Craig Bellamy's solitary strike was enough to hand Wales a 1-0 win against Denmark on Wednesday.
Bellamy strike enough for Toshack's men
Craig Bellamy's solitary strike was enough to hand Wales a 1-0 win against Denmark on Wednesday.
The man who handed the Welsh a surprise victory on Danish soil ten years ago was at it again as his second half goal settled the contest.
Wales' youngsters made positive inroads throughout the opening period and were frustrated to go in at the break on level terms.
Bellamy, the elder statesman within John Toshack's ranks, wasted a couple of golden opportunities on the counter, while Ched Evans proved to be a lively foil alongside the skipper.
Michael Krohn-Delhi and Morten Nordstand went close at the opposite end, but Denmark were largely restricted to ambitious efforts from distance.
The Danes did provide more of an attacking threat after the interval, with the Welsh back four tested at regular intervals.
It looked for long periods, though, as if the game was drifting towards a mundane stalemate, only for Bellamy's 77th minute 25-yard drive to sneak past Thomas Sorensen and produce a winner.
Wales did absorb relentless pressure as time ticked away, but Denmark failed to find an equaliser and the home fans were left to vent their frustrations at the final whistle.
Opportunities
Denmark created the first chance when Nordstand shinned a shot wide from Krohn-Dehli's cross.
But from then on Wales had a string of decent first-half opportunities. After eight minutes Gareth Bale fed Evans, who saw his drive deflected wide off Thomas Rasmussen.
Then David Edwards' pass allowed Bellamy to out-pace Kasper Bogelund on the right.
The skipper forced himself into a great position on the right of the box, but instead of rolling the ball across to the unmarked Aaron Ramsey, he tried to bend a shot around Sorensen and the opening was wasted.
Then it was Evans' turn. He forced his way past Rasmussen in the box, but as he tried to go round Sorensen, former Everton defender Per Kroldrup shepherded the ball to safety.
Nicklas Bendtner was lively and elusive, stretching the Welsh defence. And the hosts were thwarted by Boaz Myhill, who pulled off a fine block from Nordstrand, after more good work from Bendtner.
After 37 minutes, Bellamy again failed to make the most of a golden chance.
Edwards' pass sent Bellamy clear of the offside trap and he raced into the box only to delay his shot and allow Daniel Agger the chance to get in a desperate block.
Interception
Two minutes later, Bellamy got to the line and set up Evans from close range, but again Agger got in the telling interception at the last moment.
And a minute from the break Bellamy again got past Begelund, but Evans hooked over from another inviting pass into the six-yard box.
Soren Larsen made an immediate impact after stepping off the bench at the interval, with his strength and height, and when Myhill fumbled a fierce low drive from the Toulouse striker, Andreasen put the rebound over the bar.
Wales had far fewer chances in the second period, the pace of the game lessening.
And it was Denmark making more headway. But after 77 minutes Bellamy produced a fine goal to give Wales the lead.
He cruised past Mathias Jorgensen 40-yards out and motored on before drilling a fine, low drive from the edge of the box low into the bottom corner.
In injury time, Myhill produced an outstanding save to touch away a close-range effort from Martin Vingaard. Then Larsen headed against the bar a minute later as Wales desperately held on.
| Denmark |
Team Statistics |
Wales |
| 0 |
Goals |
1 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 4 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 11 |
Shots off Target |
2 |
| 4 |
Blocked Shots |
3 |
| 9 |
Corners |
5 |
| 8 |
Fouls |
9 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
5 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 82.6 |
Passing Success |
81.2 |
| 18 |
Tackles |
15 |
| 61.1 |
Tackles Success |
93.3 |
| 54.9 |
Possession |
45.1 |
| 60.8 |
Territorial Advantage |
39.2 |
|
