Vokes rescues Wales

Last Modified: 06 Sep 2008
Source: ITN

Teenager Sam Vokes has saved Wales' blushes to secure victory in their World Cup qualifying opener against minnows Azerbaijan.

The Wolves player came off the bench to score his first international goal and allow manager John Toshack to breathe a huge sigh of relief at the sparsely populated Millennium Stadium.

Before the 18-year-old's close-range winner, Wales had toiled to break down an ultra-defensive Azerbaijan side, who had Brazilian-born forward Fabio Luis Ramim sent off.

The one thing Wales could not have afforded was to lose this match ahead of Wednesday's much tougher trip to Russia.

But when Jason Koumas saw a penalty, and his follow-up volley, saved in the second half, it looked like Wales were going to be denied a victory their industry and confidence merited.

Wales opened their bid to qualify for South Africa 2010 fielding a side which included five players still eligible for the under-21s, with Wolves youngster David Edwards given the chance to stake a claim for a central midfield role.

Vokes' goal came in the 83rd minute from a Gareth Bale corner which the Spurs player curled into the box.

Despite missing the original cross, Vokes pounced as the ball broke to finally crack it home from a couple of yards.

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