Chris Coleman hails Wales goal hero Ben Woodburn's composure
Sunday 3 September 2017 01:09, UK
Chris Coleman hailed the performance of Ben Woodburn after the teenager scored on his Wales debut in their 1-0 World Cup Qualifier win against Austria.
Woodburn came off the bench in the 69th minute of Saturday night's Group D Qualifier at the Cardiff City Stadium and found the back of the net in style just five minutes later with what proved to be the only goal of the game.
Wales manager Coleman said: "We called it before the game that there would be chances at either end. We started alright for the the first 10-15 minutes but after that, Austria bossed it the game and we weren't in it.
"It was as poor as we have been for some time but it was still 0-0.
"20-25 minutes to go, still 0-0, but we have a strong bench - it is a great game for young Ben Woodburn to make his debut because they don't come much tougher than that, with that much pressure.
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"His all-round composure was fantastic, I'm delighted for him. He added real value to the rest of the guys."
Coleman also believed his side deserved the win, which moved them two points behind the Republic of Ireland, who currently occupy the play-off place, with Martin O'Neill's side taking on leaders Serbia on Tuesday while his Wales team travel to Moldova.
"On the balance of the second half, I think we were the stronger team," he added.
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"I was really pleased, more than anything of course, is the result. But the second 45 minutes is more like a performance from this Welsh team that we are used to seeing.
"We have to go to Moldova and perform again and bring back the goods. We will be okay if we do what we did in the second half."
Woodburn also spoke of his delight at scoring his first senior goal for Wales.
He said: "I just took it down and tried to shoot and luckily it went in so yeah, I'm over the moon. It is a great feeling. I definitely won't sleep tonight, that's one thing."
