Phil Blanche, Press Association
Wales boss Rhian Wilkinson says her side can not rest on their first-leg lead against Albania in bidding to take another step towards World Cup qualification.
Wilkinson’s side won their first leg of their play-off semi-final 1-0 in Shkoder on Friday, with Albania defender Ezmiralda Franja unluckily putting through her own net.
Wales will equal a national record of 10 games unbeaten should they avoid defeat in Llanelli on Tuesday, but Wilkinson’s focus is on eliminating opponents she rates highly despite them being 36 places lower than the Dragons in the FIFA rankings.
“What a wonderful record for me to have but, more than anything, this is about the team showing up and delivering to a standard we can be proud of,” said Wilkinson.
“We came away with a one-nothing win (in Albania) but we didn’t hit our individual standards.
“We definitely got away with one. They had some great chances and we talk about that openly.
“The same thing happened in the last game against them, and we can’t be leaving things to chance.”
Albania and Wales have been familiar foes in 2026, with the Parc y Scarlets clash their fourth meeting in six months.
Wales, ranked 31st by FIFA and aiming for a first World Cup finals appearance in Brazil next year, have won all three games with Albania yet to score.
But Wilkinson said: “This is a team that when I speak to the older, more experienced players with Wales, they remember being that team maybe ranked lower but scrapping and fighting for everything.
“They get results like that because they catch people unawares, and we’re very aware of them.
“This Albanian team are really on the edge of something special because they fight for everything. They’ve got excellent players and their manager (Armir Grimaj) has been there a long time.”
Wilkinson has said Wales are in transition after losing Jess Fishlock, the country’s record caps holder and goal-scorer, and striker Kayleigh Barton over the past year.
The squad has also been disrupted by injuries with key quartet Ceri Holland, Ffion Morgan, Hayley Ladd and Rhiannon Roberts among nine players missing.
‘Moved on’
Wilkinson said: “We know we’ve moved on and we’ve got a lot of young players coming through. You’re like, ‘Well, how are they going to fit in? How are they going to settle?’
“Then you see Scarlett Hill and Mared Griffiths arriving, young players with confidence, and that’s an exciting future.
“I think they’ve gelled a little bit faster than I thought they would, but we’re well on to this journey and it’s up to the team how far they want to go. I believe that.
“We have a long way to go still, but we’re on the journey to World Cup qualifying.”
Norway – managed by former Wales boss Gemma Grainger – are probable World Cup play-off final opponents for the Llanelli victor after beating Romania 2-0 in Bucharest on Friday.
Even if Wales beat Albania and overcome that hurdle, they might even have to negotiate an inter-confederation play-off in February to reach Brazil.
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