Grizzly Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Wales 1-0 Canada Paul Parry claimed his first international goal Paul Parry's first international goal saw Wales end their season on a high at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground. Carl Fletcher's delightful 21st-minute through ball found Craig Bellamy who crossed from the dead-ball line. Parry met the ball with a powerful header which flew past Pat Onstad from 10 yards out. Poor finishing in a one-sided game denied Wales more goals, and it took a fine Martyn Margetson save to deny Marc Bircham two minutes from the end. Wales had the best chance of the opening exchanges when a curling Giggs corner sailed over a flapping Onstad and towards goal. KEY MOMENTS 10 mins: Hutchinson clears Giggs' corner onto the crossbar 21 mins: Parry gives Wales the lead 88 mins: Margetson denies Bircham John Toshack's view Atiba Hutchinson was able to get in a last-ditch header, though, directing the ball onto the crossbar and clear. The visitors were lively, creating openings for Tomasz Radzinski and Dwayne de Rosario, but Wales began to get on top in midfield and were clinical with their next opportunity. Fletcher's pin-point chip was collected in the box by Bellamy, who placed the ball ideally for Parry to claim a glorious strike. Giggs went close with a free kick soon after, and Parry had a penalty shout waved away after he went down under an Iain Hume challenge. At the other end, Wales were fortunate to survive two fluffed clearance kicks from Danny Coyne, both rebounding away from the Leicester keeper's goal. Bellamy spurned a great chance two minutes before the break with a weak shot after running clear on goal, meaning Wales had to be content with a one-goal lead after a dominant first half. Giggs wowed the Racecourse with his full range of skills The home side then made a lazy start to the second period, giving dangerous chances to substitute Paul Peschisolido and to Julian de Guzman, before Hume rattled the crossbar with a superb 30-yard free-kick. Giggs was turning on an end-of-season show for Wales, though, showing off his dazzling range of skills. He was unlucky not to create a 69th-minute goal when his dangerous cross was scrambled away by Canada. Bellamy's pace and alertness gave him two more chances, but the Newcastle striker had not brought his finishing boots and Wales were denied again. People who question the value of friendlies should look at our last two games Wales manager Mark Hughes More Wales reaction Wales could have paid for their profligacy as a penalty-box scramble two minutes from the end saw the ball fall to substitute Bircham on the edge of the box. He fired in a powerful right-footed effort, but reserve keeper Margetson did well to parry the effort away. The relief left a packed Racecourse free to celebrate Wales' fourth game without defeat since their Euro 2004 play-off heartbreak to Russia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wales: Coyne, Delaney (capt), Collins, Gabbidon, Thatcher, Robinson, Fletcher, Oster, Parry, Giggs, Bellamy. Subs: Williams, Edwards, Barnard, Gareth Roberts, Vaughan, Earnshaw, Neil Roberts, Llewellyn, Margetson. Canada: Onstad, Imhof, Jazic, Watson, De Vos, De Guzman, Hume, Hutchinson, Radzinski, De Rosario, Brennan. Subs: Bircham, McKenna, Klukowski, Peschisolido, Occean, Hirschfeld. Referee: P McKeon (Ireland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted May 30, 2004 Author Share Posted May 30, 2004 Continental Ryan lifts Wales By John Toshack Wales and Liverpool legend Overall, this was a much more comfortable victory than the result would suggest. Ryan was played in a role that will suit him better as he gets older Report: Wales 1-0 Canada Craig Bellamy and Ryan Giggs' approach work was good but their finishing didn't match it, Wales were at least three goals better than Canada. The opposition will keep going if they think they have a chance and there were a couple of scary moments for Wales. Looking ahead to the World Cup qualifying campaign, there are a lot of questions to ponder - and many of them surround Giggs. You have to take into account the fact that Ryan will not be available for the first two matches, against Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland - Mark Hughes has got to find a solution to that. I see Paul Parry as more of a left-sided midfielder in the Kevin Sheedy mould than as a left winger, I'm not sure he has the pace to go past people. It's very important to get Simon Davies back and in the sort of form he was for the beginning of the Euro 2004 campaign when he and Bellamy were the key players. But we should be able to take care of Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland, even without Ryan. Playing Ryan there brought a more continental look to Wales Hughes hails forward duo In the longer term, Ryan was played in a role against Canada that will suit him better as he gets older, in behind a single striker. He's not expected to go past people down the sidelines, but his knowledge, experience and final pass can play a crucial part. We've got goal-scoring potential with John Hartson, Bellamy and Robert Earnshaw, but if we lack one thing it's a quality passer in midfield to give the ammunition to the front men. In Europe all the top sides play with one up front and Manchester United have moved to that formation. Playing Ryan there brought a more continental