Wales vs Andorra. European Championship Qualifying Group B.
Cardiff City Stadium.
Wednesday 14 October 2015 08:34, UK
Wales celebrated reaching their first major tournament since 1958 with a 2-0 win over Andorra thanks to goals from Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale.
The Andorra defence held firm in the opening 45 minutes, keeping the hosts at bay, but Ramsey finally broke the deadlock early in the second half.
Bale had a host of chances throughout the match, but the Real Madrid man eventually got his goal late on as Wales' constant pressure paid off.
Belgium's win over Israel means Chris Coleman's men finish second in Group B of qualifying, but the night was all about celebrating the achievement of reaching next summer's European Championship.
Coleman made four changes from the defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina, but Bale and Ramsey started the encounter in front of a jubilant crowd in Cardiff.
The game was delayed early on as Victor Hugo Moreira came off badly from an aerial challenge with James Chester, requiring several minutes of treatment before being taken off on a stretcher with an apparent head injury, but the Andorra midfielder recovered sufficiently to avoid having to be taken to hospital.
Bale looked to take the initiative from the restart, and he went close early on as he powered a shot from a tight angle, forcing a smart save from Andorra goalkeeper Ferran Pol.
The hosts were then denied a penalty as Jonny Williams went down in the box, before Bale then went close with a free kick which whistled just wide of the post.
Wales then lost Hal Robson-Kanu through injury, but the home side's pressure never abated and Sam Vokes saw a header across goal cleared off the line.
Coleman's men couldn't find a way through in the first half, despite eight minutes of added time, but it only took five minutes of the second half for them to finally break the deadlock.
Bale collected the ball on the right before drifting backwards and clipping an excellent ball into the box. Skipper Ashley Williams - looking for his first-ever international goal - saw his low header saved, but Ramsey was quickest to the rebound and fired it home to put Wales in front.
Ramsey nearly added a second on the hour, showing some wonderful control before charging past several players, only to see his low effort whistle just wide of the far post.
In a stop-start encounter, which saw seven Andorra players booked, it was hard for Wales to find any rhythm and open the floodgates.
And it wasn't until the 86th minute that they added a second. The impressive Ben Davies charged in from the left flank before firing in a low cross, which eventually worked its way to Bale, who could only scuff his effort but it was still enough to squirm past Pol and secure the victory for the hosts.
Coleman's side finish the campaign with seven clean sheets in 10 games and the best defensive record in Group B, and they now start preparing for their first major finals in 58 years.
