Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Wales4 - 1Finland

sportsmole.co.uk, 21 March 2024, 22:48
Rob Page has talked up the performance of his Wales side after they thrashed Finland by a 4-1 scoreline on Thursday night, albeit while remaining focused on their Euro 2024 playoff final with Poland.

When the draw for the playoffs was made, Wales learned that home victories over Finland and whoever prevailed out of Poland and Estonia would see them qualify for the finals in the summer.

Although Wales were marginal favourites to overcome Thursday's opponents, few would have predicted the manner of their win as they surged to success in Cardiff.

David Brooks set the ball rolling with a goal in the third minute and although Teemu Pukki halved the deficit on half time after Neco Williams had scored a second, Brennan Johnson and Daniel James scored after the break.

With Poland cruising to a 5-1 triumph over Estonia, the two nations will now meet at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night.

Speaking after the match, Page attempted to find a balance between praising his side's display and insisting that their quest to reach another major finals is only at "half time".

Speaking to S4C, Page said: "We got off the best possible start. We had to address a couple of things at half time and were better in the second half.

"It could have been five or six, but the message is that this is half time. We've now got a massive effort to go on Tuesday and we can't wait.

"We were disappointed with the goal we conceded. It made for an uncomfortable few minutes but the start of the second half was excellent."

Opposite number Markku Kanerva added: "I want to congratulate Wales, they played a good game today and deserved to win.

"Of course I am disappointed, we didn't reach the level I wished. We had disastrous starts to both halves with Wales scoring in both those periods. Hopefully Wales will go all the way to the Euros, because they are a good team."

Wales possess an abysmal record in games against Poland, failing to win since their first-ever game in 1973 and losing their last six encounters in all competitions dating back to 2001.

Top News

15 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly prepared to offer Joshua Zirkzee in a player-plus-cash bid for Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres. 15 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly been informed they will need to double their £40m valuation if they want to sign Nottingham Forest defender Murillo. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Mohamed Salah and Liverpool could be open to the idea of compromising on a contract extension of two years given the forward has long indicated that his clear preference would be to stay at Anfield beyond the 2024-25 season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England interim boss Lee Carsley has revealed the reason behind his decision to omit Harry Kane from the starting lineup for the 3-0 UEFA Nations League win over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.