WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015 SPORTS Another ‘massive night’ for Wales as Euros beckon CARDIFF: “It’s a massive night for But while all of Wales is optimistic place. Blessed with talented players group matches, before exiting meekly world rankings and beat France 4-3 in a Welsh football” is a saying that strikes that the national side can take one of including Mark Hughes, Ian Rush and a to Russia 1-0 in a two-legged playoff. friendly in Paris at the weekend, are fear into the hearts of the country’s bat- the 24 slots in the expanded tourna- precocious teenager called Ryan Giggs, For Welsh fans, Friday at last seems a rightly among the favorites to lift the tle weary fans dreaming of glory ment, no-one is taking anything for Wales seemed destined to return to the different prospect although, as ever, the title next year. because every one of those nights over granted because of so many past heroic World Cup for the first time in 36 years. squad is affected by withdrawals. However, they are not infallible, as the last 57 years has ended in failure. failures that have left Wales always so However, missing striker Hughes Regular starting defenders Ben Davies Wales, world-ranked 22nd, proved with They typically come around once, at near and yet so far. through suspension, an uncharacteris- of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham a 0-0 draw in Brussels last year. Wales most twice, every decade, and the first There have been many excuses for tic error by goalkeeper Neville Southall United’s James Collins have been ruled have grown in confidence and stature since 2003 is fast approaching with their almost inevitable failure to reach and a heartbreaking penalty miss by out until next season along with young- since then and the absence of Belgium Wales set to face Belgium in a Euro another finals-poor managerial deci- Ian Bodin saw Gheorghe Hagi’s sters Jonny Williams of Crystal Palace, captain Vincent Kompany coupled with 2016 top-of-the-table Group B qualify- sions, bad luck, perceived refereeing Romania win 2-1 and advance at Wales’ Wigan Athletic’s Emyr Huws and the fact that Marc Wilmot’s side conced- ing clash at the Cardiff City Stadium on incompetence plus injuries and suspen- expense. Fulham’s George Williams. ed three second half goals to France, Friday. sions to key players at the most inop- Hughes was manager the last time But the squad remains strong and will give the likes of Bale and Aaron Both sides are level on 11 points portune moments. they failed to finish the job when Euro most of manager Chris Coleman’s play- Ramsey cause to believe they can cause from five games, with Belgium leading The notion that Wales have bottled it 2004 in Portugal was within reach. ers have Premier League pedigree, the visiting defence real problems. the group on goal difference. The pair on the nights that mattered took hold Giggs was then at his peak in a team, including the world’s most expensive If Coleman’s side do that then “a currently occupy the automatic qualifi- when Scotland effectively ended their featuring Craig Bellamy, John Hartson player Gareth Bale. massive night for Welsh football” would cation places for next year’s tourna- realistic hopes of qualifying for the and Simon Davies, who were among The dangerous Bale, despite his at last be a triumphant occasion. Unlike ment in France and Wales’s promising 1978 and 1986 World Cups. the top scorers in the qualifiers. troubles at Real Madrid, has been in other nights, this is not a do-or-die start has given the fans real hope that The heartache continued as they Wales won their first four games, imperious form for Wales and will earn match for Wales, with four matches to their team could reach a major finals for closed in on qualifying for the 1994 including a 2-1 win over Italy in Cardiff, his 50th cap against their strongest play, but the feeling is that if they win the first time since the 1958 World Cup World Cup in the United States when a before their form deserted them. They group rivals. on Friday they can go on to take a place in Sweden. win over Romania would have booked a failed to win any of their remaining four Belgium, who are second in FIFA’s in France. —Reuters Ghana scrape past Togo JOHANNESBURG: Ghana coach Avram Former African Footballer of the Year Grant praised Bernard Mensah yesterday Adebayor is the star of the Sparrow Hawks after a goal by the debutant gave Ghana a and a consistent source of goals. But 1-0 victory over Togo in a 2017 Africa Cup recently appointed Belgian Tom Saintfiet is of Nations warm-up. the latest coach to