Hughes rekindles Welsh belief

Finland 0 Wales

Welsh football fans rejoice: the reality at last looks like matching the expectation. Mark Hughes' team ran out worthy victors in Helsinki last night and further inflated the bubble that Wales believe will carry them all the way to Portugal and Euro 2004.

A first-half goal by John Hartson and a second-half strike from Simon Davies made it the ideal start in Group Nine as Wales showed that the progress made under the Hughes tutelage has heralded no false dawn. The sun has risen in the Principality and as long as they carry on producing performances as committed as this one it will continue to shine.

In the past the credit for the odd victory has lain at the feet of one man – Ryan Giggs. But while the Manchester United wideman's contribution was as wholehearted as ever last night the, praise should have been evenly distributed. No longer is it simply Giggs and 10 others; in Davies – operating in almost a mirror image role to Giggs on the right side – Wales now have a double-edged sword capable of bisecting even the most organised defence.

Not that attack is Hughes' bedrock. Just three defeats in 10 games in the World Cup qualifiers had shown that Wales are quite happy operating on the back foot and in an opening half hour that must rank alongside the most dismal in the history of international football, the visitors frustrated the Finns to the point of calamity.

For their part, the home side looked like Jari Litmanen and 10 others – and the 10 others were not up to much, including Sami Hyypia, the Liverpool captain coming a poor second in his duel with Hartson.

Finland had nothing else to throw but a deluge of high balls and the Welsh defence were in the comfort zone. If there was a danger it was from Litmanen, the former Liverpool striker who is due to be unveiled at Ajax this week. His vicious inswinger dropped between Danny Gabbidon and Paul Jones, but Ville Nylund's right leg could not get on the end of it.

That was about it, however, as Wales pushed Finland further and further upfield. And then the goal came. On the half-hour mark, a long kick by Jones sought to give his defence a break, but Gary Speed had other ideas and his intelligent flick on put Giggs clear. The 27-year-old's first touch let him down but the ball broke for Hartson to poke past Antti Niemi from six yards. It was the Celtic man's seventh international goal.

Wales were not about to waste their lead and despite Litmanen's free kick fizzing over Jones' bar five minutes before the break the Welsh belief was growing as quickly as Robbie Savage, Mark Pembridge and Andy Johnson were taking over midfield.

But after such an abject first 45 minutes, the Finns could only get better. They came out, if not quite with all guns blazing then at least reloaded, and Nylund's cross to Shefki Kuqi was headed inches over. Hartson went close with his own header on the hour mark but then all Wales's good work looked to have been undone in the 71st minute when Finland worked the ball into the area before Jones somehow palmed Kuqi's header on to the bar when it seemed destined for the net.

Frightened into life Wales poured forward and the effect was immediate when Giggs set off on a trademark jaunt upfield before picking Davies out on the right of the area. The Tottenham youngster, who is more than living up to his billing, showed his composure by firing past Niemi at the inside post.

With a two-goal advantage and with the Finns now playing from memory, the game was Wales's to throw away. Even though Finland came close when a free-kick beat everyone before smashing off the post, these were three points Wales were not going to give up. The adventure starts here for the boyos from nowhere.

Finland 0 Wales 2
Hartson 30, Davies 73

Half-time 0-1 Attendance: 35,833