Ben Fisher was in Cardiff tonight, and his verdict has landed. Here it is! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
A radiant Craig Bellamy, smiling in cat-cream mode, is asked what made him happy by S4C. “Being able to control the tempo of the second half … now, we still need improvement on it … obviously you’ll get breaks when you go forward and you feel like you can score from every opportunity … but then they’re dangerous then for the counter … it’s that transitional game that becomes a little bit complicated … in the first half they sat deeper … at this present moment that really suits us … we were able to control it a little bit better than we have [previously] been able to do … this Nations League is so good, so competitive … but it allows you to play players who need game time … it’s going to take 20-plus players to have a real good go at qualifying for a major tournament … so to get the minutes in … expose the players … it’s really beneficial to us in the long run … there are still bits of improvement we need but that was better.”
Let’s bing-bong, like a pixel in a game of Pong, back to Reykjavik, and two emails sent by Iceland fan Kári Tulinius. The first came when the score was Iceland 1-2 Turkey, the second after full time, with the Turks having run out 4-2 winners.
The lead was nice while it lasted, but at least Kahveci’s equalizer was a beautiful strike from well outside the penalty box. Worth looking up. Admittedly, the Icelandic defenders might well have pressed him a bit, but I’ll be generous and say they played the percentages. Çalhanoğlu’s penalty was his second, as he’d slipped and kicked a previous penalty into his leg, leading to an indirect free kick.
Iceland v Turkey was indeed an emotional roller coaster. I was up when Iceland scored, higher when Çalhanoğlu miskicked a penalty, still up when Turkey equalized because it was a beautiful long-range goal by Kahveci, down when Çalhanoğlu scored from a second penalty, back up when Iceland equalized, and then down in the dumps when a tired Icelandic defense capitulated at the last. I need sleep.
David Brooks speaks to S4C. “It was a very dominant performance in the first half … second half we let off a little bit … we need to work on that … we need to get used to putting teams to bed … it was a good performance … the main thing is the win … we were all pretty excited to be playing … we like to be fluid … I need to hit the target a bit better … it was good in the first half but we need to kick on a bit … you never know with a new gaffer but the style of play looked really good [watching the first two games of the group] … plenty to build on!”
Yep, it’s full time in Reykjavik: Iceland 2-4 Turkey. All of which means Group B4 looks like this heading into the November international break. The top team will win promotion to League A, while the second-placed side will qualify for the promotion play-offs. The third-placed team will go into the relegation play-offs, while the bottom side will be relegated to League C. The next round of games see Wales travel to Turkey while Montenegro host Iceland.
Turkey P4 W3 D1 L0 F8 A3 Pts 10
Wales P4 W2 D2 L0 F5 A3 Pts 8
Iceland P4 W1 D1 L2 F7 A9 Pts 4
Montenegro P4 W0 D0 L4 F1 A6 Pts 0
The other game in Group B4 has been quite the ride. Turkey have surely settled it thanks to Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s goal in the fifth minute of added time. It’s Iceland 2-4 Turkey.
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FULL TIME: Wales 1-0 Montenegro
The whistle goes, and Wales retain hope of promotion from Group B4! Not only that, Craig Bellamy becomes the first Wales manager to remain unbeaten after his first four matches.
90 min +4: … but it almost certainly won’t matter, because Sheehan wins a clock-eating free kick out on the Wales left. This is all but over.
90 min +3: Thomas hits the corner long. Moore tries to trundle it in at the far stick, but can only run it out for a goal kick. Montenegro launch it, but to little effect, and soon enough Thomas is skedaddling down the left flank. He’s free! He reaches the box but instead of shooting from a tight angle looks for either Moore or Cooper in the middle. An accurate cross would lead to a tap-in. The cross is not accurate.
90 min +2: From the middle of the D, Williams sends a vicious sidefoot towards the bottom-left corner. Not quite low enough, and it’s an easy height for Nikić to palm around the post. Corner.
90 min +1: Moore latches onto a loose ball and dribbles his way down the inside-right channel. Hecould shoot from the edge of the D, but seems happy enough to pause and draw a clumsy, desperate foul from Šipčić. The Montenegro defender goes into the book. Williams and Thomas consider the free kick.
90 min: There will be four additional minutes.
