Wales boss Robert Page started with Nathan Broadhead of Ipswich Town ahead of Bournemouth’s Kieffer Moore. Harry Wilson, who had impressed in the home win over Croatia, also made the starting XI along with Brennan Johnson of Spurs, as Page sought pace and movement in the final third.
At the back, Luton Town’s Tom Lockyer replaced the suspended Chris Mepham. Surprisingly, Mepham’s Bournemouth clubmate David Brooks was only on the bench.
Following Wales’ unconvincing draw away to Armenia, this was always likely to be a do or die game, when even victory might still not be enough depending on events elsewhere.
In a lively opening spell, Jordan James was prominent for the hosts. Nathan Broadhead also fired narrowly wide.
But it was Neco Wiliams who really brought the game to life, firing past Uğurcan Çakır in the Turkish goal after just nine minutes.
The pace and movement of Broadhead, Wilson and Johnson were proving too hot for the visitors. Conor Roberts and Neco were potent weapons on the flanks.
The Turkish were clearly rattled by all this, and a series of unpleasant exchanges saw a yellow card for Johnson, followed by a lunge on the Spurs man by Fenerbahçe defender Samet Akaydin which might have resulted in a spot kick. Referee Matej Jug gave a corner though.
The Spurs ace went tumbling again on 29 minutes. Yet again the Slovenian official saw no reason to point to the spot.
Manchester United’s Altay Bayindir took over in the visiting goal as the Turks faced another Welsh corner.
Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu carved out a rare Turkish shot on goal as the interval beckoned, but the response from Wales was another effort from Johnson which the United stand-in managed to hold.
It had been a terrific show from the Welsh, who continued to chase the dream. But the news from Croatia was not good, Ante Budimir putting the home side ahead on 43 minutes. It would be interesting to see the impact that goal would have on the atmosphere in Cardiff.
Wales continued to take the game to their visitors, but the mood in the stands seemed more low key thanks to the score in Zagreb. A save from Danny Ward kept the lead intact as Türkiye sought to capitalise.
Page replaced Broadhead with Brooks as the visitors saw more of the ball. Chances at either end but really, it was all about Zagreb now.
The Turkish pressure brought its reward on 68 minutes as a harmless looking challenge by skipper Ben Davies on Kenan Yildiz led to a penalty, which Yusuf Yaziki slotted home with composure. As tempers rose around the pitch, Yusuf Sari drilled a fierce drive over.
With the visitors looking confident and threating, Daniel James entered the fray to replace Harry Wilson. Johnson clipped the ball into the net but was clearly offside.
Kieffer Moore joined the proceedings with five minutes to make an impact.
This was not to be for Wales though. A stirring closing rendition of the anthem from the stands sounded like the last waltz at a wedding, as the news came in that Croatia had scraped their way past Armenia to leave Wales with the play offs to navigate next year.
Wales 1
Türkiye 1
Att. 32,291
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Sajidur Rahman is the 2022 Unheard Voices Student Football Writer of the Year
Bellingham was an unused substitute in 2021 when the Three Lions fell to a 3-2 defeat on penalties to the Azzurri.
Instead, counterparts Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were all called on by Gareth Southgate to come off the sidelines and take the final three penalties.
All of them missed.
While many rose to praise the courage of the youngsters who were aged 23 (Rashford), 21 (Sancho), and 19 (Saka) at the time, the occasion was marred by the racism faced by the trio on social media.
Suddenly for the vocal minority, Rashford, Sancho and Saka were no longer viewed as English.
Rashford was black and Jamaican. Sancho was black and Trinidadian. Saka was black and Nigerian.
Though there has been lots of support and awareness brought to the Black Lives Matter movement since then, unfortunately, there is a possibility that the next star to rise through the ranks will face the same prejudice.
Bellingham has had a sensational start to the season since switching from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid in the summer for £88m.
