Given the impressive strides Wales have made under Craig Bellamy in the past three months, for supporters the only dampener is that they now have to wait another four to witness the next step on this riveting ride.
For Bellamy, who has the 2026 World Cup firmly in his sights, it has been an incredible start to life as a manager, now six games unbeaten. “I probably feel it was important to show people I am not a lunatic, I’m quite sane,” he said. “People thought I was going to be running on the pitch and pushing the ref and stuff, getting sent off.
“I probably felt more pushed into management to show I am not like that. People used to bring [my] temperament up: ‘Oh yeah, but his temperament.’ I was like: ‘Really?’ You’ll see me even calmer and kinder when it goes wrong. Trust me, you get nowhere being that way.
“I’m not naive enough to know those moments aren’t coming. I don’t know when, but it’s going to happen. I feel like some [people] are waiting for it to happen. I know that and I have to stay calm.”
The bonus is that this comeback victory means Wales can look towards making a head start in their bid to qualify for another World Cup. Harry Wilson, who has now scored four goals in his past five matches for his country, capped an impressive win over Iceland, who led inside seven minutes courtesy of Andri Gudjohnsen.
Liam Cullen scored twice before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet, finishing in style, and Wilson thrashed in from distance.
The last time these sides met in Cardiff a No 11 by the name of Gareth Bale scored a goal for the ages, zooming off the pitch momentarily, and here the heir to that shirt number, Johnson, offered Wales breathing space on another fine night for Bellamy.
The Wales manager has three wins and three draws and, more significantly, this result ensured his team topped Group B4, with Montenegro’s victory at home to Turkey paving the way for Wales to achieve promotion to Group A.
Wales squandered a two-goal lead in Reykjavik in the reverse fixture last month so Wales were well versed on Iceland’s talents. Bellamy talked up an exciting side spearheaded by Orri Óskarsson, the 20-year-old who joined Real Sociedad from Copenhagen for €20m in August, and coached by a veteran manager in Norwegian Åge Hareide.
It did not stop Bellamy from appearing personally insulted by the manner of Iceland’s early opener, even if in the buildup to this game the Wales manager insisted such growing pains will ultimately help his team prosper.
Danny Ward made a superb save to keep out Óskarsson’s header from Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson’s devilish left-foot cross but an alert Gudjohnsen was first to the rebound and fired a shot through Ward’s legs.
Wales, usually fast starters, were off to a sleepy beginning. Cullen had the hosts’ first real effort on 23 minutes, a tame shot after Johnson cut in from the right flank. Ten minutes later Johnson located Cullen, this time with the intended result.
Johnson collected a pass from Neco Williams and sent a brilliant left-foot cross into the box. Cullen moved towards the penalty spot, eluding his marker, Alfons Sampsted, and squeezed a glanced header inside the far post.
Bellamy, who again rotated, making four changes from the team that drew in Turkey last weekend, was moonlighting as a ballboy in an attempt to keep things moving and on the verge of the interval Cullen registered another important finishing touch.
Daniel James saw a shot half-saved by the Brentford goalkeeper Hákon Valdimarsson and Swansea striker Cullen nipped in to feast on the leftovers. Wales survived a couple of scares before Joe Allen entered in place of the forward Mark Harris, with Bellamy mindful of how things were poised.
Then Wales hit the jackpot, Johnson driving into the box before applying a clean right-foot finish into the bottom corner. Wilson cracked in another fine effort, lashing in a left-foot shot from the edge of the Iceland box, to confirm Wales are in rude health before qualifying begins. “We want to go to a World Cup,” Bellamy said. “We’ve got to get that ticked off. If we get there, we want to compete.”
