Wales Secure First Home Win Since Euro 2025 Play-Off
Wales' 6-1 victory over Montenegro marked their first home win since the Euro 2025 play-off triumph against Slovakia in October 2024.
Wilkinson Acknowledges Progress but Emphasizes Room for Growth
Rhian Wilkinson expressed satisfaction with Wales' performance following their emphatic opening victory in the 2027 Women's World Cup qualifiers, while also highlighting areas for improvement.
Goals from Hannah Cain and teenager Mared Griffiths, who scored twice, alongside strikes from Rachel Rowe and Sophie Ingle, contributed to Wales' dominant win in Llanelli.
This victory ended an 11-match competitive winless streak and followed a resilient draw against the Czech Republic the previous Tuesday. Wilkinson views the four points accumulated from the opening two games as a positive foundation for their Group B1 campaign.
"I'm satisfied and I like that I'm driving standards more than I have potentially in the past, because this team's ready for it," the Wales head coach said.
"We have four points, we've got good strong goal differential and we know that there's a lot of areas where we can improve.
"I think it's a testament to this new evolution of the team that of course I'm a happy coach tonight, but equally I'm excited about all the details we can improve on."
Group Standings and Upcoming Fixtures
Wales currently lead Group B1 on goal difference after the Czech Republic, considered their main contenders for the top spot, secured a 5-1 win in Albania.
Next month, Wales will face Albania in consecutive qualifiers before concluding the group stage with an away match against Montenegro and a potentially decisive home fixture against the Czech Republic in June.
Provided Wales do not finish bottom of the group—a scenario deemed highly unlikely—they will advance to the play-offs in pursuit of their first-ever Women's World Cup qualification. Finishing top of the group offers a more advantageous path to the tournament in Brazil.
Wilkinson Looks Forward to Upcoming Challenges
Reflecting on the recent performances, Wilkinson expressed enthusiasm for the April fixtures.
"[Czech Republic] were a fantastic team that pushed us - we expected a battle and we got one," she said.
"We did well to come back and get the point. I think that was important not just for the point but for the character [showed in] not quitting.
"Then coming out tonight and making sure that we were delivering, we were getting in the right pockets and we were challenging the different pictures they were giving us… from my end I think this is a successful camp."
Injury Update
Leicester City goalkeeper Olivia Clark missed the match against Montenegro due to an injury sustained during training on Friday. Wilkinson stated that Wales are awaiting further information from Leicester City regarding the severity of Clark's injury.
