Albania consign Ryan Giggs and Wales to embarrassing friendly defeat

Wales suffered an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Albania as Ryan Giggs’s first year in charge ended on a low note. Albania are ranked 42 spots below 18th-placed Wales in the Fifa rankings but Bekim Balaj’s penalty condemned them to a shock defeat and damaged confidence in advance of the start of the Euro 2020 qualifiers in March. Not even the presence of Gareth Bale, sent on as a substitute on the hour mark, could prevent a fifth loss in nine games under Giggs.

The result tarnished a historic evening with Chris Gunter becoming Wales’s most-capped player and wearing the armband to mark the occasion. Gunter’s 93rd cap took him past Neville Southall, and Leicester midfielder Andy King also reached a milestone with a 50th appearance. It was also a night when youth was given its head, with Anderlecht defender James Lawrence and Swansea wideman Dan James making debuts as starters and the Manchester City teenager Rabbi Matondo picking up his first cap as a substitute.

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