Cyprus humiliate Toshack

Cyprus 3 Wales 1

John Toshack's promise to push for a third-place finish in Group D looked well beyond his youthful but beleaguered team as they capitulated against a well-organised Cyprus inside the Neo GSP Stadium in Nicosia.

Three second-half goals, two by the game’s most potent player, Yiannis Okkas, compounded a jarringly poor performance by Wales for whom only Gareth Bale emerged with credit. Even the Wales manager questioned his own position in the wake of this humiliating defeat.

The long and unrewarding road travelled by Wales since they failed to qualify for Euro 2004 reached a depressing sojourn on the holiday island. Cyprus leapfrogged Wales in the table with a thoroughly deserved win in which they displayed all the energy, purpose and spirit that Wales sorely lacked.

The only surprise was that Wales led through a James Collins goal scored midway through the first half and held the advantage until the 59th minute when Okkas’s superbly-timed run to reach a free kick by Efstathios Aloneftis exploited the kind of woeful Welsh defending which undermined them throughout.

Captain Craig Bellamy, who played 10 days after undergoing a groin operation, and his strike partner, Freddy Eastwood, received virtually no service and the midfield of Simon Davies, Carl Robinson and Joe Ledley were bereft of drive and ideas. The result was painfully inadequate.

“I will have to have a long, hard look at myself and what I am doing here,” said Toshack.

“After what I have seen I am obviously doing something wrong. I was bitterly disappointed by the performance and want to apologise to our fans who watched this debacle. It was a shocking performance and we didn’t compete in any area. We were second best everywhere.”

Last month’s 5-2 win in Slovakia had encouraged Wales. But they showed too little respect and not enough will to battle, dropping off their opponents and surrendering territory and possession, which put pressure on defenders Danny Gabbidon and James Collins. Stretched repeatedly, they offered up huge holes to Aloneftis and Okkas. If they had been more clinical earlier, the winning margin would have been more emphatic.

Bale provided the only productive outlet for Wales and one of his rampaging runs down the left flank yielded a free kick from which Collins scored. The Tottenham defender swung the free kick across the box to the back post for the unmarked Collins.

Welsh relief was instantly apparent, for chances were few and far between as Wales lacked continuity and were never in control of the ball.

Cyprus threatened throughout the first half with Aloneftis crossing for Marios Nicolaou, who tested Wales goalkeeper Danny Coyne before Okkas passed to Chrysos Michail and only a brilliant block by Bale saved Coyne from being called on again.

Wales were almost undone by a long ball played into Konstantinos Makridis, who just failed to get a touch before Coyne, coming off his line, gathered. He saved another header by Alexis Garpozis from a free kick by Aloneftis as Cyprus finished the half strongly.

Within 15 minutes of the restart, Cyprus were level. Aloneftis played another quality delivery into the box and Okkas timed his run perfectly to head past Coyne. Wales fell apart when Nicolau crossed from the right for Aloneftis at the back post and Okkas scored from close range to fire the Cypriots ahead.

Then a cross from the left was headed back across the box for Kostas Charalampidis to head past Coyne.

“Apart from their goal, Wales had one other chance,” said Angelos Anastasiadis, the Cyprus coach.

“We were much better than them.”

Star man: Yiannis Okkas (Cyprus)

Player ratings:

Cyprus: Georgallides 7, Okkarides 7, Satsias 6 (Marangos 71min), Elia 6 (Charalampidis 63min), Michail 6 (Yiasoumi ht, 7), Paraskevas 7, Garpozis 7, Makridis 8, Nicolau 7, Aloneftis 8, Okkas 8

Wales: Coyne 6, Ricketts 5 (Easter 73min), Collins 6 (Morgan 43min, 6), Gabbidon 6, Bale 7, Nyatanga 5, Ledley 6, Robinson 6, Davies 5, Bellamy 6, Eastwood 6 (Earnshaw 58min, 5)

Scorers:Cyprus: Okkas 59, 68, Charalampidis 79 Wales: Collins 21

Referee: C Bertolini (Switzerland)

Attendance:8,500