Gibraltar 0-0 Wales: Rob Page's much-changed side fail to score against European minnows in disappointing stalemate
The match between Wales and Gibraltar ended in a 0-0 draw, which was a huge embarrassment for Wales as they have suffered one of their worst results ever. Gibraltar, who are placed 203rd in the world rankings, managed to hold out against Wales during the match.
FIFA has ranked Gibraltar among the weakest seven teams out of the 210 member international football community. Despite this, Wales was unable to score against Gibraltar during their recent game, despite Gibraltar having lost their last 13 games with a total score of 50-0.
Even though the football match was a casual game held in Portugal at Gibraltar's makeshift home stadium, it won't benefit Rob Page, the coach of the Welsh national team, very much.
Following the Dragons' failure to qualify for Euro 2024, the Football Association of Wales showed swift support for Page.
The dissatisfaction among the crowd supporting Wales will increase because Gibraltar managed to not lose for the first time since defeating Andorra in November 2022.
The team led by Page consisted of young players who had only played in 44 games before, and Wales finished a disappointing afternoon at Estadio Algarve with Brennan Johnson, Daniel James and Kieffer Moore trying their best to score a goal on the field.
Lewis Koumas, a Liverpool player, came on from the substitute bench for the last 17 minutes of the match. The young player almost made a memorable mark on his debut by scoring the winning goal. However, the Gibraltar goalkeeper, Jaylan Hankins, reacted quickly and skillfully to prevent Lewis Koumas' shot from going into the goalpost.
The two teams faced each other for the first time last October, with Wales achieving an easy victory of 4-0 in Wrexham.
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Josh Sheehan, a midfielder for Bolton, became the captain of the team even though it was only his sixth time playing and his first as a starter. Fin Stevens and Jay Dasilva, who are both full-backs, also made their first appearances on the team.
Koumas and a young 17-year-old Leeds midfielder named Charlie Crew obtained their first caps on a day when none of the starting line-up for Wales had played in the recently finished Premier League season.
Rabbi Matondo, who has played for Wales 10 times and is their most seasoned player, showcased his impressive speed from the get-go. The Rangers winger was eager to take on opponents by running past them which posed a significant threat to the opposition early on.
Ben Cabango went to take a corner for Sheehan and Wales tried to explore forward but without significant aim or progress.
Gibraltar were satisfied with their strategy of playing defensively, keeping most of the game action within their own territory.
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Wes Burns had shown off his skills on the right side of the field, yet he couldn't quite manage to move the ball with his toes past goalkeeper Hankins when attempting to receive a pass from Charlie Savage.
Sheehan received a warning for making a rough tackle on Tjar De Barr. The referee, Jamie Robinson from Northern Ireland, said that in a real game, the tackle may have resulted in a more severe punishment.
As the clock approached the thirty-minute mark, Wales increased their pace. Hankins made a powerful move to reject Liam Cullen's low shot, and Cabango headed the ball over.
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Matondo tried to score but Gibraltar defended well and entered halftime with their goal secured and very happy with their performance in the first half.
In the first half, the set-pieces executed by Sheehan had disturbed Gibraltar as greatly as the build-up play of Wales.
Joe Low surprisingly missed a great chance to score from close range, while Sheehan's subsequent corner kick passed over Hankins and hit the post from the inside.
During the match, Page made a significant alteration after every hour to enhance the team's offense, with the entrance of James, Johnson, and Moore.
The danger increased when Savage took the shot, but Lopes blocked it and stood on the goal line to clear Cabango's header.
Koumas came close to scoring his first goal for the team, just like he did for Liverpool and Wales Under-21s lately. Unfortunately, there was no happy ending this time and disgruntled fans booed at the end of the match.
