Wales grab draw in Norway

Norway 0 Wales 0

Mark Hughes saw the birth of a brave Wales future when his team of young dragons produced a first class display to grab a deserved draw here in the Ullevaal Stadium.

Wales have now gone three games unbeaten since their painful Euro 2004 exit, and Hughes has seen 30 players pull out of those three friendlies.

So, when he sent out a team of new faces and untried cubs against Norway, he must have been holding his breath.

He need not have worried. With 20-year-old James Collins making an impressive debut at the back, surrounded by bright prospects prepared to pass the ball with calm assurance, here was a new wave who will do Wales proud in the future.

Aston Villa’s Mark Delaney was named Wales captain for the first time in an experimental side which saw Cardiff’s 20-year-old defender James Collins win his first cap while clubmate Paul Parry and Bournemouth’s Carl Fletcher both started internationals for the first time.

Wales know they need a new, youthful central defensive pairing with the current incumbents reaching the end of their careers, so boss Mark Hughes plumped for the Ninian Park pair of Collins and Danny Gabbidon.

Hughes lost 11 players from his original squad and that meant he had to dig deep into his reserves to name four Cardiff players in a Wales starting line-up for the first time since 1956 when Alf Sherwood, Alan Harrington, Derek Sullivan and Trevor Ford faced Scotland at Ninian Park in a 2-2 draw.

Norway were captained by Henning Berg, who won his 100th cap and played in the opening minutes before being substituted. The former Manchester United and Blackburn star retired after the match.

There was some interest in the performance of Blackburn’s latest target Morten Gamst Pedersen, the Tromso forward playing only his fourth international, and he certainly showed the skills and touch that would impress Premiership bosses.

But, considering the tender years of this Wales side – the youngest under Hughes’ control, they started with remarkable confidence.

Gabbidon striding from defence, beating two men in his own area and surging upfield, set a standard.

Collins was not fazed against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer while another Cardiff stalwart Robert Earnshaw took on and beat the experienced Ronny Johnsen regularly.

The first Norway threat came on 10 minutes when Pedersen clipped a neat pass into Solskjaer’s feet on the left of the box but Coyne got down well to save the low drive.

Wales built moves carefully with John Oster linking and probing and they threatened when a Gabbidon clearance sent Earnshaw racing into space on the right before cutting inside Johnsen and firing a low effort that Thomas Myhre held.

Craig Bellamy, still feeling his way back to fitness after knee and hamstring troubles, dropped frequently into space and found the room to run at defenders.

That was the signal for Berg to make his final exit. He went off to a standing ovation, amid hugs from his team mates and several Welsh players while Hughes, his former Blackburn team-mate, also threw an arm around his one-time colleague as he stepped out of the professional arena for the last time. Southampton’s Claus Lundekvan took over.

But that was the point where Norway started to impose themselves.

Solskjaer started to drift and find space while Liverpool’s John Arne Riise was also finding room on the left.

However, Gabbidon and Collins were standing firm, belting the ball away with no frills and Wales survived to the break.

Wales were denied by a double save from Myhre. Collins spun free to head back an Oster corner and Gabbidon turned to crack a close range effort that Myhre blocked before denying Bellamy’s point blank follow up.

Wales were nearly caught out when Riise surged from his own half to the edge of the box but his final shot was too weak to trouble Coyne.

Wales took off Earnshaw and Parry on 72 minutes with Gareth Roberts and Neil Roberts coming on.

A couple of minutes later Rob Edwards took over from the industrious Carl Robinson, who had suffered what looked like an ankle injury.

On 75 minutes, it was Coyne’s turn to make a fine point blank save, blocking a Flo effort after Rune Lange had squeezed a ball to him in the box.

Bellamy was thumped in the back by Martin Andresen and then took a painful kick on his Achilles from Johnsen. Hughes responded with an angry rant from the line and Bellamy eventually limped off after another hefty challenge.

Chris Llewelyn took over and Darren Barnard got on in injury time as Wales deservedly held on for a brave draw.