LIVE BLOG: Wales vs Andorra – Euro 2016 Qualifier

21:40 – It’s all over! 2-0 to Wales thanks to goals from Bale and Ramsey!  Not the best performance from Wales but they and all of their fans will  be partying tonight all the same.

Thank you for joining us tonight for our first ever live blog! We hope you enjoyed it and will look to do it again in the future. Join us on snapchat for some post-match reaction – offsiderulepod. 

Good night folks!

21:38 – The crowd are ready for the party now! Zombie nation being chanted out by the fans, and now the anthem again! 2 minutes added on! 

21:36 – https://twitter.com/rorysmithtimes/status/654032828309635073

21:35 – WALES LEAD 2-0! It had to be Bale, didn’t it? A Ben Davies cross goes loose in the box and the Real Madrid star is quickest to react as he pokes an effort past the keeper to double Wales’ lead on the night!

21:33 – Simon Church preparing to come on for Wales! He replaces Jonny Williams, who has had a very solid first game back in the side! 5 plus added time to go!

21:31 – To say Andorra have defended resolutely might be a touch of an exaggeration when they have really set about playing a game of damage limitation here, but some fans are less than impressed with their defensive efforts …

21:29 – Don’t know if this says something about the level of entertainment on offer on he pitch? 

21:27 – How have Wales not doubled their lead!? An in-swinging free-kick from Aaron Ramsey from about forty yards away is met by the unmarked Ashley Williams, who heads straight at the keeper. He palms it into the path of Vokes, who is also unmarked, but he can’t get a shot on target. Frustrating times here for Wales with ten to go but they still lead 1-0!

21:25 – Bale lines up another free-kick, 25 yards out, but his effort dips over the bar. Perhaps a frustrating night for him  tonight but Wales haven’t needed his best from him.

21:23 – 75 minutes gone. Wales still leading 1-0. Get in touch with me on Twitter – @J_T_93 – to let me know what you think of this match, and others!

21:21 – The pace has died down a bit now. Wales fans still in full voice though, singing songs about each of their players in turn. Remember, Andorra haven’t brought any fans to this game, which is why I haven’t mentioned any of their songs!

21:19 – 70 mins gone, another Andorran sub …

21:17 – Back to the action here at Cardif though, Wales still dominating. Yet to break through again, mind, but Tom Lawrence has looked excellent since he came on!

21:15 – To sum up the scale of Belgium’s achievement though – going slightly off message here – check this out …

21:14 – Wales had briefly reclaimed top spot in the group with that goal, but now Belgium lead in their game so they’ve reclaimed that spot, as well as soon becoming ranked as the number 1 team in the world. As Wales Online’s Chris Wathan has alluded to though, not many of the Welsh fans seem to care …

21:10 – Wales settling down a bit now, probing on the edge of the final third – I’m yet to see the possession stats anywhere but it’s a good 65%-70% in Wales favour surely!

21:06 – A spontaneous rendition of the anthem by the Wales faithful looks to have spurred Ramsey on again as he goes close after finding space on the edge of the box. 

An hour gone, Wales one up and looking for more! 1-0.

21:04 – As Bale lines up to take a free-lick from a wide position – which found the head of Sam Vokes who could only head wide – check out what it meant to Aaron Ramsey to get that goal for Wales! 

21:02 – Even Ashley Williams is camped in the opposition half right now! Wales really pushing for more here!

21:01 – Now they’ve got one, can they get another? Wales break in numbers on a counter-attack, Jonny Williams pushing the ball forward, feeding Bale on the half-turn on the edge of the box, who strikes a curling effort into the crossbar … And the flag is up for offside!

20:59 – WALES LEAD! Aaron Ramsey with the goal! 

A cross by Bale towards the far post meets the head of Ashley Williams, who can only head at the keeper.

The keeper spills the ball though, and Ramsey buries the rebound! Relief on the faces of … Well, everyone around here to be honest!

1-0 to Wales. 

20:56 – Another corner for Wales; comes to nothing though.

20:55 – Wales’ first attacking action of the half sees their number 11 fly down the right wing, cutting inside and angling for a shot, only to lose control of the ball and see the chance go begging!

20:53 – Second half about to get underway! 

Substitution for Wales sees substitute Dave Edeards exit the game for young Leicester winger Tom Lawrence, making his Wales debut!

