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    Cymru vs. Türkiye | 2025 UEFA Nations League – League phase – GrpB4

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        Live ReportMatch Summary

        3. 🎥 Craig Bellamy provides his post-match thoughts.

        4. MATCH SUMMARY

          Craig Bellamy’s reign as Cymru manager is in full flow as the UEFA Nations League campaign got underway in Cardiff against Türkiye.

          Overall, Bellamy will be pleased with the display as the team played with the intensity and commitment he’d demanded in the build-up. The stats show Cymru had 62% possession in the game, with 512 completed passes to Türkiye’s 242. Cymru also executed 46 attacks to just 14 by the visitors.

          Despite this dominance however, Cymru were frustrated in the second-half as Türkiye held on for a point despite being reduced to 10 players.

          Cymru controlled the game in the first half with their pressing performance forcing their opponents to continuously give-up possession of the ball. Bellamy saw his team show creativity when on the attack with Sorba Thomas standing out with a player of the match display.

          Thomas got the ball in the back of the net with a chipped shot over Mert Günok but the goal was ruled out for offside. Briefly, The Red Wall were hopeful as a VAR goal check was indicated on the stadium’s big screens but the offside was swiftly verified.

          Türkiye were reduced to 10 players just after the hour mark when Barış Alper Yılmaz was shown a second yellow card, resulting in Vincenzo Montella instructing his team to get behind the ball to protect the point.

          Cymru pushed for a winner and mustered several attempts but the Türkiye defence, with some time wasting, held on for the draw.

          Cymru now travel to Niksic, where they will play Montenegro on Monday (9 September). Montenegro began their Nations League campaign with a 2-0 defeat in Iceland.

        5. FULL-TIME: CYMRU 0-0 TÜRKIYE

          The full-time whistle has been blown here in Cardiff where the 10 players of Türkiye have frustrated Cymru in this second half.

        6. 90' + 6'

          Koumas with the ball out on the left plays inside to Johnson. His strike is blocked and deflected behind for a corner.

        7. 90'

          Substitution

          İRFAN CAN KAHVECI replaces ARDA GÜLER

        8. 90'

          Substitution

          EMIRHAN TOPÇU replaces ZEKI ÇELIK

        9. 90'

          There will be 8 minutes of added time.

        10. 89'

          Substitution

          EMIRHAN TOPÇU replaces ARDA GÜLER

        11. 89'

          Substitution

          İRFAN CAN KAHVECI replaces ZEKI ÇELIK

        12. 88'

          Substitution

          COOPER Oliver Joseph replaces JAMES Jordan Anthony

        13. 88'

          Substitution

          COOPER Oliver Joseph replaces JAMES Jordan Anthony

        14. 87'

          Ward saves from a headed effort following a Türkiye corner kick. Cymru immediately go on the attack.

        15. 82'

          Moore is back wearing a bandage on his head. We’ve seen this before.

        16. 81'

          Play resumes after Moore leaves the pitch to be bandaged up by the Cymru medical staff.

        17. 79'

          Moore is receiving medical treatment following a coming together with an opponent whilst challenging for the ball.

        18. 77'

          Substitution

          KEREM AKTÜRKOĞLU replaces KENAN YILDIZ

        19. 77'

          Substitution

          OKAY YOKUŞLU replaces İSMAIL YÜKSEK

        20. 77'

          Substitution

          OKAY YOKUŞLU replaces İSMAIL YÜKSEK

        21. 77'

          Substitution

          KEREM AKTÜRKOĞLU replaces KENAN YILDIZ

        22. 72'

          Substitution

          MOORE Kieffer Roberto Francisco replaces RAMSEY Aaron James

        23. 72'

          Substitution

          KOUMAS Lewis replaces THOMAS Sorba

        24. 72'

          Ramsey passes the captain’s armband to Davies.

        25. 72'

          Substitution

          KOUMAS Lewis replaces THOMAS Sorba

        26. 72'

          Substitution

          MOORE Kieffer Roberto Francisco replaces RAMSEY Aaron James

        27. 64'

          Substitution

          HAKAN ÇALHANOĞLU replaces ORKUN KÖKÇÜ

        28. 64'

          Substitution

          HAKAN ÇALHANOĞLU replaces ORKUN KÖKÇÜ

        29. 62'

          Yellow card

          MERT MÜLDÜR

        30. 62'

          Yellow card

          BARIŞ ALPER YILMAZ

        31. 62'

          That’s one foul too many for Barış Alper Yılmaz, who receives a second yellow and is sent off. Türkiye are down to 10 players.

