Share

Wales earn Bosnia point

Cardiff - Wales secured a well-earned 2016 European Championship qualifying point against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a compelling, but goalless, draw at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday.

Despite the stalemate, there were chances aplenty for both sides with Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and Bosnian counterpart Asmir Begovic producing superb saves to deny Miralem Pjanic and Gareth Bale respectively.

While Wales will be pleased with their fourth point from two matches which keeps them one point clear of Belgium in Group B, the home side could rue second-half chances which fell to Ashley Williams and Hal Robson-Kanu, who both headed wide from close-range.

"The performance pleased me more than the point," Coleman told Sky Sports.

"The crowd were incredible, the atmosphere reminded me of when I was a player and we took on teams at Cardiff Arms Park," added Coleman, looking to guide Wales to their first major finals since the 1958 World Cup.

"Ashley Williams is one of the best defenders I've seen in Welsh football. Maybe when he attacks corners at the other end, he looks like he's defending them.

"But he came off that pitch and he had no more to give. It was a magnificent performance."

Following Wales's opening 2-1 win in Andorra Coleman's men were boosted by an expectant crowd of 30,741 -- their biggest home attendance in three-and-a-half years.

Bale, with 11 goals in his previous 15 internationals, was left in space inside the penalty area, but the Real Madrid forward completely missed Chris Gunter's right-wing cross in the sixth minute as Toni Sunjic cleared the danger for a corner kick.

Bosnia, who played at this year's World Cup, were stung by the early pressure and Pjanic forced Hennessey, making only his fourth appearance of the season, into a smart save as his long-range effort deflected off Wales captain Williams.

Yet Wales shaded proceedings as Coleman's ever-improving outfit attempted to get Bale involved in the action as much as possible.

Ben Davies's deep pass saw Bale escape Everton defensive midfielder Muhamed Besic, but his volley on the run went wide of Begovic's goal.

The home side created their best chance in the 20th minute when Davies, Bale, striker Simon Church and Neil Taylor all combined to free Gunter at the back post, yet the Reading full-back could only volley over from ten yards.

But Safet Susic's Bosnia side, who surprisingly lost 2-1 to Cyprus last month, began to gain control of the match as Pjanic's shot from distance flew past Hennessey's right-hand post.

Bosnia grew stronger as the half wore on, Hennessey making a decent save to deny Vedad Ibisevic before Edin Dzeko failed to get a clean connection to trouble the Crystal Palace goalkeeper.

That late flurry was sandwiched by a penalty shout from the visitors as Ibisevic went down under the challenge of James Chester, but Bezborodov waved away the appeals.

The Bosnians raised the tempo in the second half, with Hennessey forced into several saves.

Haris Medunjanin twice and Dzeko came close but Wales, thanks to Hennessey, stood firm.

Pjanic went close with a free-kick before a Chester tackle on Besic showed the competitiveness of this contest as the majority of the outfield players became involved in a melee which resulted in respective captains Williams and Dzeko being cautioned.

Then came the opportunity of the night as Bale's 78th minute free-kick was perfectly delivered for Williams to nod home, but the Swansea centre-back headed over from six yards. Williams put his hands on his head in frustration as a golden chance went begging.

Pjanic almost grabbed a late winner but his 25-yard free-kick was superbly tipped around the post by Hennessey.

Yet the chances continued to flow in injury-time, Bale forcing Begovic into a world-class save down low to his left before Robson-Kanu headed the resulting corner wide as both sides received a share of the spoils.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE