ONCE UPON a        TIME
                                                                                          ezine at l'atelier bonita
                                                     established since december 2002

Wales - Italy, Wednesday 16th October 2002                                by  Joanna Browning When the draw was made for the qualifying rounds of Euro 2004, my home nation, Wales, were drawn in the same group as Italy - finalists of Euro 2000. My heart should have sunk instantly - after all, Wales have not qualified for the finals of a tournament since 1958, and the inclusion of Italy in our group could be seen to be sounding a death knell for our chances once again. Yet I was delighted to see them there. Why? For many reasons. Since Wales never qualify, there is little expectation for them to do so. The qualifying round itself becomes therefore a tournament of it's own, and the presence of Italy in our group meant a rare opportunity to witness one of the best teams in the world, up close and personal, and to see what our boys could do against them. The home game, Wales vs. Italy, took place on Wednesday 16th October 2002 in front of a sell-out crowd at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium - I was among the 72,500 screaming fans, each of us prepared to enjoy ourselves whatever the outcome and to cheer our team on until the final result regardless of what that result might be. After a rainy weekend the roof was closed for the game and the atmosphere was electric, long before kick off, as Wales came into the match off a strong run of form, unbeaten in their last six, while Italy were in dire need of a good result to take some of the pressure of their coach, Giovanni Trappatoni. The Millennium Stadium before kick-off: Wales defend the south end  (photograph by Joanna Browning) Wales fielded pretty much their strongest team: Jones, Delaney, Speed, Melville, Gabbidon, Pembridge, Savage, Bellamy, Hartson, Davies and, of course, Ryan Giggs. Italy had a few key players missing, but nevertheless it was a formidable looking team that took the field. Buffon, Nesta, Cannavaro, Panucci, Zauri, Di Biaggio, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Tommasi, Montella and Del Piero. A team to strike fear into the hearts of just about any other side in the world, never mind one ranked more than 60 places below them. Wales made a bright start to their game, as is their wont, and put the Italians under immediate pressure. The tension built along with the noise from the crowd, and when in the 12th minute a sparkling move pulled the Italian defenders out of position, allowing Simon Davies of Tottenham to score a scintillating goal past Gigi Buffon, I felt the stand beneath me vibrate as the crowd all leapt to their feet with a huge roar. Wales 1 - Italy 0 John Hartson and Simon Davies celebrate (photograph from Shoot magazine) Wales are actually very good at taking an early lead. They are just not very good at holding onto it. Italy fought back and in the 30th minute were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area - and directly in front of my seat. There was a moment of confusion before Alessandro Del Piero took the kick, as a row of Italians lined up right in front of the Welsh defensive wall. The well struck kick didn't actually look like going anywhere near the goal until a wicked deflection off Mark Delaney took it spinning past the wrong footed Paul Jones into the back of the net. The score was one all going into half time, which was a pretty fair reflection of the play up till that point. Wales 1 - Italy 1 I have heard many times about the Italian propensity for playing keep-ball and hanging onto a result. I have even seen them do it in televised games. Seeing it happen live was quite an amazing experience. Immediately following their goal, they seemed to be hanging on for half time, and as it approached actually started playing closer and closer to the tunnel, ready to sprint off as soon as the whistle sounded. As the second half got under way, the Italians seemed to have mentally decided to settle for the draw already, defending strongly with little attacking momentum. A simply deafening crowd, on the other hand, buoyed Wales, on: it was one of those games where you almost seem able to will the ball into the net simply by everyone in the crowd thinking it in unison. Wales's second goal, scored by Craig Bellamy in the 71st minute after a beautiful through ball by local boy Danny Gabbidon and superb link-up play by John Hartson, came after a period of sustained pressure from Wales and was well deserved. When the ball hit the net the roof almost came off so loud was the roar. Wales 2 - Italy 1 Fabio Cannavaro chases Craig Bellamy The decibel level then continued to rise and rise as the unthinkable slowly but surely became a strong possibility - and then more than a mere possibility. It actually looked probable that we would win this game. It seemed even more certain when Bellamy slotted the ball into the net for a second time, although the whistle had already sounded for a foul on Delaney back near the halfway line. The Italians were severely rattled and it showed, while the Welsh team were full of confidence and full of running. As the minutes ticked by the tension became greater and greater, almost as though the stadium were a pressure cooker seeking an escape valve. The rather large section of travelling Italian fans were silent, while local based Italians, known in these parts as 'the Taffia' - a group of whom were sitting just a few seats down from me - took great delight, as indeed I did myself, in cheering madly for both teams. The Italian defence is rattled   (photograph by Joanna Browning) The final whistle, when it came, nearly brought the house down on a famous victory for Wales. For me, the best moment of the game had nothing to do with goals, or skilful play: it came when Alex Del Piero - right back on the half way line - oh so casually stuck out an arm like a traffic conductor and pole-axed Delaney without even looking. He then slowly turned to the ref, arms outstretched with an expression of choirboy innocence plastered across his face. 'Who, me?' Fantastic. ©2003 Joanna Browning ____________ Joanna Browning was born in Wales in 1977, and still lives there. After graduating from Cardiff University with a joint degree in History and Welsh History, she drifted through a variety of different jobs before landing at her present position in the voluntary sector. She has a wide range of hobbies and interests, among them being the beautiful game of football, which she discovered at the impressionable age of 13 via the World Cup Italia '90, and has been hooked ever since.

                                                   ONCE UPON      a TIME
                                                                                          ezine at l'atelier bonita
                                                     established since december 2002