Wales played out a 0-0 draw against Turkey in Craig Bellamy‘s first match in charge.
The first forty-five showcased a lot of promise for the home side, with Bellamy’s vision to play on the front foot coming to fruition.
Whereas the visitors – still in the glow from their Euro 2024 quarter finalists escapades – struggled to gain much presence in the game.
An hour in and Turkey were reduced to ten men as Baris Yilmaz was sent off following his second yellow card, but a similar story played out after the interval.
The Dragons tried to turn their on-pitch dominion into a lead, seemingly growing exasperated as the minutes wore by.
Nothing bulged the back of the net in the end though it was enough of a mandate to show how the new look Wales want to play. Turkey, meanwhile, will be satisfied with a point considering they never truly got going.
Wales travel to Montenegro on Monday night while Turkey host Iceland.
Wales began with forthright intent, stretching the pitch as wide as possible through wingers Sorba Thomas and Brennan Johnson.
And the first chance came from the right-hand side, as Johnson’s backheel kept the ball in play, teeing up Connor Roberts for a cross to Aaron Ramsey, who headed over.
Out of possession, the hosts took on a high-pressing 4-4-2 that made it tricky for Turkey to see much of the ball.
A golden chance to take the lead fell to Joe Rodon on eighteen minutes. A short corner plan saw Thomas whip a ball to the far post where the Leeds United defender was free, but could only lift it over the bar.
Wales also showcased composure when playing out from the back as The Crescent Stars looked to harry them higher up the field.
Turkey’s first venture into the Welsh box came just shy of half-an-hour in and saw a penalty call waved away. Early frustrations, due to possession starvation, boiled over as Baris Yilmaz earned a yellow card for his reaction.
Five minutes later, a looped ball from Ramsey sent Thomas through. However, the Nantes winger’s chipped goal was soon disallowed for offside.
The away side struggled to gain momentum in attacks, being largely confined to blunted counter attacks and set pieces that went no where.
The half ended in a similar fashion to the start, with Roberts setting up the captain. This time a low cross was met by an unexpectant Ramsey and easily gathered by Mert Günok.
In the second half, Turkey returned with a stronger desire to keep the ball and assert themselves. This warranted their first proper chance as Arda Güler‘s deft cross was headed over by Yilmaz.
Seconds later, a misplaced pass from goalkeeper Danny Ward almost gifted a goal, but the shot was blocked. The first evidence of the risks of playing out from the back.
Wales responded well. Johnson poked a shot wide at the end of slick piece of play and forward Harry Wilson came close to bending in the opener from outside the area.
Yilmaz’s fury in the first half came back to bite him as a late challenge on Neco Williams saw him receive a second yellow card and was sent off just after 60 minutes.
The Red Wall crowd roused in expectation as Wales looked to press home both their extra player advantage and general gameplay supremacy. Though they were still unable to significantly trouble the Turkish net.
Keiffer Moore‘s introduction gave a different option as a more typical number nine. The striker’s impact was paused after taking a nasty collision from Çağlar Söyüncü‘s studs to his head.
A late opportunity for Turkey came through a corner. Abdulkerim Bardakci‘s header went straight into Ward’s gloves.
Lewis Koumas was a bright replacement for Thomas. The Stoke City winger suffered from a similar problem to most other Welsh forwards: creating dangerous enough chances from good build up play.
Koumas did arrow in a cross five minutes deep into stoppage time that fell to Johnson, who could only slice the ball wide of the mark.
Both sides are joint second in Group 4 in Nations League B following Iceland’s victory over Montenegro.
The Leeds midfielder played as the number six and was often counted on to be the lone link between defence and attack.
Ampadu was calm and assured in the middle of the park, withstanding pressure well and offering support to centre-backs Davies and Rodon. It is clear he will be an integral cog to Bellamy’s set up.
Scoring an overhead kick right at the end would have been the cherry on the cake, but such a goal will have to wait.
