Euro 2012 Qualifiers; Montenegro 1-0 Wales - first half report
Wales go into half time one goal down against Montenegro in their first Euro qualifier. The home side was dominant throughout the first 45 minutes, and it was only fair that they went in one goal to the good.
The away side started with a slightly new look setup; Ashley Williams partnered James Collins at centre of defence back for Wales, with Craig Morgan on the bench despite a late injury scare. Wayne Hennessey got the nod in goal ahead of Boaz Myhill, while Millwall striker Steve Morison, who was playing non-league football less than 18 months ago, won his first competitive cap.
Montenegro who are managed by Zlatko Kranjcar, father of Tottenham's Nico are led by Roma’s forward Mirko Vucinic, but are missing injured Fiorentina playmaker, Stevan Jovetic and Spartak Moscow midfielder, Nikola Drincic.
Montenegro got the game underway, but it was Craig Bellamy who was looking lively in the opening stages for Wales.
However Montenegro had the first meaningful effort on goal, Elsad Zverotic fired high, wide and not very handsome over Wayne Hennessey's goal.
Moments later Radomir Djalovic stung Wales’s keeper Wayne Hennessey's palms with a firm drive on the angle, and the Wolves keeper then had to punch away the resulting corner from under his own bar. Montenegro were showing more than enough to suggest this could be a tricky night's work for John Toshack's side.
Wales got their act together and Gareth Bale pressed brilliantly down the Wales left to force two errors from the Montenegro defenders, and a few moments later he earned a free-kick by the left touchline. It was a decent chance to swing the ball in, and from the dead ball Craig Bellamy put in a lovely ball, home defender Marko Basa did well to pressure Ashley Williams into just missing his header eight yards out.
It looked as if Gareth Bale was given the licence to roam, and he popped up through the middle, pierced into the box, and went down heavily under a challenge from a Montenegro defender as he slid across in but no penalty was given, despite a loud protest from Wales players.
The home side got back in action and, there was a decent effort from Montenegro's Simon Vukcevic, curling narrowly past Wales’s keeper Wayne Hennessey's far post with a left-foot effort from outside the area.
Then came the best chance of the first half; Savo Pavicevic worked some space down the Montenegro right - where the hosts were looking particularly dangerous - and he picked out Mirko Vucinic unmarked in the box, only for the striker to send his header wide from eight yards. Moments later, Branko Boskovic tried his luck from the edge of the area but he did not catch it cleanly and Wayne Hennessey got down to save. Wales were living dangerously at that point.
The constant pressure finally paid off. It had been coming and it was class from Mirko Vucinic, but the Wales defence had to do better. First James Collins was left for dead far too easily by a Vucinic turn of pace, and then keeper Wayne Hennessey went down too early in the Wales goal as the Montenegro playmaker slammed in off the near post.
Although stunned by the goal, Wales responded very well to going behind and Steve Morison had a shout for a penalty when he felt he was bundled over in the area, the referee though was not very convinced. This was the 2nd time in the first half that a penalty claim by Wales had been turned down.
The first half whistle was finally blown and Wales will have to fare a lot better, if they are to get anything out of their first Euro qualifier.
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