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9 min: Johnson nutmegs Serafimov and wins a free kick near the centre circle. Williams wedges it down the inisde-left channel, hoping to find Johnson in the box. There’s too much oomph on the pass, though, and Johnson is unable to keep the ball in play, despite telescoping a leg in the hope of hooking it back in.
7 min: Thomas again down the left flank. This time he gets the ball, and whips low and hard into the centre. Dimitrievski smothers.
6 min: Darlow takes his sweet time over what should be a simple pass upfield, and nearly gets closed down by Bardhi. An additional half-second of dallying there and the keeper was in all sorts.
5 min: Davies tries to release Thomas down the left flank but slices the pass out for a throw. It’s already clear that Wales fancy it along this flank.
3 min: … and now it’s North Macedonia’s turn to show their hand. Kostadinov romps down the inside-right channel before lashing a low drive inches wide of the left-hand post. If the match keeps going like this we’ll be doing well.
1 min: Nothing comes of it, though. Still, that’s a statement of intent from Wales.
29 secs: Jordan James makes good down the left and sends a speculative curler towards the bottom right. Dimitrievski is forced to turn around the post. The first corner of the evening didn’t take long.
North Macedonia kick off. A huge roar.
… but first a minute of silence for the poor souls who lost their lives in Kocani. Immaculately observed.
The teams are out. North Macedonia in black, Wales in red. We’ll be off once the anthems have been sung.
Bellamy also has a word with BBC Cymru Wales. “Energy … freshness … really important as it’s a very quick turnaround … North Macedonia have real counter-attacking ability … very good individual players, especially at the top end … we have to respect that … we’re prepared for as many scenarios as we can be … we’ll see how it plays out.”
Craig Bellamy talks to S4C. “We need freshness for this … very important … one or two changes with that in mind … Nathan Broadhead brings real intensity … a really good footballer … he’s always caught the eye … it will be a tricky game … different shapes.”
Both teams are in good form. Wales are unbeaten in seven under Craig Bellamy, and have won their last two matches handsomely, 4-1 against Iceland and 3-1 against Kazakhstan. North Macedonia are doing even better: they’re on a six-game winning streak, a run which has seen them win promotion to League B of the Nations League before winning their first game of World Cup qualification, Saturday’s 3-0 victory in Liechtenstein.
Tonight’s game in Skopje comes nine days after a nightclub fire in Kocani claimed 59 lives and injured many others. North Macedonia declared a seven-day period of national mourning in the wake of the tragedy, and tonight there will be a minute of silence before the match. Both sets of players will wear black armbands. “I’d like to send my condolences to the families and also the people of North Macedonia,” says Craig Bellamy. “We’ve had our own tragedies as well. We know as a country what they’re going through and I’d like them to know that everyone in Wales is fully behind them.”
Wales 3-1 Kazakhstan. A reminder of how Wales did last Saturday.
Wales make three changes to their starting XI after the 3-1 home win over Kazakhstan. Chris Mepham replaces Connor Roberts at the back, Jordan James takes a midfield spot from David Brooks, and Nathan Broadhead starts up front instead of Liam Cullen.
Aleksandar Trajkovski, whose late goal did for Wales in this fixture during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, and who put the finishing touch to this pitch-length move in Liechtenstein last Saturday …
… is on the bench.
The teams
North Macedonia: Dimitrievski, Zajkov, Serafimov, Musliu, Alioski, Ilievski, Alimi, Bardhi, Kostadinov, Miovski, Elmas.
Subs: Elezi, Iliev, Trapanosvki, Toshevski, Stankovski, Manev, Trajkovski, Stojchevski, Dimoski, Churlinov, Atanasov, Aleksovski.
Wales: Darlow, Thomas, Mepham, Rodon, Ben Davies, Williams, Johnson, Jordan James, Sheehan, Daniel James, Broadhead.
Subs: Koumas, Moore, Roberts, Matondo, Ward, Lawrence, Allen, Mark Harris, Adam Davies, Cullen, Cabango, Brooks.
Referee: Jerome Brisard (France).
Preamble
The end of this international break heaves into view. It hasn’t been one for the ages, if we’re being honest. But if there’s to be one last chance to leave it with something that will resonate through the years, then thank goodness Craig Bellamy’s entertainers are involved. Can they conjure something exciting in their Group J fixture in North Macedonia? We’ll soon find out and then it’ll be back to our beloved domestic grind. To rework the greatest autobiography title of them all: Let’s Get Through Tuesday. Kick-off is at 7.45pm GMT. It’s on!
