WIN SEES WALES TAKE SECOND SPOT IN WORLD CUP BOOST
MOLDOVA 0 WALES 2 – SPORT
LATE goals from Hal Robson-Kanu and Aaron Ramsey kept Wales’ 2018 World Cup hopes very much alive after they ground out a hardfought win in Moldova last night.
The Republic of Ireland’s 1-0 home defeat to group leaders Serbia meant Wales climbed into second place going into the final two matches next month.
Serbia remain four points clear at the top but if Wales can win in Georgia and then defeat the Irish in Cardiff they will be almost assured of a play-off place to make the finals in Russia.
Teenage sensation Ben Woodburn once again came off the bench to inspire Wales, setting up Robson-Kanu’s 80th minute goal with a mesmerising run and cross before Ramsey’s deflected shot in the third minute of stoppage time ensured victory for Wales.
WALES ditched the grey for yellow – and gave themselves a green light on the road to Russia.
And the driving force? A 17-yearold Wales fans are already calling their star man.
Ben Woodburn is probably too young to know the David Bowie song the Red Wall adapted in his honour in Chisinau.
But he was old enough to help Wales make sure they didn’t relive Moldovan nightmares as he set-up Hal Robson-Kanu for a goal nine minutes from time that could make all the difference in this still-alive bid to make the World Cup. On a nervous night, the scoreline was only made a little more comfortable by Aaron Ramsey’s injury time effort.
Wales had known what they had to do, regardless of events in Dublin as qualifying rivals faced off, and tried to leave little to chance. Fed up of failing to win in a grey kit deemed unlucky, Wales strode out in Chisinau in yellow.
But in the end, it was not about luck, it was about perseverance of a side and the brilliance of a teenager introduced to try and save his nation’s dreams.
He helped make the difference and so came this campaign’s Andorra moment; a performance that will only be remembered for its nerves and near-miss from an humiliating, harmful result.
Yet it doesn’t matter. What matters is that, having moved above the Republic of Ireland into second place after Martin O’Neill’s men lost to Serbia, Wales need only take four points from their final two games to guarantee staying there.
Top spot may well be gone because of Serbia’s victory – they would now have to drop points in both their games against Georgia and Austria for Wales to have a chance of finishing in the automatic spaces.
Still, Wales have to take care of their own business, with Georgia next up.
But now Wales believe, even if this wasn’t a display that would convince many outside of the Red Wall.
They believe they can win both of their remaining games, giving themselves that chance of Russia via the play-offs.
They believe because they have again gone to the wall and come through it, even if it took a little bit of a desperate turn at times.
And the belief has been turned up a notch now there is a Woodburn firing it all up.
Gareth Bale is quick not to put the pressure on the Liverpool teenager, but there is no point ignoring he has looked a sensation. Never mind Life on Mars, this kid is looking right at home on the international stage.
He was not alone in giving Wales that hope that, despite Moldova’s increasing excitement about pulling off a shock similar to the 3-2 win over Mike Smith’s men in 1994, they would find a way, just as they did against Andorra at the start of the road to Euro 2016.
Joe Allen underlined his importance to the side once more with a conductor’s display which ensured Wales kept their cool and the ball when they simply had to keep pushing Moldovan resistance.
And Ben Davies was a class act on the left. Not all in the collective were at their best – Bale unable to make the difference and Aaron Ramsey trying time and again to find the killer ball but not succeeding.
It was known from the off that patience had to be a virtue and, when they failed to make any real openings in a hurried start, it encouraged the Moldovans as much as the bare-chested ultras banging drums near the corner flag.
Using a little bit of physicality Polish referee Pawel Raczkowski didn’t seem to mind, Artur Ionita of Serie A side Cagliari created a bit of visiting anxiety when he found space to fizz a shot just over Wayne Hennessey’s bar. Their danger as they won set piece opportunities didn’t help nerves either.
What would have settled them significantly is that, when using good periods of sharp possession, Wales had made better use of it.
For all their first-half control of the ball, there was no breakthrough and no real test for a goalkeeper who looked decidedly unsure of himself.
It was something illustrating when he spilled a fairly tame Bale shot, saving again from Ramsey’s followup before captain Alexandru Epureanu helped him out by clearing Hal Robson-Kanu’s attempt to be third time lucky.
It had been a move started with a superb touch and pass by Allen, but the inability to make such moves count left Coleman deep in thought as he marched across the pitch towards the tunnel.
Wales fans – who had quietened from the early party atmosphere – were thinking how long before their new star man Woodburn was introduced. As it turned out, Coleman’s thoughts was to trust in the side and, indeed, they responded.
The dominance began to come with menace and meaningful openings were created., Bale, Lawrence and Hal Robson-Kanu all starting to ask better questions of defenders and goalkeeper.
Yet, though still a rookie, the call that needed to be made was obvious. As Woodburn came on, so the noise increased and the hope that the little bit of magic could come as it did against Austria, not necessarily by him but by the extra invention he brought to proceedings.
The touches were the but not without thought, a brilliant back heel sending the impressive Ben Davies away and needing a clearance off the line. A second was needed as somehow a set-piece flicked to Bale was denied. The hands of disbelief were raised to the head, the fear of the unthinkable now on the minds of all.
It felt desperate, certainly as Wales lived dangerously in front of their own goal, raising the tension and the volume of jumping home fans.
But then came Woodburn once more. Fearless in his surge down the wing and then perfection in his cross, Robson-Kanu heading home with a finish that the cross deserved.
The worry wasn’t over, Wayne Hennessey saving well as Wales threatened to throw it away.
But no, not now, not as Ramsey’s deflected effort in injury time gave Wales the win they needed.
The road to Russia was given its green light.