have trouble with a star “I am happy with his performance, espe- recently given compassionate leave by cially his goal,” former Chelsea manager Tottenham to handle family problems. Grant said of the 20-year-old midfielder Record seven-time Cup of Nations title- from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes. holders Egypt defeated Malawi 2-1 at Borg “Bernard is among the players I have El-Arab in another warm-up despite lacking been monitoring recently and I promise he the unavailable stars of leading clubs Al- will not be our last discovery. “The match Ahly and Zamalek. was a good experience and we are satisfied Ahmed Hassan Mekky tapped the ball with the outcome,” added the coach who into the net on 19 minutes after a defensive guided Ghana to second at the 2015 Cup of blunder and a powerful Mohamed El- Nations in Equatorial Guinea. Gabbas shot just after half-time doubled Mensah struck after 40 minutes at Accra the lead. John Banda halved the deficit Sports Stadium to win a friendly interna- midway through the second half of a tional dominated by Ghana against oppo- match staged behind closed doors owing nents lacking several key players. to post-Arab Spring security concerns. Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor All four teams host qualifiers this week- and France-based goalkeeper Kossi Agassa end with Ghana playing Mauritius in Accra, and midfielder Floyd Ayite refused to train Togo facing Liberia in Lome, Egypt meeting regularly with the squad last week and Tanzania in Borg El-Arab and Malawi tack- were dropped. ling Zimbabwe in Blantyre. —AFP Preview Neymar leads Brazil at Copa RIO DE JANEIRO: A resurgent Brazil are develop. He is making history in European determined to bury the memory of last football.” Neymar missed Sunday’s friendly year’s traumatic World Cup campaign as with Mexico but will reunite with the squad they prepare to regain their crown as the bristling with confidence after scoring the kings of South American football at the final goal for Barcelona in their 3-1 Copa America. Brazil’s challenge at the Champions League final defeat of Juventus World Cup on home soil was obliterated in on Saturday. Neymar’s late strike in Berlin a 7-1 semi-final mauling by eventual cham- was the final act of a superb season for the pions Germany, a result that was compared Spanish treble winners which saw him to the hosts’ infamous defeat to Uruguay in notch 39 goals. the climax of the 1950 tournament. Dunga believes Neymar’s goalscoring An emphatic 3-0 defeat to the performance in the Champions League Netherlands in the third place play-off only final augurs well for Brazil’s Copa America added to the mood of disarray surrounding campaign. Nolito in action in this file photo Brazil as the world’s most successful foot- “This is good for Brazilian football as a balling nation came to terms with its early whole, having a player scoring in the final exit. But fast-forward nearly a year, and and winning the Champions League,” Brazil are heading into the Copa America in Dunga said. While the core of the Brazil Butcher’s boy Nolito has Chile with renewed confidence after a squad is the same as the team torn asunder sequence of nine straight wins since the by Germany, Dunga has successfully blood- World Cup debacle under the guidance of ed several new players who could play a Costa Rica in his sights former captain Dunga. part in Chile. Dunga, who succeeded Luiz Felipe Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred, Scolari, has overseen a steady return to Monaco defender Fabinho and Lazio’s MADRID: Celta Vigo forward Nolito has come north-western city of Leon. base outside Madrid. “It’s been a fantastic sea- winning ways since his reappointment. attacking midfielder Felipe Anderson all a long way since he earned 30 euros ($33.74) “I used to get up at eight thirty, I was at the son and this call-up has been the reward, I Brazil’s run of victories has included friendly featured in the win over Mexico on Sunday, a week as a butcher’s apprentice and should butcher from nine until two and in the after- hope to learn,” the 21-year-old added. With wins over Colombia, Chile, Argentina and which also saw Liverpool’s Philippe get a chance to show Spain coach Vicente del noon I trained in my village,” Nolito, now 28, five matches played, Spain are second in Euro France, with Mexico becoming the latest Coutinho score his first international goal Bosque what he can do in tomorrow’s friendly said in an interview with Marca sports daily 2016 qualifying Group C on 12 points, three victims in a 2-0 win in Sao Paulo on Sunday.