MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 20:26:38| >> :600:1920297:1920297:
[monks data]
Bulgaria national football team
Nations League | League B
Oct 14, 2020 at 7.45pm UK
Stadion Slavija
Wales national football team

Bulgaria
0 - 1
Wales


Cicinho (51'), Karabelyov (52'), Traychev Dimitrov (59')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Williams (85')
Davies (28'), Wilson (49'), James (50'), Williams (90+4')

Ryan Giggs "so proud" of Wales after win over Bulgaria

Ryan Giggs
© Reuters
Wales have not conceded a goal in over 10 hours of competitive football.

Ryan Giggs said he was a "proud" manager after watching his young squad extend their unbeaten run in competitive football to nine games with a 1-0 Nations League win in Bulgaria.

Substitute Jonny Williams marked his 25th Wales appearance with his first goal, sweeping home Neco Williams' near-post cross five minutes from time.

The win was achieved without the stellar cast list of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, while other key figures such as David Brooks, Joe Morrell and Kieffer Moore were also absent.

Bulgaria Wales Nations League Soccer
Wales' Jonny Williams reacts after scoring his first international goal in Bulgaria (Anton Uzunov/AP)

"I'm so proud of the players, it was a great performance," Wales manager Giggs said after watching his side score a late group winner for the third time in four matches.

"The players have got to keep believing in the way we play and that's not easy.

"These young players have not experienced it before, but they kept their concentration and players off the bench made an impact.

"I've said before it's just that final bit of composure. We saw it in the second half when we could have scored more goals, but we'll learn.

Bulgaria Wales Nations League Soccer
Ryan Giggs' men are top of their group (AP/Anton Uzunov)

"It's a young team and the more you get in those positions the better your decision-making becomes.

"It's been a tough week. Three away games, four different hotels, three Covid tests and a lot of suspensions and injuries.

"We've had a lot to deal with as a group, but I was so proud of the players."

Although beaten by England in a Wembley friendly last week, Wales have not lost a competitive game since June 2019.

It is a run that has included six consecutive clean sheets, with Wales not conceding a goal in over 10 hours of football.

"We're proud of the defensive aspect and that's the team, not just the defenders or the goalkeeper," Giggs said.

"We want to press from the front and be aggressive, and we're doing that.

"The players put a real shift in. They've looked after themselves this week.

"I'm really pleased with the result, but we also played some of the best football I've seen in a long time."

Finland had taken top spot in Group B4 before Wales kicked off in Sofia by beating the Republic of Ireland 1-0 at home.

But Wales' promotion hopes to League A are firmly in their own hands with closing home games against the Republic and Finland next month.

"We've put ourselves in a good position with two home games, but we can't take it for granted," Giggs said.

"We can't be complacent. We've got to keep going and keep believing. Hopefully, we will also have a few bodies back for the November games."

ID:418405: cacheID:418405:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7690:
Written by
P A
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Lyndon Dykes celebrates scoring for Scotland against Slovakia in the Nations League on October 11, 2020
Read Next:
Wednesday's Nations League League B predictions including Scotland vs. Czech Republic
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League A1

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal642014
Q Croatia Croatia62228
3 Scotland flag Scotland62137
4 Poland Poland61144

League A2

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France641113
Q Italy Italy641113
3 Belgium Belgium61144
4 Israel Israel61144

League A3

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany642014
Q Netherlands Netherlands62319
3 Hungary Hungary61326
4 Bosnia Bosnia H'vina60242

League A4

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain651016
Q Denmark Denmark62228
3 Serbia Serbia61326
4 Switzerland Switzerland60242

League B1

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic632111
2 Ukraine Ukraine62228
3 Georgia Georgia62137
4 Albania national flag Albania62137

League B2

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England650115
2 Greece Greece650115
3 Ireland Rep. Ireland62046
4 Finland Finland60060

League B3

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Norway Norway641113
2 Austria Austria632111
3 Slovenia Slovenia62228
4 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan60151

League B4

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Wales flag Wales633012
2 Turkey Turkey632111
3 Iceland Iceland62137
4 Montenegro Montenegro61053

League C1

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Sweden Sweden651016
2 Slovakia Slovakia641113
3 Estonia Estonia61144
4 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan60151

League C2

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania550015
2 Kosovo flag Kosovo540112
3 Cyprus Cyprus62046
4 Lithuania Lithuania60060

League C3

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Northern Ireland flag N. Ireland632111
2 Bulgaria Bulgaria62319
3 Belarus Belarus61417
4 Luxembourg flag Luxembourg60333

League C4

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Macedonia N. Macedonia651016
2 Armenia Armenia62137
3 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands61326
4 Latvia Latvia61144

League D1

TeamPWDLPTS
Q San Marino flag San Marino42117
2 Gibraltar flag Gibraltar41306
3 Liechtenstein flag Liechtenstein40222

League D2

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Republic of Moldova Moldova43019
2 Malta flag Malta42117
3 Andorra flag Andorra40131


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!