89 min: A double change for Wales, as Cooper and Moore come on for Cullen and Harris.
88 min: It’s been a cracker in Reykjavik. The young superstar Arda Güler looks to have settled a five-goal thriller in Turkey’s favour! It’s 2-3.
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87 min: Both teams are looking pretty ragged now, presumably aware that joy and misery are both very live possibilities for everyone involved.
85 min: Krstović storms into acres of space down the right, then cuts back for Jovetić, who cocks to shoot only to be blocked bravely by Williams. Then the flag goes up for offside anyway. The stadium fell silent for a split second there, as the Welsh lead momentarily looked in serious danger.
83 min: Iceland have equalised against Turkey in Reykjavik. Andri Gudjohnsen makes it 2-2!
82 min: Janković is replaced by Kuč.
81 min: … and it nearly costs Wales dearly, as Jovović whips in a cross from the left, Krstović meeting it with a powerful header that only just clears the bar. Not sure Darlow was stopping that had it been on target.
79 min: Harris powers down the middle from deep and is upended. He springs up quickly and takes the free kick without faffing around. Williams is sent scampering down the right into acres of space. He curls infield for Broadhead, who chests down adroitly on the edge of the box and has to shoot … but hesitates, getting his feet in an awful muddle, and the chance is gone. That should have been a second goal for Wales.
77 min: Cullen and Williams combine well down the right to earn another corner. Thomas wanders across to take it. It’s half cleared to Williams, who considers shooting first time from stupid distance, but sensibly, albeit slightly disappointingly, decides against it. He advance a few steps and eventually pulls the trigger, but his shot is easily blocked. What could have been.
75 min: Vukčević chops his way past Thomas down the right flank and is brought down by the corner flag. A free kick that’s effectively a corner. Janković batters it straight into Thomas, and now it is an actual corner. Wales clear it easily enough, but the visitors are well in this game now.
73 min: Jovetić reminds everyone this is very much still in the balance by flaying a shot over the bar from 25 yards. There’s a bit of tension in the Cardiff City Stadium.
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72 min: Back in Cardiff, Wales turn it up a notch. Williams wins a corner down the right. That comes to nothing, but Thomas probes down the inside-left, before swinging a long cross towards Williams, who lashes a fierce drive over the bar from a tight angle. In truth it was never anywhere near, but this is better after a slightly ragged period.
70 min: Turkey have turned it around in Reykjavik. Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s penalty gives the Euro 2024 quarter-finalists a 2-1 lead against Iceland.
69 min: Craig Bellamy responds to this state of affairs by replacing Burns and Wilson with Thomas and Broadhead.
68 min: For the first time this evening, Wales are beginning to look a little stretched. Are we witnessing another second-half downturn?
66 min: So much for the danger. Jovetić sends a hysterical effort, presumably meant for the top-right corner, high into the stand behind.
65 min: A ball comes in from the Montenegro left. Janković shapes like Zinedine Zidane in the 2002 Champions League final, but isn’t able to cream a shot goalwards, as he’s clipped mid-volley by Harris. It will be a free kick just to the left of the Wales D, though. A very dangerous position.
63 min: Turkey have equalised in Reykjavik, İrfan Kahveci levelling against Iceland. It’s all to play for in Group B4 all right.
62 min: Radulović is beginning to cause problems for Wales down the inside-right channel. He should probably tee up Vukčević, haring in on the overlap, for a shot from a tight angle, but overcooks the pass. Vukčević hooks back from the byline but the chance is gone and Wales clear up.
60 min: Burns makes good down the left and crosses low for Cullen, who instigates an almighty scramble in the Montenegro box but can’t get a shot away. The visitors eventually clear their lines. The second half took a while to get going, but it’s good fun now.
59 min: Brooks makes way for the equally popular Allen, who returns to international football after his self-imposed exile.
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58 min: Bakić is booked for a fairly agricultural lunge on Cullen. Montenegro are beginning to lose it.
56 min: Oh my goodness. Montenegro have done nothing so far, but now they nearly equalise in sensational style. Radulović cuts in from the right, seeing off Davies with ease, before sending a power-curler across and over Darlow, towards the top left, and off the crossbar. The resulting TWANG can be heard in Swansea. That would have been a peach. Presumably the aesthete Bellamy, preaching his art-for-art’s-sake doctrine, would have rather that had gone in? You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you.
