Tîm Rhanbarthol y De Cymru moved to the top of their UEFA Regions’ Cup Intermediate Round group with a stellar 6-0 victory over Armenian side Cilicia.
Following their 7-0 victory over Bitola in their opening game, Cymru maintained their perfect record with another emphatic win, with Pure Swansea’s Casey Coughlin scoring a hat-trick to take his tally to seven goals across the two matches.
Cymru made the perfect start against Cilicia, taking the lead after just 13 minutes when Jack Jones’ throw-in found Clayton Farrah at the near post, whose flick-on set up Coughlin to head home.
Cilicia held Tîm Rhanbarthol y De Cymru at bay for the remainder of the first half, but Gruff Harrison’s side doubled their advantage five minutes after the interval.
Dan Ingram played Coughlin through, but the goalkeeper cleared before the ball broke to the right. Kofi Rowe then crossed beyond the keeper and defenders, finding Olly Redhead at the back post, who calmly slotted home to make it 2-0.
Tîm Rhanbarthol y De Cymru extended their lead eight minutes later as Jones swung a corner in from the right, finding Coughlin in the middle of the penalty area who rose highest to head the ball down and into the net, doubling his personal tally and putting his side firmly in control.
Things went from bad to worse for the Armenian side as the Cilicia goalkeeper appeared to win the ball but, while still in possession, kicked out at a Cymru attacker, leaving the referee with no hesitation in awarding a penalty.
Jones stepped up and sent his effort towards the top-right corner. The goalkeeper went the right way, but could not keep it out as Tîm Rhanbarthol y De Cymru moved 4-0 ahead.
The Welsh side continued to threaten, and on the counter added a fifth. Rowe burst down the left before sending Coughlin into the box. The forward cut across goal, with substitute Sam Cawley applying pressure and getting a crucial touch ahead of the defender to score his first goal and Tîm Rhanbarthol y De Cymru’s fifth.
There was still more drama to come as Cilicia were reduced to ten men in the 82nd minute when Artur Allahverdyan was shown a red card for a bad foul on substitute Mason Kelly.
Three minutes later, Cymru were awarded another penalty after Josh Dorward was fouled inside the box. Coughlin took responsibility, calmly slotting the penalty home to complete his hat-trick and round off another outstanding performance.
The result leaves Tîm Rhanbarthol y De Cymru top of the group on goal difference ahead of their final game against hosts Zenica-Doboj, who defeated Bitola 4-0 in Saturday’s other fixture.
Harrison’s team will now face the Bosnian side in a winner-takes-the-group clash, knowing that a draw or victory will be enough to secure qualification for the final tournament next summer.
