Cymru dominate against Montenegro

Cymru 6-1 Montenegro

• Hannah Cain and Mared Griffiths both score two goals
• Sophie Ingle and Rachel Rowe also on the scoresheet
• Cymru top their qualifying group

Cymru produced a dominant display in Llanelli as they secured all three points in their World Cup qualifier against Montenegro. 

Rhian Wilkinson made four changes to the team that played Czechia in Cymru’s opening qualifier, with a clear aim of using pace against their opponents. 

Carrie Jones, Mared Griffiths and Mia Ross all got the nod to start with Safia Middleton-Patel chosen to play in goal. With Angharad James named amongst the substitutes, Ceri Holland took over captain duties. 

Montenegro couldn’t handle Cymru’s pace as they constantly battled through balls for Hannah Cain and Mared Griffiths to run on to. 

Cymru took the lead after just seven minutes when Holland released Cain to run clear on goal, where she very calmly slotted the ball past Ajša Kalač in the Montenegro goal. 

The Red Wall didn’t have to wait long for the second goal as Rachel Rowe finished a lovely attacking move when Cain was released down the right to square the pass for a simple finish. 

Two minutes later Cymru were three goals to the good when a goalkeeping blunder saw Kalač spill the ball for Griffiths to score. Ingle had played a cross field pass into the path of Griffiths, whose initial header looked like it was to be safely claimed by Kalač but the Cymru attacker was gifted a goal. 

Ingle headed in Cymru’s fourth after the home team failed to give up on applying pressure to the Montenegro defence, despite them initially clearing a corner. As Ross looped the clearance back into the six-yard box, Ingle nodded it past Kalač. 

There was a fifth goal before the half-time whistle was blown as Lily Woodham provided Cain with a pass for her to bag her brace. 

The second half was never likely to see many more goals added with the stop start nature of multiple substitutions being made. Montenegro attempting to make themselves more sturdy in defence and Cymru wanting to get fresh legs on the pitch with them being in such a dominant position. 

However, against the run of play, Armisa Kuč lobbed Middleton-patel after she got on the end of a ball over the top of the defence from Jasna Djoković.

Montenegro celebrations were short lived however, as Cymru soon regained control of the fixture. 

They had multiple chances to score a sixth and out began to feel that it wouldn’t come. That was until the 78th minute. 

In a move that saw the ball moved from defence, through midfield and into attack, Griffiths scored her second of the game as her pace took her beyond her marker in the Montenegro defence. She scored her second with confidence to make it 6-1. 

Four points from the first two matches of qualifying is a decent return. The 2-2 draw in Czechia and this dominant win against Montenegro will see Cymru top of the group on 4 points. 

Cymru return to qualifying action in April with home and away matches against Albania.