Joe Allen capitulates, David Brooks heroic – Wales ratings v North Macedonia
Wales finished the international window with a heart-stopping 1-1 draw against North Macedonia on Tuesday night.
The two sides were joint on points at the top of Group J for World Cup qualification, with Belgium yet to play any of their games after facing Ukraine in the Nations League instead, that was until a last-gasp moment.
Joe Allen’s misplaced backwards pass was picked up by Bojan Miovski, who slotted under Karl Darlow to undo all of Craig Bellamy’s side’s hard work away from the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, 25 March.
Bellamy’s team created plenty of chances in North Macedonia, many of which were made by the boots of Sorba Thomas, but no others in red could hit the back of the net.
Substitute David Brooks saved the day, however, squeezing in the equaliser with almost the final touch of the game to salvage Wales’ blushes away from home in the sixth minute of added time.
They opened their World Cup qualification journey with a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan, and although Connor Roberts was at fault for the penalty against Wales, the three points were eventually sealed.
While a draw should not have been good enough, it is a far better feeling than a defeat.
Chris Mepham makes sensational return to Wales team
Karl Darlow – 8
Made an important save in the second half to deny North Macedonia a counter-attacking goal. Was threatened a couple of times with the ball at his feet but didn’t put a foot wrong.
Neco Williams – 7
Rarely ever puts a foot wrong, with Williams becoming an integral star for Nottingham Forest this season, and that form has only continued on the international stage in the current two-week break.
Joe Rodon – 7
Continued to marshall his entire backline until the final whistle but was totally outshone by the centre-back next to him. Remained accurate and even had a shot saved, but he was caught out a couple of times.
Chris Mepham – 8
Made a number of crucial interventions against North Macedonia, mopping up any loose passes from the midfield and giving the opposition forwards absolutely no time to manoeuvre.
Ben Davies – 6
Hard to live up to his performance against Kazakhstan, having scored and assisted in the 3-1 win, but remained consistent in the centre of defence. Could have won more duels.
Jordan James and Josh Sheehan combine to dictate the midfield
Jordan James – 7
Misplaced a couple of passes but made up for his mistakes, repaying the faith given to him by Bellamy in a crucial World Cup qualifier.
Josh Sheehan (Off for Joe Allen 83′) – 6
Yet another smart performance from the Bolton Wanderers midfielder. Always delicate with his passes and attempted a long-range strike in the first half, but offered nothing too special.
Dan James (Off for Kieffer Moore 63′) – 5
James’ pace caused Ezgjan Alisoki problems throughout the night, but with North Macedonia’s defence standing strong, he could never find the final pass to unlock their opponents.
Sorba Thomas – 7
Always probing, always pushing forward but never able to find the much-needed final ball – a common theme on the night. Created plenty of chances but his teammates could not make the net bulge.
David Brooks saves the day as Wales rise from the ashes
Nathan Broadhead (Off for David Brooks 75′) – 4
Was unable to make the desired impact through the middle, struggling to hold up the ball to bring his teammates into the game and could only muster up one off-target shot in 75 minutes.
Brennan Johnson (Off Rabbi Matondo 83′) – 3
Other than having an effort blocked off the line, the Tottenham man was relatively invisible during the away clash, being caught offside in his one moment of breaking in-behind. Disappointing international window for the winger.
Substitutes
Kieffer Moore (On for James 63′) – 8
Won battles in the air, caused issues for the North Macedonia defence, and made the all-important header to set up Brooks for the equaliser.
David Brooks (On for Broadhead 75′) – 9 – Man of the Match
Incredibly-timed equaliser from the Bournemouth man. All that needs to be said.
Rabbi Matondo (On for Johnson 83′) – N/A
Joe Allen (On for Sheehan 83′) – 1
Nearly allowed North Macedonia to score a late winner, giving a free-kick away in a dangerous area, before giving away the game with an incredibly uncharacteristic mistake in added time.