        32. 62'

          Yellow card

          BARIŞ ALPER YILMAZ

        33. 60'

          Yellow card

          ÇAĞLAR SÖYÜNCÜ

        34. 60'

          Yellow card

          ÇAĞLAR SÖYÜNCÜ

        35. 56'

          Wilson hits a lovely shot and some of The Red Wall cheer thinking it’s in. However, it goes painstakingly wide. This is great football from Cymru.

        36. 55'

          A well worked Cymru free kick allows an attack. Wilson breaks into the box and squares a pass to Johnson, who hits his strike wide. A fantastic chance for Cymru.

        37. 51'

          Türkiye are on the attack and Barış Alper is on the end of a cross but heads over Ward’s crossbar.

        38. 47'

          Thomas shoots from around 20 yards but his strike goes wide of the Türkiye goal.

        39. 46'

          SECOND-HALF

          The action is back underway here at Cardiff City Stadium.

        40. This has been an intensely fought UEFA Nations League match so far.

        41. Here’s the moment that Sorba Thomas got the ball in the net before it was ruled out.

        42. HALF-TIME: CYMRU 0-0 TÜRKIYE

          Craig Bellamy will be happy with that first half of play as Cymru played with intensity. They enjoyed a lot of possession and controlled the half.

          They were creative in attack despite not creating too many clear cut chances. However, Sorba Thomas did get the ball in the back of the net with a chipped shot over Mert Günok but it was ruled out for offside.

        43. 45' + 1'

          Ramsey goes close with a flicked effort but there’s not enough pace on the ball and Günok was able to gather the ball into his hands.

        44. 39'

          Yellow card

          KAAN AYHAN

        45. 39'

          Yellow card

          KAAN AYHAN

        46. 37'

          GOOOAAA……. nearly. Thomas is flagged offside.

        47. 32'

          Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella is also shown a yellow card following the incident.

        48. 31'

          Yellow card

          BARIŞ ALPER YILMAZ

        49. 31'

          Yellow card

          BARIŞ ALPER YILMAZ

        50. 29'

          Yellow card

          JOHNSON Brennan

        51. 29'

          Türkiye want a penalty but the referee waves away appeals. There’s an incident off the ball and the referee has stopped play to sort it all out.

        52. 29'

          Yellow card

          JOHNSON Brennan

        53. 28'

          Yellow card

          WILSON Harry

        54. 28'

          Yellow card

          WILSON Harry

        55. 25'

          Yellow card

          KENAN YILDIZ

        56. 25'

          Yellow card

          KENAN YILDIZ

        57. 17'

          Cymru freekick and after the ball is sent into the box Davies gets an unconventional touch on the ball and forces a save. From the resulting corner Rodon shoots over the crossbar.

        58. 14'

          Excellent pressure from Cymru sees them win possession back and with space in front of him, Ampadu runs forward and takes advantage of the space to shoot. His effort goes wide but The Red Wall are enjoying this.

        59. Smiles 😁

        60. Proud moment for Craig Bellamy 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

        61. 5'

          Cymru keeping possession well in these opening minutes and playing patiently. It results in a fantastic chance to score as Johnson crosses for Ramsey who heads wide.

        62. 1'

          KICK OFF!

          This UEFA Nations League opener is underway.

        64. Warm-ups are completed here at Cardiff City Stadium.

        65. Everyone has been asking if Craig a suit or a tracksuit kind of manager. We have an answer and it’s knitted.

        66. Aaron Ramsey returns to the Cymru starting line-up and captains the team tonight.

        67. Sorba Thomas starts for Cymru.

        70. Here’s Craig Bellamy’s first Cymru XI 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

        72. The Turkish support are also arriving ready for this UEFA Nations League match.

        73. The Red Wall is building at Cardiff City Stadium.

        74. Here we go… 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇹🇷

        76. Win a signed shirt

          Win a Cymru shirt, signed by manager Craig Bellamy, by voting for your favourite magic moment from his Cymru playing career.

          Click here to enter

        78. Ramsey on EURO frustration

          Cymru captain Aaron Ramsey features on the front and back pages of the newspapers this morning having declared his ‘unfinished business’ with the national team.

          “It was frustrating not to get over the line and qualify,” said Ramsey when asked about EURO 2024. “I didn’t want to go out like that. Obviously there’s a lot of emotion at those times, it was disappointing not to get on and help the team qualify for another major tournament and I felt there was some unfinished business there.”

        80. A new era begins

          The Cymru squad completed their preparations for the UEFA Nations League match against Türkiye with a light training session at the Cardiff City Stadium last night.

          The match will mark the start of a new era for the national team as Craig Bellamy (below) takes charge of the side for first time since his appointment as Head Coach in July.

          Having spent the week with the squad, there is plenty of interest in how the team will line-up this evening and how they will approach this first match of the new campaign.