The midfielder has scored 10 goals in his first 10 games for Los Blancos, adding an additional three assists in that time too.
At just 20 years old, the new Galactico is being dubbed a future Ballon d’Or winner and is one of the favourites to win the European Golden Boy award for 2023.
Bellingham’s mother, Denise, is of African-British heritage and despite the midfielder being heralded as the new hero for England, disgustingly it does not take long for the opinions of some fans to change and strip him of his shining armour to bare his skin tone and ethnicity.
Bellingham was rested in the 1-0 victory over Australia on Friday and is expected to be back to try and help dominate the midfield against the tricky Italian opposition.
Victory tonight for England will secure them a spot to once again compete for the European Championships crown in 2024, joining neighbours Scotland who have qualified with two games to spare.
Prior to the final in 2021, there were ugly scenes of fans trying to force entry to the stadium but it seems fitting, that in a world with so much division at the moment that this fixture takes place now, to remind everyone of the upsetting moments that were witnessed two years ago and the fights that we still face to this day.
[Eye witness from Wembley: How the police, UEFA, idiots, media and politicians let England down]
This has extended from the old racism to the battle for LGBTQ rights with England midfielder Jordan Henderson at the heart of the debate having been selected while plying his trade in Saudi Arabia and the conflict between Israel and Palestine increasing anti-semitism and Islamophobia.
Football is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, especially when fans are lost trying to watch the sport they love as was the case last night for two Swedes in Brussels.
However, the game can be used to push a powerful message and unite everyone to come together in the depths of darkness.
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This had been a must win game for Wales with pressure growing on boss Robert Page amidst rumours of the FAW seeking a “big name” manager. Speculation had emerged in relation to TV pundit Roy Keane for example.
Page chose to start with Bournemouth’s David Brooks ahead of Dan James, though with injuries to key stars such as Aaron Ramsey and Brennan Johnson, the rest of the side pretty much picked itself. Kieffer Moore led the line for the home team.
Real Madrid legend Luka Modrić captained the visiting Croatian side, making what could be his last international appearance on these shores.
Wales made a lively start, with Brooks linking up well with club mate Moore. Wilson and Connor Roberts felt the strength of Croation resistance though, going down to some hefty challenges.
Petar Musa headed over Danny Ward’s goal on 18 minutes as, with Modrić at the heart of things, the classy visitors began to settle.
The effervescent Brooks put Wilson through soon afterwards though, but the Fulham man was put down by Domagoj Vida. Only a yellow card was shown by Referee Davide Massa. Wilson brought a smart save from Dominik Livaković from the resulting free kick as the home side stepped on the gas.
Neco Williams brought another fine save from the Croatian keeper following neat work by the influential Wilson, who was winning his 50th cap.
It had been a fine first half from the home side. With a shade more finesse with the final ball, they could easily have gone off for the break ahead.
But the large home crowd did not have to wait long for the goal they craved. Brooks, inevitably, sent Wilson through and the former Cardiff City man lobbed the ball home with great composure.
Croatia saw more possession as they worked their way back into the game, but the Welsh stood firm.
Brooks exited the field to a hero’s ovation as he left the field with an injury on 57 minutes. James took over.
The Leeds wide man was immediately prominent, crossing for Wilson to head in a cheeky second for the Welsh, putting the home fans into ecstasy.
Wales were almost playing on the counterattack, but it was working to perfection. The guile of Wilson and Moore and the pace and trickery of James and Neco Williams made them a constant threat. As if to emphasise the point, James raced forward to fire narrowly wide on 68 minutes.
The home fans in the crowd of 31,240 were in full voice now, running through their full repertoire of lusty hymns and arias.
The visitors’ pressure told on 75 minutes though, as substitute Mario Pašalić headed in from close range.
Williams fired wide as the game ebbed and flowed. The anthem boomed down from the crowded stands. Nathan Broadhead replaced Wison. Modrić fired over. It was hectic stuff.