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55 min: Williams, Brooks and Wilson paint some pretty triangles at high speed down the right-hand side of the pitch. The flowing move eventually breaks down, but full marks for both aesthetic effect and ambition, and you can be sure Craig Bellamy approves.
53 min: Another sub goes into the book. This time it’s Vukčević, for brazenly kneeing Davies up the fundament, then throwing the ball away upon being penalised for it. Robert Prosinecki’s half-time hairdrying technique needs some recalibration.
51 min: It’s been an admin-infused start to the second half, but otherwise, there’s nothing much going on. “Harry Wilson is such a good footballer, but has just never had the consistency,” writes Matt Dony of today’s Player of the Match So Far. “As a youngster at Liverpool, it looked like he could be a top, top, top player. Ultimately, though, he’s never put it all together for any length of time. (See also: Dan James) I love watching him play, and he’s had some brilliant moments in a Welsh shirt. He’s never going to be the player he threatened to be, but hey, he’s hardly unique in that respect.”
49 min: A cross comes into the Welsh box. Jovetić sticks up a leg, is penalised for a high boot, and complains about it. He goes into the book, and will miss Montenegro’s next match, at home against Iceland, as a result. Not the immediate impact his coach would have been looking for.
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47 min: Thick smoke pours from the fourth-official’s numbers board. OK, not really, but in a parallel universe, etc.
Wales get the second half underway. Montenegro have made four changes. Jovetić replaces Mugoša and gets his armband back. Meanwhile Radunović, Radulović and Marko Vukčević come on for Andrija Vukčević, Camaj and Marušić.
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In the other Group B4 match, it’s Iceland 1-0 Turkey at half-time. Orri Óskarsson with a third-minute goal. Should both matches end like this, we’ll have quite the battle for promotion to League A on our hands. And quite the scrap to avoid third spot and the relegation play-offs. It promises to be a lot of fun! (And let’s try our best to remember that when we all start moaning ahead of the November international break.)
Wales P3 W2 D2 L0 F5 A3 Pts 8
Turkey P3 W2 D1 L1 F4 A2 Pts 7
Iceland P3 W2 D1 L1 F6 A5 Pts 7
Montenegro P3 W0 D0 L4 F1 A6 Pts 0
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HALF TIME: Wales 1-0 Montenegro
Wales have the lead they deserve, and for the most part, had the control their new boss Craig Bellamy desires.
45 min +2: A careless Burns backpass down the Montenegro right forces Sheehan into the concession of a corner. Some unnecessary pressure for Wales to deal with late in the half. But Rodon rises highest to head the corner clear.
45 min: There will be two additional first-half minutes.
44 min: Cullen latches onto a loose ball in the centre circle. He’s got options with Montenegro light at the back, but gets over-excited and plays a premature pass down the middle in the hope of finding Harris, who is never getting to the ball. The crowd groan as the chance of a dangerous counter-attack passes by.
42 min: That man Wilson shifts the ball between his feet on the edge of the Montenegro D, seeing off Šipčić before whipping a crisp drive inches wide of the right-hand post.
41 min: Wilson is everywhere at the moment. He slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Brooks, who can’t get a meaningful shot away on the edge of the box. Shame, because Burns had started that move with a clever turn and surge.
40 min: Another free kick on the right, though this one’s up the other end, Janković being clipped by Cullen. Montenegro line up on the edge of the Welsh area. Wilson, a hero right now at both ends, heads the free kick powerfully clear.
38 min: Brooks is skittled by Vukčević out on the right wing. Wilson swings a dangerous free kick into the mixer, but the whistle goes after some overly excited Welsh engagement.
37 min: Krstović tries to respond immediately, powering his way past Williams down the left and shooting low and hard towards the bottom left. Darlow gets down at his near post and handles well. Especially as the shot took a very slight deflection en route to the keeper.
GOAL! Wales 1-0 Montenegro (Wilson pen 36)
There’s the usual pre-penalty faff, the defenders doing their best to drag things out. But it doesn’t put Wilson off. He waits patiently, before giving Nikić the eyes, and passing into the bottom left, the keeper having been sent the wrong way. Wales deservedly lead!