20:50 – This is what people have been saying on Twitter about the match so far! Get in touch everyone, we’d love to hear from you! @J_T_93

20:45 – Food for thought …

20:41 – A roundup of the halftime scores for you:

Wales 0-0 Andorra

Holland 0-2 Czech.R

Italy 0-1 Norway

Bulgaria 1-0 Azerbaijan

Belgium 0-0 Israel

Cyprus 2-2 Bosnia

Malta 0-1 Croatia
Turkey 0-0 Iceland

Latvia 0-0 Kazakhstan

20:39 – Give me a shout to let me know what you think of the action. You can find me on Twitter @J_T_93 

20:38 – Wales were dammed if they did, dammed if they didn’t in that half really! Dominate but not score – everybody is frustrated. Dominate and score for fun – against a team that has conceded over 30 goals in nine qualifiers, it’s expected!

20:36 – Halftime here – Wales 0-0 Andorra! 

20:34 – Another catch from a cross for the Andorran ‘keeper! Wayne Hennessey in the Wales goal on the other hand, hasn’t had a thing to do really.

20:33 – You’d like to think with the likes of Ramsey and Bale in the side that Wales could unlock that defence but it hasn’t happened so far. Not for the want of trying, mind!

20:32 – To be fair, Andorra firmly have the handbrake engaged on the bus they’ve parked inside their box so there isn’t much opportunity for Wales to do anything other than go wide!

20:31 – 8 minutes added time and … Yep, you guessed it, another Wales corner!

20:30 – Wales turning the screw here! Corner after corner, half-chances being wasted everywhere, but definitely ramping up the pressure on Andorra as added time approaches!

20:28 – OFF THE POST! A weak cross by Ben Davies is met by Ramsey who sends a header towards the back post – didn’t look like an effort on goal – but it hit the upright and bounced away to safety.

20:27 – Wales fans will surely be pleased to know that Cyprus as getting one over on Bosnia in one of the groups other fixtures, leading 2-1 at the moment.

20:25 – Chris Coleman hasn’t sat down. The fans haven’t stopped singing, the atmosphere is briliant, but we’re just missing that goal!

20:23 – Wales doing their best to change that score line here though, as more crosses are launched into the box … But to no avail.

20:21 – Still 0-0 here after thirty-five minutes. This wasn’t in the script, I think it’s fair to say!

20:19 – Ironic cheers from the home fans as Wales are awarded a free-kick 30 yards out! Bale lines it up … And it’s straight at the keepe who saves comfortably.

20:17 – Big penalty shout turned away for Wales! Dave Edwards comes into the box chasing a loose ball, almost has it, then is tripped by an Andorran defender who sticks out a leg. Didn’t look like a penalty, both players going for the ball and neither getting it, but one of those we’ve all seen given!

20:16 – … Nope, a loose long ball means Wales are soon back in possession.

20:15 – Free-kick to Andorra in their own half. A chance for them to build a foothold in the game perhaps? 

20:14 – More pressure down the flanks from Wales but their final ball is still lacking.

20:12 – Andorra nearly put Wales in the lead! An early cross from the left flank by Wales looks to be going nowhere, only for the Andorran defender to send a looping header almost over the reach of his own keeper and into the back of the net. Thankfully for the Andorrans, their keeper was alert enough to foil the danger.

20:10 – Having only played a couple of reserves games for Nottingham Forest recently, Jonny Williams looks very lively in this game for Wales. 

His last game for Wales came a year ago against Bosnia, where Chris Coleman called him a gutsy player who likes to run at opposition defenders – he’s proving that statement right tonight, but Andorra are defending resolutely!

20:08 – 25 minutes gone here, still 0-0!

20:05 – It looks like that’ll be it for Wales’ cult-hero – Hal Robson-Kanu has just left the field with an injury, soon to be replaced by midfielder Dave Edwards.

20:04 – Remember, if you’re watching any of the games tonight, do get in touch with me via Twitter – @J_T_93 – and let me know what you think of the action!

20:02 – While Wales pass the ball around the middle of the park, check out this brief clip of the Welsh national anthem:

20:00 – BIG CHANCE FOR WALES! Bale goes very close with a free-kick from the edge of the box; his effort narrowly going wide.

19:59 – A flurry of half-chances for Wales as Bale breaks into he left-hand side of the box and lashes a shot at goal. Keeper saves and the rebound narrowly avoids Vokes! Jonny Williams then tries to put a cross back in but goes down under a challenge in the box – penalty claims were waved away.

