WELSH WONDERS
Dragons fired up as Moore leveller stuns the Swiss
THE established players in this Wales old guard had been saying all week that it is for a new generation to make memories now. That a 28-year-old should have been the one to do so in their opening game says everything about his struggle for recognition in football.
Kieffer Moore was playing parttime for Truro less than ten years ago, working as a lifeguard and personal trainer to supplement his income. Even 20 goals this season for Cardiff City seemed to have had left Wales’ manager Rob Page unconvinced that he should be the focus of Wales’ attack as their tournament began.
There can be no doubters now. This game was disappearing from Wales, with the Borussia Monchengladbach forward Breel Embolo giving centre backs Joe Rodon and Chris Mepham a desperately torrid time, when Moore arrived to leap and head home an equaliser of great technical merit.
This was by no means the end of the struggle for Wales, who can consider themselves fortunate to have emerged with anything.
Goalkeeper Danny Ward continued the form he showed against France ten days ago with a save of the highest order to tip away an Embolo header.
Page said last night that it was ‘a positive start’ but it’s hard to view it that way. This was a pale imitation of what Wales brought to the France championships five years ago, with less ambition and a lot less of the counter-attacking power which was so thrilling back then.
They did not manage to get Gareth Bale into possession — the captain was a marginal figure — and sat so deep for long periods that they invited Swiss pressure and shots on goal. After a few brief incursions at the start from Manchester United’s Dan James — who with Moore was the outstanding attacking threat — Wales seemed to have given up the ghost until the equaliser came.
The pre-match ceremony had actually promised far more. In the vast, near-deserted stadium, the Wales players turned to face the small pocket of fans — 200 or so — to sing the anthem. An excellent touch.
Briefly, there was evidence of what a danger Moore and rapid wide players might bring. James had given the right back Fabian Schär a torrid half hour before the defender was booked for barging him to the ground as he threatened to burst away.
This was the combination which brought the outstanding save of the first half. Keeper Yann Sommer leapt to glove over after James had stood up a ball that Moore leapt to navigate towards the top corner. He is a lot more than a 6ft 4in centre forward but his capacity to generate power out of nowhere with his headers served Wales well.
This combination was so effective that it was a mystery Wales did not try to profit from it more often. But they dropped deeper and deeper, with Joe Allen needed for such constant surveillance of Xherdan Shaqiri that he was unable to create from midfield.
The game began to belong to Embolo, the Cameroon-born 24-year-old. He had just spun inside Wales’ two centre halves and broken through on goal, forcing Ward to palm the ball away. From the ensuing Shaqiri corner — levered up into the six-yard box yet again — he headed home because Connor Roberts was not even watching the ball, let along challenging for it as he leapt chaotically.
The goal helped Wales, drawing some ambition and drive from a side who dared not contemplate an opening defeat in a group which also includes Italy, their last opponents.
Ben Davies struck a half volley from the edge of box. A Ramsey free-kick sailed fractionally over Moore’s head. But Embolo continued to terrorise, curling a shot marginally wide, when Moore’s header put Wales back level. He left his marker with a diagonal run to a ball Joe Morrell had arced into him, leapt and angled a header which flew beyond Sommer.
James, a persistent attacking threat, was understandably baffled to be substituted on 75 minutes. ‘Who? Me?’ he asked Page. The manager indicated last night that he had wanted to get more crosses in for Moore and also felt James was exhausted.
‘I have to make those decisions if it’s for someone of David Brooks’ quality coming on the right and Bale on his left getting crosses for Kieffer,’ Page said. ‘I thought he ran himself into the ground. He gave us everything. He was dead on his feet. It is not about keeping individuals happy.’
Brooks did come close to sending Ramsey in at the death, despatching a cross that the No10 could not quite meet.
But the last ten minutes belonged to the Swiss who could have scored three and were left to rue their profligacy. There was also an agonising wait for a VAR decision to go in their favour after substitute Mario Gavranovic had the ball in the net after the equaliser. ‘We just didn’t benefit or take advantage of our free-kicks or opportunities,’ said manager Vladimir Petkovic, whose side had 18 shots on goal but only four on target.
For Page, who revealed that this felt like ‘a win in the changing room’, there are positives to take. The confidence this will bring to Ward and Moore.
‘He’s not just a presence up top, he’s more than that,’ Page reflected. ‘He’s got a good touch for a big lad and he’s a willing runner. (That’s) a recipe for success.’
To have held out amid adversity in this way will have bolstered spirits more generally, too.
But this stadium will be packed with the best part of 30,000 Turkey fans, four days from now, and only a win will do. Wales must raise their game if they are to go on a journey like the one five years ago.