Marcelo Brozović who plays for the Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr, was booked for a foul on James as the clock ticked on towards five added minutes.
Nerves jangled all around the Cardiff City Stadium. Ward grabbed precious seconds with a magnificent take. Williams urged more noise from the stands. The stands responded.
This had been yet another memorable night at this venue. Page had rallied his troops in the face of much pressure. For Croatia, it completed a miserable few days as Wales gained an important advantage in the qualifying group.
Wales 2
Croatia1
David Collins, Wales Football Correspondent
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Bournemouth’s David Brooks has been selected for the first time following his recovery from stage two Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2021. Sadly though, injury has ruled out Luton Town skipper Tom Lockyer. The talismanic Hatter was stretchered off as Town overcame Coventry City in the Play Off final at Wemley.
Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson also return to the squad having missed the opening qualifiers in March due to injury, while defender Joe Low receives his first senior call-up.
Morgan Fox, Luke Harris and Liam Cullen are the three uncapped players in the squad.
Cymru had a successful start to the campaign in March, drawing to World Cup semi-finalists Croatia in Split with Nathan Broadhead scoring on his debut, and beating Latvia 1-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium thanks to a Kieffer Moore goal.
Rob Page’s side are currently second in group D, with Türkiye and Latvia sitting in the third and fourth places.
Limited tickets for the match against Armenia at the Cardiff City Stadium are available to purchase on the FAW ticketing website, with prices starting from £5 for juniors (16 and under). Cymru squad:
Wayne HENNESSEY (Nottingham Forest), Danny WARD (Leicester City), Adam DAVIES (Sheffield United), Joe RODON (Rennes- On loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Ben CABANGO (Swansea City), Chris MEPHAM (AFC BOURNEMOUTH), Joe LOW (Bristol City), Connor ROBERTS (Burnley), Morgan FOX (Unattached), Neco WILLIAMS (Nottingham Forest), Ben DAVIES (Tottenham Hotspur), Ethan AMPADU (Spezia- On loan from Chelsea), Joe MORRELL (Portsmouth), Jordan JAMES (Birmingham City), Dan JAMES (Fulham- On loan from Leeds United), Nathan BROADHEAD (Ipswich Town), Aaron RAMSEY (OGC Nice), Harry WILSON (Fulham), Ollie COOPER (Swansea City), Luke HARRIS (Fulham), Brennan JOHNSON (Nottingham Forest), David BROOKS (AFC Bournemouth), Liam CULLEN (Swansea City), Kieffer MOORE (AFC Bournemouth), Tom BRADSHAW (Milwall)
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Prior to the game, Wales fans had chance to say a huge ‘Diolch’ to talisman Gareth Bale. The record Welsh goal scorer has retired from football now and at this game – the first home fixture since Qatar – the FAW gave the former Spurs and Real Madrid star an opportunity to wave goodbye to the ‘Red Wall’ of Wales fans.
The fans responded in enthusiastic fashion, lapping up the montage of Bale moments shown on the giant screens.
But this was no night to bask in past glories. A terrific performance in Split in their opening qualifier, had seen Robert Page’s new look side off to a terrific start in their quest to reach Germany. Debutant Nathan Broadband had rescued a point in the dying seconds in Split.
Despite these heroics, Page went with the same starting XI as in Split to tackle the Latvians, so there was only a place on the bench for Ipswich Town striker Broadhead.
Harry Wilson almost gave the hosts the perfect start but visiting keeper Pāvels Šteinbors kept out his firm close-range drive.
Kieffer Moore was a threat for the Welsh and the Bournemouth striker almost eluded the visiting defence after quarter of an hour. Harry Wilson was also prominent for Robert Page’s men.
On the whole though, the game was evenly balanced and, it has to be said, somewhat lacking in flair.
A net flick from the visiting striker Vladislavs Gutkovskis almost caught Wales out and they responded with a firm shot from Moore as the tempo slowly increased. Neco Williams blazed a close effort beyond the crossbar.
