The Cardiff City Stadium is set to host an international friendly match between Wales and Ghana. This encounter marks only the second time Wales has faced an African opponent in its history. The previous instance was a 4-0 loss to Tunisia in a friendly held in Tunis in June 1998.
Wales enters this fixture with a mixed record in recent friendly matches, having secured only one win in their last 11 friendlies. Under manager Craig Bellamy, the team remains winless in all three friendly games played so far, with one draw and two losses. The last Wales manager to not register a win in his first four friendly matches was Bobby Gould in 1997, who recorded two draws and two losses.
Team Form and Managerial Records
Ghana, on the other hand, has experienced a challenging run, losing their last five international matches. Their record against European nations shows only one win in their last 13 encounters, a 2-0 victory over Switzerland in November 2022, alongside four draws and eight losses. Despite this, Ghana only lost one of their ten qualifying games for the World Cup.
For Wales, manager Craig Bellamy saw his team win four of their first five home games, with one draw. However, they have since managed only one win in their subsequent five home matches, drawing the last two and losing two. The last time the Dragons drew three consecutive matches at home was in 1927.
Carlos Queiroz, Ghana‘s coach, has previously faced Wales once, securing a 2-0 win with Iran at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This friendly will be the ninth different nation Queiroz has managed.
Player Focus and Match Context
Dan James has been a notable performer for Wales, scoring in his last two starts for the national team, a first for him. Since his debut in November 2018, the Leeds winger is one of only two players to achieve double figures in both goals and assists for the Dragons, alongside Harry Wilson. Antoine Semenyo of Ghana has scored only once in his last 27 international appearances, with an eight-game goalless streak since netting against Chad.
Wales has a strong record when facing an opponent for the first time, being unbeaten in their last six such games, with four wins and two draws. Their last defeat in a first-time encounter was against North Macedonia in September 2013, which ended in a 1-2 loss during a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
The match is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, at 7:45 pm at the Cardiff City Stadium. Ghana‘s squad is expected to feature a strong forward line, including Antoine Semenyo, Kamaldeen Sulemana, and Inaki Williams. Wales will be without Harry Wilson, who has withdrawn from the squad, and will see Ben Davies and Connor Roberts returning from injury.
The previous encounter against Tunisia in 1998, managed by Bobby Gould, was described as a challenging experience for Wales. The then-Tunisia manager, Henryk Kasperczac, reportedly stated that the match was easier than anticipated, with Wales performing below expectations. The team’s preparation for that game was also noted to have issues, including a hotel change and training without proper equipment.
The Wales squad during that 1998 match included a young Craig Bellamy on his first senior team trip. The match saw a penalty scored by Badra in the 83rd minute, following a handball by 17-year-old Ryan Green, who was making his second and final cap for Wales.
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