Wales vs Turkey LIVE: Nations League result and reaction as hosts settle for draw despite strong performance
Wales 0-0 Turkey: Sorba Thomas had a goal disallowed as the Dragons impressed in Craig Bellamy’s debut as head coach
Craig Bellamy’s first match in charge of the Welsh national team was an exciting and promising affair that displayed how he wants them to play going forward. The Dragons hosted Turkey at the Cardiff City Stadium and drew 0-0 in a positive performance that had flair and style.
From the get-go Wales were the more aggressive team. They took charge of the ball and utilised the pace of forwards Brennan Johnson and Sorba Thomas who set up on either wing. In the middle Aaron Ramsey and Harry Wilson juggled playmaking duties admirably as Wales created the better chances over the first 45 minutes.
Ramsey nodded a chance over the top and Joe Rodon failed to convert from close range. The best chance fell to Thomas who broke through the lines and perfectly lobbed the goalkeeper only to be ruled offside.
In the second half there was hope of a famous win after Baris Yilmaz collected a second yellow card and Turkey went down to 10 men. Bellamy made substitutions to try and keep the energy levels high, but Wales couldn’t break the deadlock, and the match finished goalless.
Not the result the Welsh fans wanted but they were encouraged by the performance. Bellamy has Wales playing exciting football.
Relive the updates and reaction from the Nations League below:
Bellamy on his Welsh squad
“I see a young team, see a lot of talent coming through but, if I’m honest, I see a very good team right now,” said the new manager when assessing his players.
“The way I’m looking to try and play with Wales is a little different to what they’ve done before. I need to be true to me but, with the talented players we have, if we can tweak and adapt one or two little bits it will give us a huge benefit going into future games.
“I’m conscious of a period in stamping on how we are going to play. It would be a little bit crazy for me to expect it straight away, but of course I will try.
“You talk about building blocks and future games, but this is your country, playing for Wales. Who’s to say you are going to have future games? Who is going to say you are good enough for that? Who’s to say I’m good enough for that? Every game is important, it’s your national team.”
The return of the Nations League
Wales’ return to Nations League action comes a day after Scotland suffered a heart-breaking defeat against Poland at Hampden Park.
Steve Clarke’s men were the more aggressive and prominent side but two penalties, one in the 97th minute, cost them dearly as they slumped to a 3-2 defeat.
England also get their new era started tomorrow as Lee Carsley’s first match takes place against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. T
he interim boss has selected mostly familiar names but there are a few surprises with the former U21 head coach rewarding some of his previous players with full international call ups.
Before that though is tonight’s action in Cardiff, how will Wales fare and can they kick off their new start with a win?
Brawls, boos and ‘plastic Paddys’: how the English and Irish football teams became eternally entwined
For some around the Irish squad, it’s still strange to be preparing for a match against Lee Carsley’s England. Ireland made a strong push for the admired coach, since he has 40 caps for the country. A solid Ireland midfielder is now the most important figure in English football culture, and will have a tricolour by his name if he takes England to the World Cup.
Carsley was born in Birmingham but qualified for Ireland through his Cork grandmother, and spoke last week of naturally feeling both nationalities. The same applies to many for Saturday’s game in Dublin, most notably Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, who make up at least nine England regulars over the last half-decade that could have also represented Ireland. It is almost an inevitable inversion of the fixture’s history, when it was Ireland that most benefited from the country’s diaspora to Britain.
How the English and Irish football teams became eternally entwined
England meet the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday in only their fifth meeting in 34 years, reigniting a rivalry that has shades of grey between the white and green
5 talking points for Wales as the Craig Bellamy era gets under way
1) Bellamy bow
As a player, Craig Bellamy wore his heart on his sleeve. Often snarling and controversial, Bellamy made headlines on and off the pitch.
But no-one could dispute his ability or the passion he had playing for Wales.
Having lost out on the job to Ryan Giggs in 2018, Bellamy now gets the chance to manage his country and it promises to be an exciting ride.
