Wales vs. Denmark player ratings: One 9 and one 8 despite narrow defeat

Wales were defeated 2-1 by Denmark in Cardiff, as they reached the halfway point in their Nations League journey.

Signe Bruun had given the Danes an early lead, but Wales equalised later on in the first half through Ceri Holland. However, it was the visitors who wrapped up all three points thanks to Amalie Vangsgaard’s strike.

Here’s how we rate the performance of every Wales player who appeared against Denmark at Cardiff City Stadium.

Wales defeated by Denmark in Nations League, as Liverpool star stretchered off

WALES PLAYER RATINGS VS. DENMARK

Olivia Clark: 6/10

While the first goal did look odd, Clark saw the ball late through a crowd of bodies and couldn’t get to it. She did make a superb finger tip save to deny Sofie Bredgaard in the first half, and for the winner, there was also nothing much she could do.

Rhiannon Roberts: 6/10

Provided a very good cross which resulted in Wales scoring their goal, and defensively, did make sure nothing came down her side too much. Also linked up well with Ceri Holland down the wing.

Josie Green: 6/10

The Green-Evans partnership is developing really well, and this was, overall, another decent showing from the Palace defender. She dealt with Pernille Harder very well, and considering how well she also dealt with Katie McCabe, Green is quickly becoming a dependable shutdown type of player for Wilkinson. Subbed off 87^th minute.

Gemma Evans: 6/10

Another pretty assured performance from Evans. Her slide tackle in the box on the hour mark epitomised the confidence that she’s playing with in a Wales shirt, but conceding two goals will not sit well with the defence.

Lily Woodham: 7/10

Early in the game, Woodham looked a little loss, and she was giving so much room to Bruun in the box. However, after the half hour mark, Woodham became a force. Was always an outlet going forward and really ran herself into the ground.

Lily Woodham commented: “When you play against a top nation like Denmark there’s always a bit of worry and nerves at the beginning, but I felt we came through that really well with Ceri scoring an amazing goal. That settled us a little bit and then we went after it, and we believe in ourselves and know we can get at these big teams.

“It was quite an open game and at half time we looked at things we needed to change. We implemented them in the second half, and we got close, but we couldn’t quite find that goal.”

Hayley Ladd: 8/10

Watching Ladd in the midfield does make you wonder, why haven’t Wales put her there sooner?! She always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to intercept passes or to make tackles, and she’s been a key reason for Wales’ upturn in form.

Angharad James: 6/10

Can clearly see she’s playing a more attacking role with Ladd alongside her, and game by game, she’s improving in this slightly new role. Her vision at times on Friday night was exceptional. Subbed off 66^th minute.

Ceri Holland: 9/10

The injury overshadowed the whole match, but before then, what a game Holland was having. The Liverpool star really was the catalyst for everything good from a Wales perspective. She ran with purpose down the wing, showed great determination, and was as cool as a cucumber for her goal. Subbed off 89^th minute.

Hannah Cain: 7/10

Cain was busy throughout from both an attacking and defensive point of view. It’s the best I’ve seen her lead the line, and she came back to fulfil her defensive roles superbly too. The only blemish will be that one-on-one opportunity, and I’m sure she would love to have that back.

Rachel Rowe: 6/10

When Wales were struggling in that opening half hour, Rowe was one of the very few trying to drag her side up field with some very direct running that Denmark struggled to stop. Subbed off 66^th minute.

Ffion Morgan: 5/10

Morgan struggled in the lone striker role on Friday. It seemed like she wasn’t able to fully utilise her electric pace, and she didn’t have much help from those around her either. Would like to see her starting on the wing next time, because she has the ability to cause damage. Subbed off at half time.

Carrie Jones: 6/10

Subbed on at half time. Came on and brought a lot of physicality down the wing that Denmark couldn’t deal with. As well as her strength, Jones came on with plenty of purpose and was very direct with her play.

Lois Joel: 5/10

Subbed on 66^th minute. At times the ball wouldn’t stick for Joel, but you could clearly see how much she was trying to make things happen. Had the shot in extra time but couldn’t quite squeeze the ball into the top corner.

Lois Joel commented: “We’re obviously disappointed to lose, but I thought we put in a really good performance and showed a lot of fight. We’ve shown again that we can compete with top teams, and it’s now all about those fine margins and making sure we can win against one of them.

“It’s those small things that we need to work on in order to turn a loss into a draw and then a draw into a win. We need to take the chances that we create and tweak small things. It is good for us going forward because we’ve shown that we can control games, and we’re growing with each game that goes by.”

Alice Griffiths: 5/10

Subbed on 66^th minute. Had a little defensive wobble but recovered well. Picked Cain out with a superb searching ball but would have liked to have seen her attack more, especially when Ladd was alongside her.

Elise Hughes: N/A

Subbed on 87^th minute. Wasn’t on long enough to make an impact.

Ella Powell: N/A

Subbed on 89^th minute. Wasn’t on long enough to make an impact.

Rhian Wilkinson: 6/10

In a game with so many ups and downs, it’s difficult to judge the performance of Wilkinson. Perhaps starting Morgan as a striker wasn’t the right decision, and maybe we could have seen Hughes come on sooner, but again, you can see what the Canadian is trying to do against higher ranking sides.

(Featured Image: John Smith/FAW)