          “I see a young team with a lot of talent coming through,” said Bellamy last night. “But I also see a very good team right now. The way I’m looking to try and play might be a little bit different to what they have done before. I believe if we can tweak and adapt a few little bits it will give us a huge benefit in the future.”

          Hear more from Craig Bellamy and captain Aaron Ramsey – Watch here on RedWall+

        83. Bellamy’s new chapter

          Craig Bellamy also spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of his first match as Cymru Head Coach as his side prepare to take on Türkiye tomorrow night.

          “It’s going to be a very proud moment and I’ve worked hard for this,” he explained. “I’m going to recognise that as well. It’s going to catch me, but it has to leave very quickly because its a big responsibility and the players need me.

          “Whatever you do in life is a story, so what’s our story? We’re starting a new chapter at this stage. We’re always looking to create a story. This week has been the start of it, the building blocks, and I’m prepared for all scenarios. You won’t hear me talk about philosophies or processes, I’ll leave that to others. It’s one step at a time.”

          Bellamy also discussed the influence of captain Aaron Ramsey on the group and how he will define success for his side in the UEFA Nations League.

          Cymru v Türkiye MD-1 Press Conference – Watch here on RedWall+

        85. Ramsey ready

          Cymru captain Aaron Ramsey spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon and expressed his excitement about what this team can achieve under Craig Bellamy.

          “It’s an exciting squad,” said Ramsey. “It’s an exciting new way forward, I think there’s going to be a lot success for this team and I want to be part of that. I’m excited for the years ahead and the World Cup is my target now. I’m excited with the potential this team has.

          “The way he (Craig Bellamy) has handled himself has been impressive so far. There’s been a lot of information but the boys have done well to absorb as much as they can and we’re looking forward to implementing that into the next few games now.”

          Ramsey also spoke about his frustration of missing out on a place at EURO 2024, his fitness and what motivates him to continue with his international career.

          Cymru v Türkiye MD-1 Press Conference – Watch here on RedWall+

        86. Watch Live

          On MD-1 (Thursday, 5 September) watch Craig Bellamy and Aaron Ramsey speak to the press at their UEFA Nations League press conference at Cardiff City Stadium.

          This will be followed by 15 minutes of access to training.

          4:00pm – Cymru v Türkiye MD-1 Press Conference – Watch here
          5.20pm – Cymru MD-1 Open Training Session – Watch here

        88. Piet Cremers on Bellamy’s Welsh way

          Cymru Assistant Coach Piet Cremers (below) is one of a number of new faces on camp this week and recently spoke about the style of football the Red Wall can expect to see in the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Türkiye and Montenegro.

          “I’ve worked with Craig (Bellamy) over the last two years (at Burnley) where we had some good moments together,” Cremers explained. “We implemented a very attractive style of play and Craig and I share a very similar philosophy in terms of the way we want to play, the way we want to press and the intensity we want to have in the game. It’s incredibly exciting.”

          The Dutch coach previously held the role Head of Performance Analysis & Insights at Manchester City where he worked closely with Pep Guardiola, and completed his coach education in Wales with the FAW.

          “It’s all about being dominant,” he explained. “Making sure that we dictate the game, that we force the opposition into mistakes when we don’t have the ball, and when we have the ball, that we’re always looking to to create that extra man anywhere on the pitch to hurt the opposition.”

          Click here for the full extended interview with Piet Cremers

        91. With just two days to go before the opening match of the new UEFA Nations League campaign the Cymru squad continued their preparations this morning.

          ‘Intensity’, ‘high-energy’ and ‘risk’ are just some of the words and phrases that have emerged to describe what the Red Wall can expect from new Head Coach Craig Bellamy and there has been no shortage of any of that on the training ground this week.

        94. A famous night in the capital

          Cymru Head Coach Craig Bellamy takes charge of his first match on Friday but it will not be the first time he has gone head-to-head with his opposite number on the international stage.

          Italian Vincenzo Montella took over as the Head Coach of Türkiye in September 2023 and the start of this new UEFA Nations League campaign will mark his anniversary in the job. However, it was way back in October 2002 that Bellamy and Montella found themselves on opposite sides of the field, with the Cymru star enjoying one of the highlights of his career.

          Over 72,000 fans were in attendance as a star-studded Italian side arrived in Cardiff for a EURO 2004 qualifier. Both Bellamy and Montella were named in the respective starting line-ups, while Mark Hughes and Giovanni Trapattoni were opposite numbers in the dugout on that famous night as Cymru produced one of the shocks of the tournament with a famous 2-1 win.

          Simon Davies opened the scoring for Cymru early in the opening half but Italy levelled through Alessandro Del Piero before half-time. However, the night would belong to Cymru and Bellamy in particular as the striker scored his memorable winner on 70 minutes to seal the points.

