Key Takeaways
- Wales left it late to beat Albania 1-0 and stay level with Czech Republic at the top of Group B1.
- Rhiannon Roberts’ scrappy second-half strike was enough on a night Wales looked short of ideas.
- Sophie Ingle, winning her 150th cap, says her side must improve before the final group game against the Czechs in Cardiff.
Balloons filled the Wales changing room to honour Sophie Ingle’s 150th cap, yet the party on the pitch almost fell flat in Elbasan.
Rhiannon Roberts scrambled home the only goal after 66 minutes, sparing Wales a damaging slip and keeping their dream of a first Women’s World Cup alive.
Head coach Rhian Wilkinson admitted it was “a hard day”, praising her team simply for finding a way to win.
Four days earlier Wales had swept aside Albania 4-0 in Wrexham, but the return leg was a different story. The hosts sat deep, countered with pace and twice came within inches of an equaliser, Fortesa Berisha forcing a late stop and Ilarja Zarka rattling the woodwork.
Former striker Helen Ward told BBC Radio Wales that Wales now struggle to unlock defensive sides without the magic of retired playmaker Jess Fishlock. “Someone else has to step up,” she warned.
Mared Griffiths and Ingle both missed good chances, while Albania protested that Roberts’ goal came off her arm.
The result leaves Wales second behind the Czech Republic on goal difference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Montenegro and the decisive final match against the Czechs in Cardiff. Ingle believes that last fixture “will be special”, but only if her team show far more fluency than they managed in Albania.