Football

Wales vs Croatia player ratings: A night to remember for Rob Page’s men

October 15, 2023 9:40 pm
Wales vs Croatia player ratings: A night to remember for Rob Page’s men
Photo by Icon sport

  • Wales beat Croatia 2-1 at the Cardiff City Stadium to leave their Euro 2024 qualification hopes in their own hands.
  • Harry Wilson scored twice for the home side in the opening 15 minutes of the second half to stun Croatia.
  • Mario Pasalic pulled a goal back for Croatia in the 75th minute to set up a tense finale but the Welsh defence held firm.

Wales player ratings: Wilson lights up the Cardiff City Stadium

Danny Ward 7/10 – An impressive display considering his lack of match action this season. Never looked flustered.

Connor Roberts 7/10 – Defended well and was always an out ball for his defenders.

Chris Mepham 8/10 – Led the defence superbly and wasn’t going to let anyone past him.

Joe Rodon 8/10 – Came up with some big blocks late on that helped his team over the line.

Ben Davies 8/10 – His experience was vital in the absence of Ramsey and his calming influence was pivotal at the back.

Neco Williams 6/10 – Clearly more comfortable going forward and was caught napping a few times at the back.

Jordan James 7/10 – Looks like a really good prospect at just 19-year-old, and provided Wales with some much-needed energy.

Ethan Ampadu 8/10 – Bossed the midfield – looks like regular football with Leeds has done him the world of good.

Harry Wilson 9/10 – Was a man on a mission to ensure his team got the three points. Both finishes were sublime.

David Brooks 8/10 – The creative spark at the top of the pitch that Wales have lacked in recent years.

Kieffer Moore 6/10 – Got a few things wrong and the didn’t always stick but he put in a shift.

Substitutes

Daniel James 7/10 – Put in a great ball for the second goal.

Nathan Broadhead N/A

Croatia player ratings: A lacklustre display

Dominik Livakovic 6/10 – Perhaps made Wilson’s mind up for him by coming out for the opener but also made a nice stop from a Wilson free kick. Swings and roundabouts.

Josip Juranovic 4/10 – Struggled to get to grips with the intensity of the Welsh attack and was taken off at half time.

Domagoj Vida 5/10 – Looked sluggish and was left exposed a few times.

Josko Gvardiol 6/10 – Defended well against Moore but also looked stretched when Wales committed players forward.

Borna Barisic 4/10 – His delivery was poor all night and was hooked as soon as James entered the match.

Marcelo Brozovic 6/10 – Looked off the pace, perhaps as he’s been playing in Saudi Arabia.

Luka Modric 7/10 – Always looks like a class act and ended the match with an assist.

Mateo Kovacic 7/10 – Alongside Modric, he was bright in midfield.

Josip Brekalo 5/10 – Struggled to do anything of note and was taken off at half time.

Petar Musa 4/10 – A toothless forward display from Musa who was also taken off at the break.

Lovro Majer 6/10 – Survived the half-time cull, for his work ethic more than anything.

Substitutes

Josip Stanisic 5/10 – Was caught in no man’s land for the Welsh opener.

Dion Beljo 5/10 – Didn’t perform any better than Musa.

Mario Pasalic 7/10 – Gave his team hope courtesy of a thumping header late on.

Borna Sosa 6/10 – Didn’t do much to influence the game.

Wales vs Croatia match summary and highlights

It was a night to remember for Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium as they overcame a top-class Croatia team 2-1 on home turf. Coming into the game, Rob Page knew that his side needed three points if they were to keep their Euro 2024 qualification hopes alive and his team delivered exactly that on a memorable night in the Welsh capital.

The first half was a largely nervy affair, with chances few and far between. The closest either team came back to opening the deadlock was when a Harry Wilson free kick was well saved by Livakovic in the Croatian net.

Croatia boss, Zlatko Dalić, obviously wasn’t happy with what he saw in the first half as he made three changes at the break, however, things were about to go from bad to worse for him and his depleted team. Just two minutes after the restart, Harry Wilson was played in by David Brooks and the Fulham man finished expertly, lifting the ball over Livakovic’s head.

Wilson doubled Wales’ lead 13 minutes later when his glanced header found the corner following a wicked delivery from substitute, Daniel James. Croatia pulled one back with 15 minutes to go but couldn’t find a way past Danny Ward to level the score. It leaves both teams on ten points with two games to play but Wales have the upper hand thanks to winning the head-to-head.

Player of the match: Harry Wilson

Since Gareth Bale retired, Wales have been looking for someone to step up to the plate on the big occasion and tonight, Harry Wilson became that man. The Fulham midfielder was Wales’ brightest spark all evening and always looked the most likely to find the back of the net. His two goals were taken expertly and without him, Wales’ qualification hopes would be over.

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