Courtesy: Welsh FA Web Site


Wales plays first futsal internationals

Futsal International Match – Andorra 2 Wales 1 (Game 2)
On Sunday September 2 the FAW National Futsal squad entered new territory as they become the first group of players to represent Wales in the country’s inaugural Futsal international fixture.
The preparation and build up hasn’t happened overnight and it has been a building process. Over the last ten months a series of training camps and friendly fixtures have been conducted to help the players perform at the level required. This started with domestic based fixtures against club teams before embarking on the first fixture abroad against AC Omonia who are the reigning Cypriot Champions. This has meant the players have learnt and experienced gradually all the challenges required to play international Futsal. The squad which is full of young talented players has shown high levels of maturity and progression in the lead up to the double header against Andorra.

The Wales squad prepared for Sunday’s opening fixture with a slightly depleted squad after both Gareth Delve and Tyler Mills picked up knocks in training although it is hoped both will be available for the second match in the two game series. Despite this setback the squad were in good spirits and preparations for the game gave them the platform they needed to perform. Twelve players were selected and given the opportunity to be part of history as Wales entered an international Futsal arena for the first time.
As expected, the game started with both sides retaining possession well as they tried to find any early deficiencies in each other’s tactical plan. Wales seemed to be coping well when the Andorrans had possession but a momentary lapse of concentration after a quick one two allowed Nacho Llamas to finish well past a helpless Lee Jones from a narrow angle in the 5th minute. This proved to be the only goal Wales conceded from open play which is a very positive sign moving forward for Game two. The Wales players reacted well and created chances themselves with Sion Kitson bringing a good reflex save from Aitor Rubio in the Andorran goal. Jonny Nelson and Elliot Thomas also went close soon after. This set the pattern for the rest of the half as Wales pressed for an equaliser but Andorra’ experience showed as they soaked up the pressure and looked to counter attack at every opportunity. The half ended with Andorra one goal to the good although the Wales players were confident they could regain a foothold in the game during the second half.
The second half started in a similar way to the first as both teams passed the ball well but failed to create clear cut chances. Wales were not as effective at retaining possession early on which is something they will need to improve on for the second encounter. Dafydd Jones had replaced Lee Jones in the Wales goal at half time and showed his talent with a string of reflex saves as the match approached the 30 minute mark. Tyrrell Webbe and Dean Maynard continued to cause problems for the Andorran defence but were left frustrated as their opponents defended resolutely to keep them at bay. With 8 minutes left a deflected Andorran shot ballooned into the air and as Dafydd Jones claimed the ball with text book technique, was harshly adjudged to have fouled Carlos Barbosa in the process. With all in attendance baffled by the decision The Wales players looked on in disbelief as the referee awarded Andorra a penalty. Nacho Llamas slotted the spot kick away well to put Andorra two goals to the good. Wales continued to make rolling subs and use attacking changes to create that opportunity to get back into the game. Eventually the pressure told and a set piece resulted in a cross shot from Danny Hooper which found its way under Attor Rubio into the back of the net. Now only one goal behind Wales mounted attack after attack but Andorra held firm for the remaining moments to the final whistle and run out 2-1 winners in a very close contest.
On reflection, the Wales players and coaching staff can be proud of their international Futsal debut and take many positives into the second fixture against their experienced Andorran hosts on Monday. Head coach Richard Gunney commented ‘For our first ever International we can be pleased with the level of performance and have continued to progress well. It is very disappointing to lose as we are striving to be successful but to narrowly lose in a very close game is a sign that we are capable of competing at this level and can grow in strength. As a group we must continue to learn quickly and implement this into the second fixture so we further develop as a team.’






Futsal International Match – Andorra 2 Wales 1 (Game 2)
After making their international Futsal debut on Sunday night with a narrow 2-1 defeat against their Andorran hosts, the FAW National Futsal squad looked to improve their level of performance a day later in the second match of the double header series. Before the kick off Wales were handed a boost when Cardiff City youngster Tyler Mills passed a late fitness test and took his place on the bench among the substitutes.

With the game not kicking off until 20:30 local time thesquad spent the day recovering from the previous night’s excursions. His included video feedback on how the performance levels could be optimised. It was clear Andorra were a team full of quality players and had a very good philosophy of moving the ball quickly with plenty of positional rotations being used in order to try to create gaps in the Welsh defence. From the outset it was obvious this would again be the way they would play so the question was could Wales find a strong foothold in the game. Unfortunately Wales suffered an early set back when, in only the 3rd minute, the Andorran Captain Jorge Dias picked the ball up in the right wing position before cutting inside and decisively firing a shot past Lee Jones in the Wales goal. This was not the start Wales were looking for but the players showed good levels of concentration and quality to keep themselves in the game as the Andorrans looked to build on their early goal.
With ten minutes gone Wales had taken the sting out of the game and started to enjoy more possession of the ball in more advanced areas of the pitch. Danny Hooper turned well in the left channel and fired a right foot shot just wide of the near post. This was a warning for Andorra and the introduction of Dean Maynard minutes later further fuelled the attacking threat of the Wales team. With less than five minutes of the half remaining Maynard controlled a lofted pass just inside the Andorra half and managed to hold off and turn his marker before firing a ferocious shot across the Andorran goalkeeper Attor Rubio and into the far corner of the net. With half time approaching this was just the tonic the Wales players needed to believe they could cause an upset and shock their hosts. However, the experience and composure of the Andorrans showed only minutes later when a neat move resulted in Jonathan Flores finding space in the box to finish well under the advancing Lee Jones. The half time whistle went shortly after leaving the coaching staff with the task of picking the Wales players up and providing them with the information they needed to get back into the game in the second half.
The pattern of the second half was similar in that Wales showed high levels of maturity when defending but just couldn’t find enough space or time in advanced positions to create real goal scoring opportunities. As the half wore on it became clear that the crowd were in for a tense finish as both benches used their time outs to provide information to their players which they hoped would turn the game in their favour. After a couple of fine saves from Dafydd Jones the Wales players piled forward and Elliot Thomas was unlucky to see his audacious lob bounce narrowly wide of the Andorra goal. As the game reached its conclusion Wales didn’t panic and continued to play with composure and at one stage had three 18 year olds on the court which can only be good for the future of the game in this country. The final whistle went and Wales had suffered another agonising 2-1 defeat at the hands of their established hosts.
A lot of hard work and organisation has taken place behind the scenes over the 12 months and Wales can be proud of the strides that have been made in such a short space of time. The squad will face even harder challenges ahead which start with the qualification rounds of the UEFA Futsal Championships in January 2013 with the draw being made in December 2012. Head coach Richard Gunney commented ‘The second game was another tough challenge and despite a brave performance it is disappointing to narrowly loose. I think the squad will feel a sense a of slight frustration that we did not quite execute the game plan as well as we hoped so there is still plenty of room for improvement”








Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com