Wales saved their Euro 2024 qualification hopes alive with a 2-0 win in Latvia as Aaron Ramsey’s a centesimal profession aim and a David Brooks clincher lifted the strain on under-fire supervisor Rob Web page.
Ramsey stroked house a Twenty ninth-minute penalty – his twenty first aim for Wales – earlier than Brooks, on as an alternative choice to the injured captain, settled issues within the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The victory was Wales’ second in 14 makes an attempt and offers them renewed hope that they will declare a top-two place in Group D.
On an evening when Wales merely needed to win or be left with a play-off path to Germany subsequent summer time, there was additional excellent news earlier than kick-off as group leaders Croatia did them a favour by successful 1-0 in Armenia.
Croatia are Wales’ subsequent Euro opponents in Cardiff subsequent month, and Web page can now look ahead to that recreation after heading to Riga with enormous query marks over his future.
The 49-year-old was feted as a nationwide hero after main Wales to their first World Cup for 64 years, however poor performances at that match and on this marketing campaign had prompted massive elements of the fan base to name for managerial change.
Web page had drawn encouragement from Thursday’s pleasant with South Korea – and he named 10 of the facet who began that goalless attract Cardiff.
Captain Ramsey returned rather than Nathan Broadhead as Burnley’s Connor Roberts gained his fiftieth cap.
Jordan James made his first aggressive begin and the 19-year-old instructed he could also be a mainstay of the Wales midfield for a while to return.
Latvia had drawn an entire clean in Euro 2024 qualifying, shedding all 4 video games, with three of them – together with a 1-0 away defeat to Wales in March – by a single aim margin.
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The tiny three-sided Skonto Stadium, with automobiles parked behind one aim, appeared at odds with what was such an vital night time in Welsh soccer. However over 1,000 Wales followers had been in a crowd of 6,464.
There had been a temper of sporting celebration in Riga all through the day as Latvians turned out to honour their basketball gamers, who had recorded a finest end of fifth on the sport’s World Cup, within the metropolis.
Wales ought to have had the proper begin inside 75 seconds when Ethan Ampadu launched Brennan Johnson however Tottenham’s new striker skied over on his unfavoured left facet.
Ampadu was off-target from a Harry Wilson nook however Wales had been threatening at set-pieces.
Chris Mepham met one other Wilson nook on the far publish and Ben Davies reached the deflected ball first to pressure Roberts Ozols right into a flying save within the Latvian aim.
Possibilities continued to return and go for Wales with Johnson wayward once more and Ozols producing stops to disclaim Wilson and Roberts.
There was a hazard that frustration would creep in, however Latvia supplied a serving to hand when Kaspars Dubra bundled over Wilson after 28 minutes.
The incident survived a VAR verify for a possible offside within the build-up and Ramsey coolly transformed for his landmark aim.
Wales ought to have been out of sight within the subsequent 10 minutes as Neco Williams and Johnson fired vast when well-placed and Ozols denied Wilson once more.
Latvia had proven nothing as an attacking pressure for 41 minutes earlier than out of the blue bursting into life.
Ward shovelled out a Janis Ikaunieks header that Roberts needed to clear because the Latvian striker ready to pounce for the rebound, whereas Raimonds Krollis nearly profited twice after being left unguarded.
Wales suffered a blow 4 minutes into the second half when Ramsey signalled to the bench to return off, with David Brooks taking his place.
The fear was that Wales would miss Ramsey’s stabilising affect and Krollis went shut after Johnson had pushed vast.
Latvia may need been decreased to 10 males when Ikaunieks aimed a wild kick at James.
Slovakian referee Michal Ocenas brandished a yellow card earlier than being requested to assessment the choice on the VAR monitor. After a two-minute verify Ocenas caught along with his authentic choice and Ikaunieks escaped additional sanction.
The ultimate quarter grew to become very fragmented with a sequence of niggly fouls.
Ikaunieks’ 20-yard shot flew into the facet netting and, whereas that may have represented the cruellest punishment for Wales, Brooks ended issues by racing on to Wilson’s go and scoring with essentially the most scrumptious of chips.