          Bellamy (below) will be hoping to enjoy many more famous nights in Cardiff as he prepares to lead Cymru into this new and exciting era, with his memories of that night still very much in his mind when it comes to representing his country.

        98. Media days

          Cymru trio Connor Roberts, Mark Harris and Harry Wilson (below) were all on media duty this afternoon with the approach of new Head Coach Craig Bellamy a consistent topic of conversation.

          “The style of play is a little bit more risky I would say,” explained Wilson. “He definitely wants the goalkeeper and the defenders to take more risks. I feel like if we get it right it will give our attacking players a lot more space and room to get at the opposition.

          “It’s been a lot of information for the first couple of days about the way he wants to play but I feel we do have the squad to make it work. With the pace we have in the team I think we can hurt whoever we come up against.”

          Mark Harris and Connor Roberts have worked with Bellamy at club level with Cardiff City and Burnley respectively and echoed Wilson’s observations. “He’s very big on detail,” said Harris. “He loves coaching, he loves football and he wants the best for us. The way he sees football is different to what I have been used to and I’m learning everyday with him.”

          “It’s a new era and were excited about what’s to come,” added Roberts. “He’s a great guy and he loves football. We want to win every game with a style and an identity and we have to play that way. That’s how it’s going to be going forward.”

        100. Meet the Ref

          Rohit Saggi will take charge of the UEFA Nations League fixture between Cymru and Türki̇ye at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday night.

          The 32-year old has officiated matches in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League and Conference League this season and will be assisted by Anders Olav Dale and Morten Jensen while Sigurd Kringstad is the Fourth official who are all from Norway.

          Carlos del Cerro Grande of Spain will be the VAR and he will be assisted by Mohammad Usman Aslam who is also from Norway.

        103. Training time

          Craig Bellamy and his Cymru squad were back on training ground at the team base this morning as preparations for the UEFA Nations League match against Türkiye at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday.

          Rabbi Matondo has unfortunately had to withdraw from the squad due to a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Rangers against Celtic over the weekend.

        105. James on Bellamy

          Dan James has been ruled out of Cymru’s upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures through injury, but believes there is an exciting future ahead under new Head Coach Craig Bellamy.

          In an interview published in the Independent this week, James highlighted the qualities he thinks will make Bellamy a success with the national team. “I watched Craig from a young age and he played the game with passion and determination,” said James.

          “He did that for Wales right through his career and for a number of top clubs as well. Craig never backed down from a challenge and was always looking to be direct and selfish in a good way.” Click here for the full article

        108. The new era begins

          Craig Bellamy took to the training ground today for the first time since his appointment as Cymru Head Coach as his squad began their preparations for the UEFA Nations League double-header against Türkiye and Montenegro.

          The new campaign marks the start of a new Cymru era as Bellamy’s coaching staff also began working with the players for the first time.

        110. Having assembled his management team ahead of Cymru’s UEFA Nations League campaign, Craig Bellamy discusses the qualities they will bring.

          Watch his exclusive interview by clicking here.

        112. Previous meetings

          Türkiye will provide familiar opposition for Cymru on Friday night when the new UEFA Nations League campaign begins as the two nations were also paired together in qualifying for EURO 2024.

          It would prove to be a successful campaign for Türkiye as they qualified for the finals in Germany and reached the quarter-final stage of the competition before being eliminated by the Netherlands in Berlin.

          During the qualifying campaign, Türkiye claimed a 2-0 win over Cymru in Samsun before the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in Cardiff with Neco Williams (below) scoring the opening goal before Yusuf Yazıcı equalised from the penalty spot.

          Cymru have the historical advantage over Türkiye having won four and drawn two of their nine previous meetings. The most recent Cymru victory proved to be a crucial one as goals from Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts sealed a 2-0 at the EURO group stage in June 2021 to ensure the side would progress to the Round of 16.

          The first meeting between Cymru and Türkiye took place in Wrexham back in November 1978 when Nick Deacy scored the only goal of the game to claim a 1-0 victory for Mike Smith’s side, while one of the most memorable fixtures took place in August 1997 when Türkiye won a World Cup qualifier 6-4 in Istanbul.

        113. Cymru arrive

          The Cymru squad have started to arrive on camp ahead of the UEFA Nations League double-header against Türkiye and Montenegro as new Head Coach Craig Bellamy prepares to take charge of his country for the first time.

          Dan James has withdrawn from the initial squad through injury and has been replaced by Rubin Colwill, who moves up from the U21 squad. The opening match of the new campaign takes place against Türkiye at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday, 6 September (7.45pm). Click here to buy tickets.

        115. There is no live report available for this match

        Lineups

        Starting

          Substitutes

            Starting

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                Table

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                Match Info

                Stadium

                Date & Time

                Referee

                Fourth Official

                Assistant Referees

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