September 12, (THEWILL) – Wales gave themselves renewed hope of qualifying for Euro 2024 after defeating Latvia 2-0 in Riga on Tuesday night.
Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring with a penalty in the 29th minute for his 100th career goal. Ramsey then had to be substituted early in the second half due to an apparent injury. However, David Brooks sealed the victory late on with a delicate chip in extra time at the end.
The result means Wales are just three points behind group leaders Croatia, who have a game in hand and who Wales face next month in Cardiff. Manager Rob Page had come under increasing pressure after a run of poor results. But this victory will ease the pressure on Page ahead of the crucial game against Croatia.
Both sides created chances in a tightly contested first half. Ben Davies and Connor Roberts went close for Wales before Latvia gifted them a penalty. The hosts also threatened on a few occasions but could not make it count. However, it took Brooks’ late intervention to assure Wales of the three points.
A positive result next month against Croatia could put Wales in a strong position to push for one of the two automatic qualification spots, giving them a leg up in the race against both Turkey and Armenia, who are currently above them on the table.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
