Loading...Slovakia 2-5 Wales: Captain Bellamy shines
Group D
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Slovakia 2 - 5 Wales, Goals + Highlights
Craig Bellamy-inspired Wales stormed to victory in their Euro 2008 qualifying group D match in Slovakia - scoring five goals in an away match for the first time in 11 years.
Bellamy's pace destroyed a pedestrian Slovakia defence and helped erase the memory of a 5-1 mauling handed out by the Slovaks in Cardiff.
It also boosted morale following the depressing home defeat by group leaders Germany at the weekend.
Boss John Toshack's young side found their heart, spirit and confidence to produce a result which will be long remembered.
They were behind early on to a Marek Mintal strike, but stormed back with three goals in 20 first half minutes - two from Bellamy after Freddy Eastwood had equalised.
Mintal pulled a goal back, but Bellamy's brilliant running tore the heart out of the Slovakian defence, and a Jan Durica own goal and a last-gasp goal from Simon Davies produced the sweetest of results.
Wales lost defender Lewin Nyatanga to a back problem before the game, meaning Peterborough's Craig Morgan won his third cap in defence, while Bellamy returned after health problems with his baby daughter ruled him out of Saturday's defeat to Germany.
This 18,000 capacity stadium 40 miles outside Bratislava was not even a quarter full, enabling the 700 travelling Wales fans to more than able to make themselves heard.
Slovakia attempted to impose themselves on the game early and former Blackburn defender Vratislav Gresko caused the Wales defence plenty of problems with his crosses.
A Gresko cross helped Slovakia take a 10th-minute lead.
The ball dropped to Joe Ledley, who was far too slow with his clearance, allowing Mintal the time to hook the ball past Wayne Hennessey.
Wales levelled 11 minutes later. Hennessey's long ball was played out to Ledley by Bellamy, and the Cardiff youngster atoned for his earlier mistake with a low cross that Eastwood stabbed home.
Bellamy was beginning to enjoy himself against slower defenders, but after being caught marginally offside, he opted to continue his shot and chipped Stefan Senecky, only to be booked for his troubles by French referee Laurent Duhamel.
But he can be irrepressible in such circumstances and in the 34th minute Bellamy struck with a cracker. Eastwood's ball over the top was a decent pass, but the West Ham striker still had plenty to do.
He set off on a high speed chase from half-way, caught and passed Durica before slamming a stunning 18 yard left-footed high past Senecky.
And it was Bellamy who struck again on 41 minutes with another outstanding finish, getting behind the defence again and lashing an acute angled drive off the underside of the bar.
The Slovaks sent on winger Branislav Obzera for Stanislav Sestak at the break and the first chance after the restart came when Marek Cech got away but failed to really test Hennessey with a weak cross-shot.
They did reduce the deficit to 3-2 in the 57th minute when Cech played in Mintal, who drilled a low drive past Hennessey.
Hennessey did not look too convincing when he spooned a long-range effort from Filip Holosko round a post, before Slovakia sent on Igor Zofcak for Gresko.
Bellamy's attempts to relieve the pressure saw him hare away on 71 minutes to send in a cross-shot that hit the inside of the far post and came back into play.
Toshack then sent on midfielder Carl Fletcher in place of Eastwood, the need to shore up midfield now obvious.
Bellamy then got past Durica again, and looked to be cut down on the edge of the box, but the referee ignored desperate appeals from the West Ham striker.
When Bellamy got onto the end of a Simon Davies pass on 74 minutes, before scampering into the box and drilling a cross into the six-yard box, Durica - sliding in to stop the ball reaching Davies at the far post - knocked the ball into his own net.
David Vaughan came on for Ledley on 85 minutes, then Obzera was booked for dragging back Bellamy - who had been on his own up front for much of the half but still managed to terrorise every defender with his pace.
And a great night for Wales was capped in the last minute when Davies drilled in the fifth, following a free-kick given for after another foul on Bellamy
Full Report: Soccernet.com
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