Cymru drew 0-0 with Iceland in their second game of the Pinatar Cup, and kept their hopes alive of winning the tournament.
For large swathes of the game, Cymru dominated their opponents, but couldn’t find the final finish. Yet, while there are still things to work on, there was a lot to enjoy in this performance.
Gemma Grainger elected to make two changes to the side that defeated the Philippines on Wednesday. Jess Fishlock and Laura O’Sullivan replacing Carrie Jones and Safia Middleton-Patel respectively.
Gemma Evans also won her 50th cap, as she led the side out for the national anthems.
Backed by a vocal Welsh support, Grainger’s side started well and often forced the ball back to the Icelandic goalkeeper Cecilía Rúnarsdóttir, who didn’t look comfortable with the ball at her feet early on.
There were also signs of good combination play and you could see the new style of football Grainger has been trying to implement.
Rachel Rowe, playing in a left wing position, had success early on and connected well with Lily Woodham and Fishlock.
However, Cymru were almost the victims of their own downfall, as Hayley Ladd’s back pass almost resulted in an own goal, but Laura O’Sullivan rescued the situation at the last possible moment.
Compared to their first game in this tournament, there was more of a guile and a purpose to the Welsh attack in this game.
Ceri Holland had a good opportunity after a clever looped ball into the box by Rowe, but she couldn’t get her effort on target.
Iceland are ranked 16 places above Cymru in the rankings, and with players like Wolfsburg’s Sveindís Jónsdóttir in the attack they are always a danger, but Cymru’s newest half centurion Evans produced a remarkable last-ditch block to deny the forward.
Cymru continued to press and Rowe was making herself an important figure in the game, as her shot was well saved by Rúnarsdóttir.
Woodham almost scored directly from a corner as Cymru ended the half well on top and looking more likely to score.
Grainger’s side came out for the second half and started where they left off.
Holland again had a chance after latching onto Kayleigh Green’s through ball, but she couldn’t curl her effort into the top corner.
As the half continued, Iceland grew in confidence and were slowly pushing themselves up the field, but they were not producing anything to worry the Cymru defence.
Half chances fell in the closing stages for Evans and Jónsdóttir, but both lacked the final finish to push their side over the line.
Cymru can still win the Pinatar Cup, as they long as they defeat Scotland in their final game on Tuesday afternoon.
Player of the Match: Rachel Rowe
An excellent performance from Rowe. Allowing her to move up field is showcasing her creativity and her pace, and I hope that we can see more of the Reading star in a forward position moving into the competitive fixtures
Cymru
Laura O’Sullivan (GK), Lily Woodham, Gemma Evans, Hayley Ladd, Rhiannon Roberts, Sophie Ingle ©, Angharad James, Rachel Rowe, Jess Fishlock (Hannah Cain, 62’), Ceri Holland, Kayleigh Green (Carrie Jones, 84’)
Unused Subs: Liv Clark, Josie Green, Charlie Estcourt, Esther Morgan, Ella Powell, Anna Filbey, Meg Wynne, Georgia Walters, Elise Hughes, Helen Ward
Yellow Cards: Ceri Holland (49’), Sophie Ingle (57’)
Iceland
Cecilía Rúnarsdóttir (GK), Elísa Viđarsdóttir, Glódís Viggósdótir ©, Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir (Amanda Andradóttir, 77’), Selma Magnúsdóttir, Karólína Vilhjálmsdóttir (Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, 63’), Berglind Þorvaldsdóttir (Ólöf Kristinsdóttir, 63’), Hlín Eríksdóttir (Diljá Zomers, 63’), Guđrún Arnardóttir, Áslaug Gunnlaugsdóttir, Sveindís Jónsdóttir
Unused Subs: Sandra Sigurđardóttir, Ingibjörg Sigurđardóttir, Arna Ásgrímsdóttir, Telma Ívarsdóttir, Alexandra Jóhannsdóttir, Agla Albertsdóttir, Hafrún Halldórsdóttir
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