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Penalty for Wales!
34 min: Wilson attempts a Cruyff Turn just inside the box on the right. He’s nicked by the utterly foxed Jovović, and though the referee takes his sweet time, he eventually points to the spot!
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33 min: … so having said that (again) … Brooks shoots from distance. Nikić turns the shot around the post for a corner. It’s sent in from the right, and …
32 min: Wales have been the better team, but Montenegro keeper Nikić hasn’t had to be a hero, and the match is beginning to drift a little. All a bit tepid. Which is ironic, as Peter Oh points out: “Wales’ fire-breathing dragon meets Montenegro’s double-headed eagle. As far as clashes of mythical creatures on federation crests go, this is about as a hot as it gets.”
30 min: Burns wins a corner down the left. He sends it in for Davies, who competes for a header in the six-yard box, but with too much vigour. A free kick releases the pressure on Montenegro.
28 min: … so having said that, Davies absent-mindedly ships possession 30 yards out, allowing Jovović a whack at goal from the edge of the D. The Wales captain is fortunate Sheehan races back to slide and block.
26 min: Wilson plays another ball down the inside-right channel, this time for Harris, who wins a corner. Wilson swings it in to little effect, Vujačić clearing with confidence. But the hosts continue to dominate. Darlow, in the Welsh goal, has had absolutely nothing to do. His defenders haven’t exactly been pushed either.
24 min: Brooks, calling the shots from a deep position on the right flank, pearls a glorious crossfield pass towards Burns, on the edge of the box. Burns can’t bring it down, which is such a shame, because he’d have been clear, albeit facing a tight angle, and that ball would have been one hell of an assist.
22 min: Wilson rolls a cute pass down the inside-right channel for Cullen to latch onto. Nikić comes racing to the edge of his box, and is fortunate that Cullen’s attempted lob clears the bar of the now-unguarded goal.
20 min: “The Icelandic opener was a bit odd,” reports Kári Tulinius, “in that Orri Steinn Óskarsson was put through at the half-way line, and ran all the way into the penalty box with a defender at his heels the whole time, yet the Turkish player made no attempt to foul him. The purist in me was appalled at the lack of poor sportsmanship, but as an Icelander I can’t but applaud such fair play.” Jesse Pennington would surely have approved.
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19 min: Nothing comes of the set piece, but an opening goal for Wales feels little more than a matter of time.
18 min: Wales have the run of this right flank. Williams tears down it and looks for Cabango in the middle. The ball only just evades Harris’s toe. Marušić is forced to turn the ball out for a corner.
17 min: Wilson – again from the right – strides into the box and takes a whack at goal. Nikić makes a stop. Wales well on top.
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16 min: Wales are also enjoying the dragon’s share of possession. Exactly as control-obsessed Craig Bellamy demanded in his pre-match interview. Williams probes down the right; Brooks tries to sort his feet to shoot on the edge of the D; Cullen attempts to thread a pass through the middle of the Montenegro defence to release Wilson. Not quite (x3). But it’s got the crowd going.
14 min: Brooks dances in from the right and shoots through a pair of legs. Easy for the keeper. Wales are enjoying plenty of joy down this flank.
12 min: Wilson cuts in from the right and crosses deep. It’s a sensational cross, and Montenegro’s defence is all over the place. Burns arrives on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box and should score, especially as keeper Nikić is on walkabout, but he flashes a header wide.
10 min: Iceland have taken the lead against Turkey in the other Group B4 game. Orri Óskarsson, who gave Wales the runaround in the second half last Friday, gets an early reward. “Shame Milutin Osmajić is banned for this match,” chatters Matthew Lawrenson. “No doubt he’d be champing at the bit to sink his teeth into the Wales defence.”
8 min: Brooks dribbles elegantly in from the right. He nearly makes it all the way to the corner of the six-yard box, but can’t get a shot away before Šipčić comes across to slide out for a corner. That’s fine play all round. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
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6 min: Vukčević chops inside from the left touchline and is clipped by Williams, who is told in no uncertain terms by the referee to stop it. One more foul by a Welsh defender and the official’s patience could snap early doors.