Moore continued to pose an aerial threat and Ethan Ampadu fired another shot over as the interval drew near.
Right on cue though, it was that man Moore who headed firmly past Šteinbors on 41 minutes from a cross by Dan James.
The visitors responded to this setback with a series of ugly fouls but the Welsh stood firm to hold the lead at the break.
Williams warmed the Latvian keeper’s hands as Wales started the second half as they had ended the first.
The pace and mobility of James looked threatening for the hosts. Ampadu held things together in midfield as the Welsh maintained a tight grip on the game. The home fans were grateful to Danny Ward though, who blocked a shot from the dangerous Gutkovskis with his feet.
Wales created few meaningful chances as the game sank into something of a stalemate.
Page saw the need for fresh legs, replacing James with Split hero Broadhead with 20 minutes to go.
Wales continued to enjoy possession but that much needed second goal never looked close. Williams again shot over the bar.
With the clock ticking down, substitute Renars Varslavans wasted a chance on the edge of the area for the visitors. Wales held their nerve.
This had been a less than flowing performance from the Welsh. On the face of it, the new dawn had started well for Page’s men with four points from two games, though tougher nights than this may well lay ahead on the road to Germany.
Wales 1
Latvia 0
Att. 32,806
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Newly installed Wales captain Aaron Ramsey is looking ahead to a new era for the Wales team, starting with a tough fixture away to Croatia.
The Nice midfielder told of his pride in being given the captain’s armband for the forthcoming Euro qualifiers. He also paid tribute to the contributions made by Gareth Bale, Chris Gunter, Johhny Williams and Joe Allen, who have stepped down from international duty since Qatar. He also referenced Ashley Williams, who had led Wales to 2016 glory.
Ramsey was mindful of the enormous part played by such players during a glorious era for Wales but he was also keen to look ahead to an exciting future.
The former Cardiff City and Arsenal star picked out Forest star Brennan Johnson, describing how the exciting youngster was currently “at the top of his game” at the City Ground.
The new skipper also spoke of the exciting potential within the team these days, singling out Luke Harris of Fulham, Birmingham City’s Jordan James (“JJ”) and Swansea City’s Ollie Cooper as exciting names. The retirement of Bale and others gave such youngsters a wonderful opportunity to take Wales forward and create new history, said Ramsey.
Ramsey told a media conference at the Vale Resort in South Wales, how he was enjoying his time in Nice. He also opened up on what we can expect from him in his role as skipper as he looked forward to helping a new generation represent Cymru.
Exciting times ahead in Welsh football then, starting with a tough trip to Split this weekend.
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Luke Harris, Jordan James, Ollie Cooper and Nathan Broadhead are four uncapped players that have
been called up to the squad, while forward Tom Bradshaw receives his first call-up in five years after
winning the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for February.
The international window will begin a new era for Welsh football and Rob Page’s squad, following
the retirements of Gareth Bale, Joe Allen, Chris Gunter and Jonny Williams since the 2022 FIFA
World Cup. The camp will also be the first for Page’s new backroom staff, following the
appointments of Eric Ramsay and Nick Davies last month.
For the qualifiers, Cymru have been drawn alongside Croatia, Latvia, Turkey and Armenia in Group D,
as they aim to reach their third consecutive UEFA EURO finals. The winners and runners-up in the
group will qualify directly for the tournament which will be held in Germany next summer.
Tickets for the match against Latvia at the Cardiff City Stadium are available to purchase on the FAW
ticketing website, with prices starting from £5 for juniors (16 and under).
