The day after Craig Bellamy smiled and apologised to a Turkish translator for rambling his way to the end of an answer, his passion for the Wales job spilled over on to the pitch. In the buildup there was an understandable, first-day-at-school nervous energy to Bellamy, his chosen uniform pristine white trainers and a black bomber jacket, and no wonder his excitement given the buzz his team emitted throughout this entertaining draw. As first impressions go, this was a resounding if imperfect performance against a Turkey team who played more than 35 minutes with 10 men after Baris Yilmaz was sent off.
Wales supporters have probably never enjoyed a 0-0 this much. Officially, this was a Nations League opener against a team four places above them in the rankings but, really, it was Bellamy’s first examination as a manager. There was still a touch of the old Bellamy – the fourth official, Sigurd Kringstad, was man-marked at times – but he was rightly chuffed with this showing given his first training session with his players was only on Monday. “Believe me, this is the worst we’re going to be,” Bellamy said afterwards. “The more we learn, the more time we spend together, learning the finer details, there’s way more to come.”
Bellamy has made compelling listening since taking the job in July and his team put forward a convincing case for his methods. By the end, Wales had registered twice as many passes as Turkey, almost twice as many touches, approaching 70% possession and 15 shots to the visitors five, with the centre-back Joe Rodon spooning over the bar inside the box and Aaron Ramsey twice going close. Wales rendered Turkey, quarter-finalists at Euro 2024, to training mannequins for much of a one-sided first half.
Vincenzo Montella, the Turkey manager, blamed the physical toll of the summer tournament on his side’s anaemic display. “The players only had one week to rest,” the Italian said.
Bellamy’s final game as a player was here 10 years ago, for boyhood club Cardiff City against Chelsea, for whom Mohamed Salah starred and Fernando Torres got the winner. A star forward was the only obvious missing piece for Bellamy, whose side attacked with gusto and in numbers with Ramsey, Jordan James and Harry Wilson operating centrally flanked by Brennan Johnson and Sorba Thomas, a surprise inclusion who embodied Bellamy’s mantra. Thomas, who joined Nantes on loan from Huddersfield last month, shone on his first appearance since March last year and his first start since June 2022, and saw a first-half goal disallowed for offside after charging on to a Ramsey pass.
At the end of a move that began with Johnson backheeling the ball to Connor Roberts, from the cross Ramsey’s attempted header clinked off his left shoulder and went over the bar. Ramsey then went close to converting Thomas’s low corner at the front post. Ethan Ampadu rattled a shot against a stanchion.
Wales were enjoying themselves; so, too, the supporters. Bellamy cut a happy figure from the moment Ben Davies, playing left centre-back, pinged a diagonal pass into space for Johnson, offering the defender a hearty thumbs up.
Wales did not renege but Yilmaz mustered Turkey’s first meaningful effort, sending a weak header on to the roof of Danny Ward’s net. Bellamy acknowledged it would be crazy to expect everything to click on his first night but there were plenty of incisive attacks. Ramsey freed Wilson with a zipped first-time pass close to halfway but Johnson could not arrange his feet hastily enough and sent a first-time shot off target. A minute later Wilson sent a curling left-foot strike inches wide of Mert Gunok’s goal, almost lifting Bellamy off his feet.
On the face of it Wales’s task got a whole lot easier when Yilmaz was sent off for a second yellow card after a late tackle on Neco Williams. Yilmaz’s first booking came in the first half after seeking a contretemps with Rodon.
Bellamy introduced the experienced Sheffield United striker Kieffer Moore and the Liverpool teenager Lewis Koumas, the former requiring stitches within minutes after Caglar Soyuncu’s studs ended planted in his face following a collision.
There were eight added minutes in which Johnson shanked wide and Ampadu attempted an overhead kick. It was a fun and fitting end for Wales on an absorbing evening. “An hour leading up to it I was like: ‘What have I done, what have I put myself into?’” Bellamy said. “I had such a good life before this … I enjoyed it. It was great. But I’m not a master of this after one game, trust me.”
