Wales have what they wanted; the home play-off semi-final next March.
They’ll discover who stands in their way of reaching the World Cup this Thursday, but they have proved to themselves they can go through a qualifying campaign and by being bold and brave do the job required.
When he was first appointed as head coach, Craig Bellamy said one of his pressing aims was to create an identity within his teams.
The supporters have been able to see that over the last 18 months as they’ve witnessed periods of games where Wales have looked wonderful, but – and there is always a but – sometimes things don’t work out, don’t go to plan and there has to be some pain along the way.
Ask anyone who was at Wembley in October for the lesson England dished out.
However with a lot at stake for Wales, Bellamy’s side delivered a performance against North Macedonia that wasn’t just for 20, 30 or 45 minutes. It was complete. It was all the good bits Wales have shown, but for 90 minutes.
Wales put in an exceptional performance against North Macedonia
North Macedonia are no mugs. Coming into this last qualifier they were unbeaten in the seven games they’d played. Belgium found them a handful, twice.
On top of that, all North Macedonia needed to usurp Wales and take second spot in Group J was to earn a draw in Cardiff, something they were more than capable of doing.
They had a slight edge in the physiological side of football before a ball was kicked. It mattered not.
Speed, pace, fast runners, slick and quick. That’s what Bellamy and his coaches had drilled into Wales – and the players delivered and kept delivering on a memorable night in Cardiff.
It’s the memory of this game and everything learned leading up to it that must be bottled up. If you can do it once and prove to yourself it can be done, then go and do it again.
This performance – as well as the result – could be worth millions for Wales. It gives them the best possible chance of making the World Cup via the play-offs.
Brennan Johnson is congratulated after his strike gave Wales a 3-1 lead over North Macedonia
Qualifying for a World Cup is lucrative before a ball is kicked, so this ‘home’ pathway Wales now have makes that possibility a little bit more probable. Not definite of course, but it’s so much better being at home and being in Pot 2 of the play-off draw.
Bellamy and his team will fancy their chances against anyone at home in Cardiff, it’s become an inspirational home for the team and the crowd does raise them. Although on this occasion it was the speed and purpose of the Wales players that led the crowd.
Expecting 7-1 thrashings game after game isn’t realistic though, it will be very different come March and doubtless whoever is drawn to face Wales will do their homework to try to negate the strengths of Bellamy’s side, namely their speed, short passing and moving.
Nevertheless if Wales can replicate the high press to the extent they did against North Macedonia and at times throughout this campaign then it’s just a nightmare to play against.
The pitch map for the second half will show that the ball rarely left the North Macedonia half and that the Welsh players hounded in packs to win the ball back within seconds of losing it.
North Macedonia struggled to get out their own half in Cardiff
That will please Bellamy so much and he will revel in showing and telling his players about how effective it is and to keep doing that come March and beyond.
When Wales train, I – and other media outlets – get 15 minutes to watch the players train, then we have to leave. Bellamy is always very friendly and accommodating, but you know he wants us gone.
He wants to work without prying eyes, to get the messages across to his players and to work more and more and more.
Now after that performance you understand how much work is done on the training pitches.
I’m coming back to the high press again as it became suffocating in the second half. Wales became more ruthless, but a concerted effort executed meticulously like that doesn’t just happen, it’s repetition on the training ground where it’s ingrained.
Not long after the final whistle, Bellamy said the result and performance was about “as perfect as it gets… although I don’t believe in perfect”.
It doesn’t matter, near perfection will do and if you do manage to bottle the formula, millions could be made.
