Wales claimed their first win under Craig Bellamy with a 2-1 Nations League success over Montenegro on a rain-lashed night in Niksic.
Kieffer Moore and Harry Wilson gave Wales a dream start with a quickfire double inside three minutes.
Moore’s opener was timed at 37 seconds – Wales’ fastest goal since 2003 – and ended their longest scoreless streak of four games since September 2012.
SGÔR TERFYNOL | 🇲🇪 1- 2 🏴
Victory secured in Nikšić!
📄 https://t.co/7Dwu5pnxpy#NationsLeague | #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/vmaEqAtoFk
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) September 9, 2024
Driton Camaj set up a grandstand finish such an entertaining encounter deserved, but Wales held on for three points after their opening Group B4 draw against Euro 2024 quarter-finalists Turkey.
Despite the early advantage, Wales could not rest easy in the face of a twin-pronged attack from their aggressive Montenegro hosts and the Niksic elements.
There were numerous crunching challenges on a surface that inevitably cut up after incessant rain had raised questions earlier in the day whether the game would be played.
Niksic was hosting its first men’s senior international after Podgorica’s national stadium pitch had been declared unplayable by UEFA.
It meant Wales’ 800-plus following headed just over 50 kilometres north of the Montenegrin capital to see if new boss Bellamy could build on an impressive start against Turkey.
Bellamy had promised changes after that goalless draw in Cardiff and, in the event, made five.
Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow, just a month short of his 34th birthday, became Wales’ oldest debutant since World War II, with Lewis Koumas and Ollie Cooper making first starts.
Moore and Chris Mepham also came in as skipper Aaron Ramsey, Brennan Johnson, Danny Ward, Jordan James and Sorba Thomas dropped out.
Montenegro recalled former Manchester City striker Stevan Jovetic, their all-time leading scorer but currently without a club at the age of 34, after their opening Nations League defeat in Iceland.
Wales ended their goal drought with the first attack as Moore pounced on pinball in the Montenegro penalty area to slot home his 13th international goal off a post.
Moore 1'' ⚽Wilson 3'' ⚽
A rapid start from @Cymru 🔥#NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/a7K0PNi5dS
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) September 9, 2024
It quickly got better for Wales as Wilson picked up Neco Williams’ pass to deliver a stunning 25-yard shot into the top corner past a startled Milan Mijatovic.
Ethan Ampadu was booked in a frenetic opening and Montenegro almost halved the deficit when Nikola Krstovic sent Stefan Mugosa’s cross inches wide.
They went even closer when Ampadu lost possession and Jovetic, spotting Darlow straying outside his area, struck the crossbar with an audacious effort from inside his own half.
Darlow made a fine close-range stop from Jovetic and as the ball broke Ben Davies displayed all his experience to retreat and deny Camaj with a superb goal-line clearance.
Johnson was introduced before the break for the limping Connor Roberts and stung Mijatovic’s palms as the hour mark approached.
Wales should have sealed matters when Wilson found Davies and his pass across the face of goal left Moore with the simplest of tap-ins, yet he blazed over from five yards.
Montenegro refused to surrender and Vladimir Jovovic struck an upright from 20 yards, with Krstovic putting over the rebound.
Darlow made an excellent save from Jovetic, earning a handshake in the process from the veteran forward, but the goal Montenegro had been threatening arrived after 73 minutes.
Krstovic raced clear and Camaj tapped home into an empty net, but late home pressure proved in vain.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Big GabrielSporting 1-5 Arsenal Who will win this month's Manager of the Month award? What happens when you come up against Saliba and Gabriel... Wayne Rooney, a true legend on and off the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo in the iconic white and gold jersey brings back so many unforgettable memories! Throwback to THIS Beautiful Moment when Lionel Messi scored his 50th ca...
Bellingham admits 'vibrations' were key to Liverpool snubJude Bellingham has revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool, and the "vibrations" he felt when Real Madrid came calling."It wasn't as close as it was said," Bellingham said ahead of Real's Champions League clash with Liverpool. "There were conversations. There was Dortmund and I did it with several clubs. When Real Madrid call you, t...
Manchester City's Champions League match on Tuesday night was marred by crowd trouble, with Feyenoord fans causing chaos at the Etihad Stadium. The Dutch supporters, escorted by police from the city centre to the stadium, filled all three tiers of the South Stand.After City scored three goals, Feyenoord managed to net one with about 15 minutes left, leading to riot police stepping in to prevent cl...
Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists Mohamed Salah isn't unsettled over his contract situation.After scoring twice in victory at Southampton on Sunday, Salah revealed he had not heard from management about a new deal. His current contract expires in June."The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out," said Slot."I don't think he's distracted at all. I haven't seen that...
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said he doesn't fully understand how the new Champions League format worked after his team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stage.Bayern needed a first-half goal from defender Kim Min-Jae to battle past 10-man PSG and claim a third win in five matches."I don't look at the table...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. The reason why Man City lost 5 matches in a row Erling Haaland lol Cucuruku Cook that thing… This The Man United cycle. This Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC)...
The Portuguese has promised to not sign any Sporting CP stars in the winter window.However, all bets are off in the summer, with A Bola stating that Geovany Quenda is the main target.United are said to be preparing an offer of £50M plus bonuses to secure the young winger.Amorim can use Quenda in either wing-back position, while he is also capable of playing in the front three.Another player U...
The Algerian's contract expires in the summer of 2026 and he is believed to be eyeing a move away from Molineux.Rayan Ait-Nouri is wanted by Man UtdThat has put United are on red alert for a player as Amorim has made signing a left-back a priority.He wants to boost his options give Luke Shaw's injury record.Shaw could also eventually move into the back-three once the former Sporting Lisbon manager...
Mohamed Salah has said he is yet to receive a formal contract offer from Liverpool, adding that he is "more out than in" regarding whether he will stay at the club next season.Salah, whose contract is set to expire next summer, has enjoyed an impressive individual campaign, having scored 12 goals in all competitions this term, including a brace in Liverpool's 3-2 comeback win over Southampton on S...
Real Madrid monitoring Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite🚨👀 #Branthwaite is attracting the attention of 🇪🇺 top clubs.📃 #RealMadrid included the CB in their list of potential January targets, while 🏴 teams continue to monitor him ahead of June.💰 #Everton would like to keep him but are also open to evaluating bids >€70m. 🐓⚽ pic.twitter.com/5lpoomMdyp— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) Novem...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Chelsea make Nkunku sale call amid ManUtd interest
- 3 €60-70m could bring star to Liverpool or Man Utd
- 4 Ex-Prem ace asked Liverpool star for his sister's phone number
- 5 Mascherano nears Miami; Martino exits
- 6 Chloe Kelly sends fans wild in daring outfit at GQ Men of the Year
- 7 Former Premier League star saved his wife and baby from house fire
- 8 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 9 The secret and very normal jobs of England’s WAGs
- 10 Amorim targets Sporting Lisbon's Quenda