19:58 – Finally, we get a replay. Looks to be an unfortunate clash of heads with James Chester that has done so much damage to Moreira.
19:57 – Substitution for Andorra after a lengthy stoppage. Moreira, the injured player, is wheeled off on a stretcher and replaced by Riera.

19:54 – The player is still receiving treatment. Looked like a 50/50 that he’s just bore the brunt of. Nice to see his teammates showing concern though, just stretching and jogging about to keep themselves warm!

19:51 – A lull in proceedings here as one of Andorras players receives treatment – looks very serious!

19:48 – Andorra win the first corner of the game. Looking to spoil Wales’ party? 

A bit of humour here from the BBC’s Dafydd Pritchard: https://twitter.com/dafpritchard/status/654005348630700032

19:47 Now Hal Robson-Kanu’s turn for a plug, as the gaffer Chris Coleman gives the fans a cheeky wave! 

19:46 – While their team now have possession back, the Welsh faithful are already singing about France!

19:45 – And we’re off! And it’s Andorra enjoying an early spell of possession.

19:41 – The Red Dragon Tifo as ‘Hen Wlad Fy’n Nhadau’ is sang out by the capacity crowd! 

  
19:38 – The teams are out!

  
19:35 – Don’t forget to head over to our snapchat feed – offsiderulepod – for all the content we’ve been posting throughout the day!

19:32 – As usual with Wales games at the Cardiff City Stadium, the fans have all been given clappers to add to the atmosphere! Tonight’s edition features a special message from Wales captain, Ashley Williams:

19:28 –  There’s such a party atmosphere in and around Cardiff today. These tshirts, and similar ones, have been on sale around the city all day! The first time in nearly 60 years, why not go all out!?

 19:24 – You remember ‘No Pirlo, No Party’ – the famous Andrea Pirlo shirt – well a Wales fan I spotted out in Cardiff today had made his own version for his Welsh Hero, Hal Robson-Kanu:

  
Dim Hal, Dim Hwyl means ‘No Hal, no fun’ in Welsh!

19:21 – No Andorra fans have made the trip, none whatsoever!
19:20 – 25 minutes to go until kickoff and the Canton End of the stadium is filling up nicely!  Wales fans making plenty of noise.

  
 19:17 – We’re trying our best to bring you some video content to give you a sense of the atmosphere but the wifi isn’t being very agreeable at the moment! 

19:15 – The FAW have promised to create an excellent atmosphere for this game, a celebration of the end of 58 years of international struggles. What they have in store? We’ll have to wait and see!

19:10 – Both teams are now out on the pitch warming up!

  
What are your predictions for this evening? Get in touch with me on Twitter @J_T_93 to let me know!

19:05 – Andorra’s XI here for you as well – Ferran Pol, San Nicolas, Sonejee, Llovera, Ildefons Lima, Rodrigues, Rubio, Vieira, Moreira, Lorenzo, Sanchez

19:04 – A quick look at the team for you today – Wales have made some changes from the side that faced Bosnia on Saturday, with Jonny Williams, David Vaughan and Sam Vokes coming in for Neil Taylor, Joe Allen and Joe Ledley.

Wales Line-up (4-3-3): Hennessey; Gunter, Chester, Ashley Williams, Davies; Vaughan, Jonny Williams, Ramsey; Bale, Vokes, Robson-Kanu

19:03 – Unlike the last, and only previous clash between these two sides – a 2-1 victory for Wales last September out in Andorra – there is no pressure on either team to perform in this game. Wales have already qualified – but could reach top spot if results go their way – whereas Andorra have been rooted to the bottom of the group table since the end of matchday 1.

19:02 – Tonight’s venue, emblazoned with Wales motifs, the Cardiff City Stadium:

  
19:01 – If you’re watching the game, or watching any of the other games, get in touch with me on Twitter via @J_T_93 and let me know what you think of all of the action!

19:00 – Hello, and welcome to this – The Offside Rule Podcast’s first ever live blog! What an occasion to get a feature like this started for as well, the first fixture following Wales’ confirmation of qualifying for Euro 2016 – Wales vs Andorra! Their appearance in France next summer will be Wales’ first major finals appearance since 1958, and first ever appearance in a European Championship Tournament.