Wales Aim to Control Their Destiny in Women's World Cup Qualifying
Wales have secured seven points from their opening three matches in the Women's World Cup qualifying campaign.
Head coach Rhian Wilkinson emphasized the importance of Wales concentrating on their own performances before turning attention to a pivotal qualifier against the Czech Republic scheduled for June.
Despite a commanding 4-0 victory over Albania in Wrexham, Wales were displaced from the top position in Group B1 by the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Given that head-to-head records will serve as the primary tiebreaker if teams finish level on points at the conclusion of the group stage, the upcoming home fixture against the Czech Republic on 9 June could prove decisive in determining the group winner.
At the midpoint of the group phase, Wales and the Czech Republic share identical records. However, Wales currently occupy second place due to having scored fewer away goals.
Following the win against Albania, Wilkinson stated she is unconcerned about the Czech Republic's results.
"We play them in the last game of our group stage. We know that," Wilkinson said.
"It's not about their scores, it's making sure we take care of our own business.
"When you force things, that's not how good football occurs. So we take care of our own business and [Czech Republic] will mind their own."
Wales' Strong Start and Upcoming Fixtures
Wales began their qualifying campaign with a 2-2 draw in the Czech Republic, followed by a comprehensive victory over Montenegro last month, and have now comfortably defeated Albania.
They anticipate further wins in the return fixture against Albania this Saturday and when they travel to Montenegro in June, four days prior to hosting the Czech Republic in Cardiff.
The Czech Republic have similarly recorded convincing wins, including victories in Albania last month and against Montenegro at home on Tuesday.
Outlook on Group Competition
When questioned about whether the contest for first place will be decided in the final match, Wilkinson responded:
"I mean, it's how it's tracking, but equally I think Montenegro and Albania will want to have something to say about that.
"So we take care of the game in front of us and they take care of theirs and then you'll see where we end up in the last game of the group stage."
Although Wales cannot qualify automatically as they are in League B, finishing top of the group is crucial as it will provide a more favorable route in the play-offs later this year.
Performance Highlights and Coach's Reflections
Wales have made a positive start to their attempt to qualify for their first Women's World Cup in Brazil next year. The victory over Albania featured two goals from Hannah Cain, with additional goals scored by Elise Hughes and Rhiannon Roberts.
Wilkinson expressed satisfaction with her team's performance, noting that Wales also achieved their first clean sheet in 18 games.
"I really appreciated the players' effort at keeping that consistent high level through the 90-plus minutes, always pushing, always staying focused," she said.
"[It was] a performance for a full 90 that any coach would be pleased with."
