WREXHAM — Wales beat Albania 4-0 in a Women's World Cup qualifying match in Wrexham, recording a clean sheet for the first time in 18 games. Hannah Cain scored twice, while Elise Hughes and Rhiannon Roberts each added a goal.
The result kept Wales in close contention with the Czech Republic in Group B1. The two sides had identical records at the halfway point of the group stage, but Wales sat in second place because they had scored fewer away goals. Head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker if teams are level at the end of the group phase.
Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson said she was focused on her own team's results rather than the Czech Republic's. "It's not about their scores, it's making sure we take care of our own business," she said. "When you force things, that's not how good football occurs. So we take care of our own business and [Czech Republic] will mind their own."
Wales opened their qualifying campaign with a 2-2 draw away to the Czech Republic and beat Montenegro in a Group B1 match last month. The Czech Republic also beat Albania last month and beat Montenegro in a home match on Tuesday.
Wilkinson said the group appeared to be heading toward a decisive finish but cautioned against looking too far ahead. "It's how it's tracking, but equally I think Montenegro and Albania will want to have something to say about that. So we take care of the game in front of us and they take care of theirs and then you'll see where we end up in the last game of the group stage," she said. "I really appreciated the players' effort at keeping that consistent high level through the 90-plus minutes, always pushing, always staying focused," she added.
Wales, who compete in League B, will play a return Group B1 match against Albania on Saturday. They will then travel to Montenegro in June and play the Czech Republic in Cardiff four days later. Finishing top of Group B1 would give Wales a favourable path in the play-offs later this year.