look to Wales. If we have two front men and Ryan on the left we can have problems in the midfield, while we also have to look at how long the likes of Gary Speed and Mark Pembridge can go on. If he's fit, Hartson will be the one up front, but we still have to find Ryan's successor on the left side of midfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted May 30, 2004 Author Share Posted May 30, 2004 Hughes hails forward duo Report: Wales 1-0 Canada Wales manager Mark Hughes praised the roles of goal-scorer Paul Parry and man-of-the-match Ryan Giggs after the 1-0 win over Canada in Wrexham. "Parry's had a great start to his international career and I hope it's going to be a long one," said Hughes. "He's come in and had an instant impact and has the knack of not giving the ball away, manager's love that. "Ryan's had a great season and was special today, that's why I gave him a standing ovation at the end." People who question the value of friendlies should look at our last two games Mark Hughes John Toshack's view Although he was delighted with the result, Hughes felt that it could have been more emphatic. "The squad have shown real commitment, delivering both the performance and result - we only got one of those against Norway," Hughes told BBC Sport Wales. "With a bit more care, though, we could have scored more goals." The Wales boss felt that the 0-0 draw in Norway and the win over Canada had been of great value as Wales build for the autumn's World Cup qualifying campaign. "People who question the value of friendlies should look at those two games," said Hughes. Bellamy spurned a number of good chances against Canada "I've been delighted with the reaction of the players ever since we lost to Russia in the Euro 2004 play-offs, sometimes you learn more from disappointment than from success. "We've brought in new faces and that has helped the squad, we're progressing again and that's important ahead of the World Cup games. "We have more depth to the squad, and we have a number of players to come back from injury. "We can go off for the summer in good heart, that's why it was important to get that win." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted May 30, 2004 Author Share Posted May 30, 2004 Hughes hails forward duo Report: Wales 1-0 Canada Wales manager Mark Hughes praised the roles of goal-scorer Paul Parry and man-of-the-match Ryan Giggs after the 1-0 win over Canada in Wrexham. "Parry's had a great start to his international career and I hope it's going to be a long one," said Hughes. "He's come in and had an instant impact and has the knack of not giving the ball away, manager's love that. "Ryan's had a great season and was special today, that's why I gave him a standing ovation at the end." People who question the value of friendlies should look at our last two games Mark Hughes John Toshack's view Although he was delighted with the result, Hughes felt that it could have been more emphatic. "The squad have shown real commitment, delivering both the performance and result - we only got one of those against Norway," Hughes told BBC Sport Wales. "With a bit more care, though, we could have scored more goals." The Wales boss felt that the 0-0 draw in Norway and the win over Canada had been of great value as Wales build for the autumn's World Cup qualifying campaign. "People who question the value of friendlies should look at those two games," said Hughes. Bellamy spurned a number of good chances against Canada "I've been delighted with the reaction of the players ever since we lost to Russia in the Euro 2004 play-offs, sometimes you learn more from disappointment than from success. "We've brought in new faces and that has helped the squad, we're progressing again and that's important ahead of the World Cup games. "We have more depth to the squad, and we have a number of players to come back from injury. "We can go off for the summer in good heart, that's why it was important to get that win." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 CP's take: WREXHAM, Wales (CP-AP) Ñ Canadian coach Frank Yallop saw plenty of positives in a 1-0 exhibition soccer loss to Wales on Sunday. ÔÔIt was a very good game for us,ÕÕ Yallop said. ÔÔBecause basically weÕre in a little bit of pre-season mode if you like. ItÕs our first game together with all the group. ÔÔOur attitude and the way we went about business was first-class. We really competed with the Wales team and on another day we could have got the result.ÕÕ Cardiff CityÕs Paul Parry scored the lone goal in the 21st minute, heading a Craig Bellamy chip past Canadian goalkeeper Pat Onstad, named captain by Yallop. While Manchester United star Ryan Giggs returned to the Wales squad after missing a 0-0 draw in Norway on Thursday, the Welsh were missing such frontline players as John Hartson, Robbie Savage, Paul Jones, Simon Davies, Robert Page and Andy Melville. CanadaÕs next outing is an exhibition game June 5 in San Jose against the Earthquakes, the MLS team Yallop used to coach. Then itÕs on to Kingston, Ont., for a pair of World Cup qualifying games against modest Belize. On Sunday, Giggs threatened throughout. The winger crossed a ball for Carl Fletcher in the 10th minute, only to see Fletcher hit the post. Giggs then beat defender Daniel Imhof and shot just wide of the far post, and in the 25th minute forced Onstad to make a good save. Onstad then frustrated Newcastle striker Bellamy