5 min: Camaj hoicks a dismal diagonal into the crowded Welsh area, allowing Darlow, winning his second cap at the age of 34, to calmly usher the ball out for a goal kick.
4 min: Yes, so scrub that. Jovović embarks on a powerful dribble down the left and draws a foul from Sheehan. A chance for the visitors to load the box.
2 min: Brooks wins a corner down the right. It comes to nothing, but all signs point to another confident fast start by Bellamy’s showmen.
3 sec: Montenegro dummy the kick-off, and make an almighty balls of it, losing possession almost immediately. Not an auspicious start for the visitors.
Here we go, then; Montenegro kick off. The home fans in full voice.
The teams are out! An amazing atmosphere at the Cardiff City Stadium. Wales in red, Montenegro in second-choice white. We’ll be off in a few minutes, once the hymns and arias are sung. As if anyone will stop. Ar hyd y nos.
Craig Bellamy speaks to S4C. “Mark Harris has trained really well … and has been playing well for Oxford … he definitely fits in to how we do things … we need to keep the ball and have control … we cannot get involved in a basketball game … that would suit Montenegro … we need control of the game.”
He’s then asked if he’ll be “keeping an extra eye on what happens after half-time tonight” in the wake of recent fast starts and comparatively subdued second-half performances. “No.” [broad smile] “No!” [exits stage right]
As for the Montenegro team … they make two changes from their one-goal defeat in Turkey on Friday night. Star man and captain Stevan Jovetić, the country’s leading scorer with 36 goals, drops to the bench, both place and armband taken by Stefan Mugoša. Marko Janković meanwhile replaces Edvin Kuč in midfield.
A reminder of how Group B4 stands after the third round of matches. Group leaders Turkey travel to Iceland tonight.
Turkey P3 W2 D1 L0 F4 A1 Pts 7
Wales P3 W1 D2 L0 F4 A3 Pts 5
Iceland P3 W1 D1 L1 F5 A5 Pts 4
Montenegro P3 W0 D0 L3 F1 A5 Pts 0
Should tonight’s game end goalless, at least we’ll have witnessed some history. Which is probably overselling things a tad, but facts are facts. Wales’ last two home matches have ended 0-0 (against Poland and Turkey) and they’ve never had three home goalless draws in a row before. Hmm. This is a little bit more inspiring, though: should Craig Bellamy avoid defeat, he’ll become the first Wales manager to remain unbeaten after his first four matches. Bellamy may be all about the entertainment, but the man gets results as well.
Wales have won the last two of their four meetings with Montenegro, having lost both of the first two. We didn’t MBM the most recent, played last month under rainy skies in Nikšić, but the game did get the Clockwatch treatment, which amounted to nearly the same. So reliving that success is still possible. That success is Wales’ only win in their past nine Nations League matches, the others ending in three draws and five defeats.
Wales make seven changes to the starting XI named for the 2-2 draw in Iceland. Neco Williams, Harry Wilson, Joe Rodon and captain Ben Davies are the only players to keep their place. Joe Allen, out of international retirement, is named on the bench, alongside uncapped defender Owen Beck. Oxford striker Mark Harris makes his first start.
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The teams
Wales: Darlow, Cabango, Rodon, B Davies, Burns, Wilson, Sheehan, N Williams, Cullen, Harris, Brooks.
Subs: Ward, Davies, Mepham, Norrington-Davies, Allen, Koumas, Cooper, Moore, Roberts, Beck, Thomas, Broadhead.
Montenegro: Nikić, A Vukčević, Šipčić, Vujačić, Marušić, V Jovović, Janković, M Bakić, Camaj, Mugoša, N Krstović.
Subs: Mijatović, Petković, Radunović, Vukčević, Tući, Jovetić, Kuč, Vukotić, Rubežić, Vukotić, Radulović.
Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia).
CYMRU XI 🏴🇲🇪
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) October 14, 2024
How we line up against Montenegro 👊
💻 https://t.co/Nl18BvXHUa#TogetherStronger | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/fyM1tuF6pQ
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Preamble
All together now … ♫ Meet the gang cos the boys are here
The boys to entertain you!
B! O! B-O-Y-S!
Boys to entertain yooooooou! ♪♫
Kick-off is at 7.45pm BST. It’s on!