Now 45, the former striker appears a calmer presence and is ready for management after cutting his coaching teeth alongside Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and Burnley.
5 talking points for Wales as the Craig Bellamy era gets under way
2) Ramsey role
Aaron Ramsey remains as Wales captain under Bellamy – but what will be the 33-year-old’s actual role?
Ramsey has not played for Wales in almost 12 months with injury plaguing the Cardiff midfielder.
He has completed Cardiff’s four Championship games this season, but the Bluebirds have yet to win and are bottom of the table.
Bellamy is a big fan and convinced his former teammate can be a threat in the final third, so the key might be finding the right system to maximise Ramsey’s attacking instincts.
5 talking points for Wales as the Craig Bellamy era gets under way
3) Can Johnson shine?
Brennan Johnson has yet to impress for Wales on a consistent basis and the Tottenham forward’s numbers do not make great reading.
Johnson has scored only three times in 28 appearances, although many of his earlier caps came off the bench.
The fleet-footed Johnson – recorded as one of the fastest players in the Premier League – is now 23 and has a season under his belt at Spurs.
Bellamy says Johnson is worth far more than the £47.5million transfer fee Spurs paid Nottingham Forest for him and the winger seems set to play a major role in his new-look Wales.
5 talking points for Wales as the Craig Bellamy era gets under way
4) Darlow option
Wales’ goalkeeping problems are well documented.
Page sometimes picked four – Danny Ward, Wayne Hennessey, Adam Davies and Tom King – in a squad but not one of them made a single league appearance last season.
Bellamy has got Karl Darlow on board, persuading the Northampton-born Leeds goalkeeper to commit to Wales when others have failed.
Darlow is behind Illan Meslier at Leeds, but the 33-year-old has played 250 career games for Newcastle and Nottingham Forest among others and his addition could be a masterstroke from Bellamy.
5 talking points for Wales as the Craig Bellamy era gets under way
5) Revenge mission
Wales and Turkey clash again less than 10 months after meeting in Euro 2024 qualifying.
On that occasion Wales had to win and needed Croatia to drop points against Armenia to qualify automatically. Neither happened as Wales were held 1-1 in Cardiff and Croatia won.
Wales headed for the play-offs, which they failed to navigate.
Turkey went on to reach the quarter-finals at the Euros, but were fortunate to draw in Cardiff. Johnson had what looked a stonewall penalty turned down at 1-0 and the visitors levelled through a dubious spot-kick.
How Fifa’s lowest-ranked nation finally secured their first competitive win after 20 years of pain
It goes some way to illustrating the pain and patience that fans of San Marino have had to endure that their winning goalscorer on Thursday night wasn’t even born the last time the landlocked nation tasted international success. When Nicko Sensoli fired home the eventual winner against Liechtenstein, the 19-year-old snapped football’s longest winless run; two decades and 140 games after beating their fellow minnows, the Italian enclave could celebrate again.
Sensoli’s goal was scrappy, not that the crowd at the Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle remotely cared. A forward diagonal seemingly bound for goalkeeper Benjamin Buchel was headed errantly by a Liechtenstein player, taking it just about within prodding distance of the San Marino teenager. Seldom has a toe poke been so rapturously received.
How Fifa’s lowest-ranked nation finally secured their first competitive win
San Marino secured just a second victory in the nation’s history against Liechtenstein in the Nations League
Here’s some pre-match thoughts form Vicenzo Montella
Turkey’s head coach said: “As you know, national matches are played with very different emotions. We have won 3 of the 9 matches we have played with our opponent.
“It is an important detail for us that we have not won any away games. It is in our hands to overturn this. I trust you. We will go out and achieve our first victory.
“Let’s be aware of our strength. Especially the Wales match is very important. If we start with a win, the rest will follow. Whoever is the most ready should go out on the field and reflect on the field what we worked on in training. That’s all I want.”
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