in the 43rd minute on a breakaway. Canadian striker Dwayne de Rosario, who plays for the San Jose Earthquakes, had two chances but shot wide in the 14th and 30th minutes. ÔÔDwayne was dangerous all afternoon,ÕÕ Yallop said. In the second half, TranmereÕs Iain Hume sent a free kick just wide for Canada. ÔÔWe had four very good chance to score goals,ÕÕ Yallop said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Did the BBC Wales radio guys even mention the Bircham chance? If they did, they didn't place much emphasis on it. As for these reports, the Welsh & CP reports, as well as the comments from the coaches, essentially contradict each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWay Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 A comprehensive recap of the match can now be found on soccernet.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 CSA Report: Men's World Cup Team Sunday, May 30, 2004 Wales Defeats Canada 1-0 Pat Onstad Canada's Men's World Cup Team suffered a 1-0 loss to Wales in an international friendly played at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, Wales on Sunday, May 30. The game was played in perfect conditions in front of a crowd of 10,900. Welsh midfielder Paul Parry scored the game's only goal when he headed home a cross in the 21st minute. Canadian head coach Frank Yallop went with a 4-4-2 lineup with Tomasz Radzinski and Dwayne de Rosario up front and Iain Hume, Atiba Hutchinson, Julian de Guzman and Jim Brennan across the midfield and a back four of Ante Jazic, Mark Watson, Jason deVos and Daniel Imhof. Pat Onstad captained the side and played the whole game in goal. "I thought our performance was very positive against a team that has been together for a while in what was basically our first game as a group," said Yallop. "We created some very good scoring opportunities and defended well against a strike force that is among the best in Europe. I was proud of the way we played and we could have easily earned a draw. That gives us a lot to build on." Onstad made a fine fingertip save off a Ryan Giggs free kick in the 30th minute and went down quickly to block an effort by Craig Bellamy before the stroke of half time to keep the sides level. Yallop brought on Marc Bircham and Paul Peschisolido to start the second half and dropped de Rosario to a wide left position with Peschisolido partnering Radzinski and Bircham slotting into midfield. The Canadians played a very strong opening 20 minutes to start the second half but could not find the equalizer. Yallop gave newcomer Oliver Occean his first senior cap when he replaced Hume in the 76th minjute and Kevin McKenna came on for Radzinski in the 73rd minute. Mike Klukowski replaced de Rosario with 10 minutes to play. McKenna and Bircham both had efforts blocked in the final minutes as the Canadians pressed for an equalizer. The Canadian team flies to Toronto on Monday and will travel to San Jose on Wednesday before facing the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, June 5. May 30, 2004 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales - International friendly Canada 0 (0) Wales (1) (1) Goal: Wales - Paul Parry (21) Canada: Pat Onstad, Daniel Imhof, Ante Jazic, Mark Watson, Jason deVos, Julian de Guzman, Atiba Hutchinson (Marc Bircham, 46), Jim Brennan (Paul Peschisolido, 46), Iain Hume (Olivier Occean, 76), Tomasz Radzinski (Kevin McKenna, 73), Dwayne de Rosario ((Mike Klukowski, 80). Head coach: Frank Yallop Wales: Danny Coyne (Martyn Margetson, 46), Mark Delaney, Ben Thatcher, James Collins, Danny Gabbidon, Carl Robinson (Robert Edwards, 76), Carl Fletcher, Craig Bellamy, John Oster, Paul Parry (Robert Earnshaw, 62), Ryan Giggs (Chris Llewellyn, 88). Head coach: Mark Hughes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 The CSA report mentions a Kevin McKenna chance that I previously had no knowledge of, from either listening to the game or reading other reports of the match. This is turning out to be a great exercise in not trusting the media. Perhaps if I keep finding more articles I'll eventually uncover a Canadian goal that nobody knew about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted May 30, 2004 Author Share Posted May 30, 2004 Wales 1-0 Canada: FT Report PA Wales made it four games unbeaten since their bitter Euro 2004 exit thanks to Paul Parry's first half header. Wales will test England - Yallop The Cardiff midfielder, who has made a dramatic rise from Conference football with Hereford to the international stage this season, grabbed his first goal for his country on only his third appearance. But although Wales, who had Ryan Giggs on for all but the final seconds to the delight of the Racecourse Ground crowd, dominated and wasted a lot of chances, tiredness and loss of concentration robbed them of a substantial victory. Canada grew in confidence, with Tomasz Radzinski's runs causing problems, as the second half progressed, but Wales finished reasonably comfortable winners in the end. A season that started with hopes of Portugal ended with a somewhat low key performance, but with international football back in North Wales for the first time in five years, the locals were just delighted to see their heroes. Giggs returned for Wales after missing the midweek draw in Norway, but boss Mark Hughes opted to leave the captaincy with Aston Villa's Mark Delaney, who had the duty for the first time in Oslo. The