Cymru squad: Wayne HENNESSEY (Nottingham Forest), Danny WARD (Leicester City), Adam DAVIES
(Sheffield United), Ben DAVIES (Tottenham Hotspur), Neco WILLIAMS (Nottingham Forest), Ben
CABANGO (Swansea City), Oliver COOPER (Swansea City), Tom LOCKYER (Luton Town), Joe RODON
(Rennes- On loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Chris MEPHAM (AFC Bournemouth), Ethan AMPADU
(Spezia- On loan from Chelsea), Connor ROBERTS (Burnley), Sorba THOMAS (Blackburn Rovers- On
loan from Huddersfield Town), Jordan JAMES (Birmingham City), Nathan BROADHEAD (Ipswich
Town), Wesley BURNS (Ipswich Town), Aaron RAMSEY (OGC Nice), Joe MORRELL (Portsmouth),
Harry WILSON (Fulham), Daniel JAMES (Fulham- On loan from Leeds United), Kieffer MOORE (AFC
Bournemouth), Luke HARRIS (Fulham), Brennan JOHNSON (Nottingham Forest), Tom BRADSHAW
(Millwall)
Williamson, 25, has stepped in to cover the captaincy while Steph Houghton recovers from an Achilles injury.
Lionesses’ manager Sarina Wiegman has opted to hand the captains arm band to the Arsenal defender for this summer’s eagerly anticipated championships.
Wiegman has also announced centre-back Millie Bright as vice-captain and experienced striker Ellie White as third in charge.
Williamson has already led the team to success in the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup last month, which featured Spain, Canada and Germany.
”The centre-back said “This is an incredibly proud moment for me and my family and I am honoured to be asked to lead us at the Euros. Steph Houghton is one of this country’s all-time greats and to follow in her footsteps and all of those special names who have led the team in the past, means so much”.
Having joined Arsenal’s centre of excellence as a nine year old in 2006, the Milton Keynes born defender has gone on to make over 135 appearances for Arsenal, becoming the youngest to reach 100 appearances in an Arsenal shirt.
During her time at Arsenal she has won five major honours with the club and was pivotal in Arsenal’s Barclay’s FA Women’s Super League title in 2018/19.
Her international career with England started in November 2017 when she was called up into the England national team and was involved with the side that went on to win the She Believes Cup in 2019.
She made her senior team bow in Russia 2018, with her first senior team goal was a late winner in the Czech Republic in November 2019.
Williamson, has starred for her country in every age group from the U15’s right up to the senior side. She captained the U17’s at the home Euros in 2013 before representing her country at the U20 World Cup a year later.
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A feasibility study included an analysis of the economic impact, the political football landscape and likely costs of hosting major international tournaments.
On balance, the associations decided to focus solely on an official bid to host UEFA EURO 2028 and have agreed not to bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
After the announcement, FAW President Stephen Williams said:
“Here in Wales, The Red Wall have a special affinity with the European Championships and for us to potentially see Cymru participating as a host country at UEFA EURO 2028 is an exciting prospect.
“I’m incredibly proud that the Football Association of Wales is supporting this bid alongside the football associations of Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland.
“The positive impact that this will have on Wales as a whole is immeasurable and will leave a long lasting legacy.”
To the surprise of many, the current “home” of the national side, the Cardiff City Stadium, is not expected to feature in the bid. With a capacity of around 33,000 and its location near the long dark streets of inner Cardiff, the iconic venue may not offer the Visitor Experience to appeal to UEFA.
Swansea City’s home ground also does not seem to offer a likely option, whilst in the North, Wrexham FC’s historic Racecourse Ground remains a long way short of the facilities that such a venture would require, even with its Hollywood landlords.
The city-centre location of the Principality Stadium, with its enormous capacity and proximity to hotels, transport links and vibrant Cardiff nightlife, seems likely to spearhead the Welsh bid. A new media complex has been created within a stone’s throw of the stadium, further strengthening its case.
The move could help suppress demands for a Team GB at international level, with a firm marketing campaign likely to play a crucial part.
Those who guard Welsh football independence and resist any moves which present a “UK” dimension to football in these lands may offer a more cautious welcome, however.
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