was then denied the goal he craved by the outstretched boot of Akinfeev.
He then sent a free-kick curling a foot wide of the upright but his moment finally arrived on 67 minutes.
Inevitably it was Ramsey with the assist but the Real Madrid man added the flourish of a cheeky finish with the outside of his left foot to beat Akinfeev and put the win beyond all doubt.
The Welsh party is heading for Paris on Saturday evening. The dream lives on.
Wales: Hennessey, Taylor, Davies, A. Williams, Chester, Gunter, Ledley (King, 76), Allen (Edwards, 74), Ramsey, Bale (Church, 84), Vokes
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)
Argus star man: Ramsey
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