inclusion of Giggs caused the Canadians considerable problems. He and Craig Bellamy provided a swift, mobile front partnership and the quality to match. Canada were forced to defend, leaving Radzinski to try his pace against Danny Gabbidon, who needed to be alert against one of the Premiership's quickest front men. But Wales were set on providing a spectacle for Wrexham's first full international for five years, and the Racecourse Ground had it's biggest crowd of the season with fans still streaming in 30 minutes after the start. Every touch from Giggs was met with roars, and it was his 10th-minute corner, swirling in from the right, that almost helped break the deadlock with Carl Fletcher arriving to meet it at the far post and see his header smack against a post. And it was Fletcher's astute chip down the right that paved the way for Parry's goal on 20 minutes. Bellamy got to the byline to collect the pass and chipped beyond the far post for Parry to head his first goal for his country, back across the stranded Pat Onstad. At this point Canada were in danger of being overrun with Giggs giving them the runaround. He lifted one effort inches wide and then curled a free kick from the right that forced Onstad to hurl himself to fingertip the effort wide of the far post. But sloppy defending gave Canada the chance to equalise. Twice Danny Coyne saw clearances charged down, first by Dwayne De Rosario and then Radzinski, with the ball bouncing just wide on both occasions. Wales though should have made it 2-0 close to the break. Parry intercepted a clearance and instantly fed Bellamy, who was clear in the box only to try to curl his shot around Onstad and see the 36-year-old keeper save well to his left. Cardiff keeper Martyn Margetson won his first cap at 32 for Wales, coming on at the break for Coyne, while Canada brought on Paul Peschisolido and Marc Bircham for Jim Brennan and Atiba Hutchinson. De Rosario, Bircham and then Julian De Guzman all had decent chances to pull Canada level while Wales continued to waste chances at the other end, John Oster blazing high when Bellamy and Giggs set him up. Tiredness and lack of concentration was spreading through the Welsh ranks, and Radzinski and Peschisolido threatened to take advantage. Tranmere's Iain Hulme saw a curling 25 yard free kick flash wide, before Robert Earnshaw came on for Parry, allowing Giggs to switch to the left. A curling effort from him after a jinking run almost secured a second goal and Bellamy shot wide after breaking clear. Bellamy wasted two more good chances and Giggs curled an effort wide before Margetson was forced into an excellent save to beat out a Bircham effort. Giggs then came off to a standing ovation, allowing Chris Llewelyn on in front of his home fans. Wales will test England - Yallop Wales will be a match for England when the sides meet in the World Cup qualifiers in October. That is the view of Canada coach Frank Yallop after Wales beat his side 1-0 thanks to a 21st-minute goal from Cardiff striker Paul Parry. The win extended Mark Hughes' side's unbeaten run to four matches since their exit from Euro 2004, and Yallop believes with all their big names playing they will prove a real test for England. 'Considering the amount of players Wales had missing for this one, they certainly have found strength in depth and plenty of players to step in for their missing stars,' said the former Ipswich player. 'If you put their strongest side on the pitch they would be a match for anyone these days, and that includes England.' For Parry it has been a dream come true since he made the jump from Nationwide Conference football to Cardiff in the middle of the season. He said: 'I started the season dreaming of things like scoring goals and playing for Wales. It is hard to imagine that I have actually achieved that now by the last game of the season. 'I find myself playing alongside people like Ryan Giggs and I have to pinch myself. Mark Hughes has told me to go out and play without fear, and I hope that is what I have done.' Hughes was more than delighted to complete what could have become a difficult victory against a Canada side who grew in confidence as Wales' tired legs - after two internationals in four days - took their toll. Hughes said: 'In Norway on Thursday we played so well and did not get the result we deserved. 'This time we completed a comfortable performance and got the win. That is four games now without defeat and it is a nice way to go off into the summer for everyone. 'It is also three clean sheets on the trot and we pride ourselves on being difficult to beat. You build everything from being strong at the back, and it gives us the foundation to win matches. 'We really should have put away more of the chances we created against Canada, so in the end it was the solid defence that made sure we got the win our play deserved.' Giggs played almost a full match for Wales, and said: 'It is important that we put on a good display for the fans in north Wales, there is a great tradition of international football in Wrexham even if we have not played here for a while. 'It was good to see the ground almost full, and I am sure they were pleased with what we produced. What we have shown over the last few games is that there is a lot of strength in depth now for Mark to select from.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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