“They are not a good team”

Craig Bellamy gave feedback to Hannu Tihinen during the World Cup qualifying match. PDO

Do you remember when Finland visited Cardiff in March 2009 and beat Wales 2-0?

Jonathan Johansson took Finland into the lead at the end of the opening period. Chef Kuqi bagged the hosts in the first minute of added time.

When Finland celebrated a full World Cup qualifying pot in the Millennium Stadium, the Welsh skipper Craig Bellamy gave an unforgettable interview.

– They are not a good team, Bellamy began.

– You have seen two lousy teams with no chance of advancing from the group.

The reporter wondered what went wrong.

– As I already said, they are not a good team. I think we were better, but we just lost.

Bellamy was about to give another sharp stab to Johansson who scored the winning goal.

– He scored, but I don’t know how. He is not a good enough player to score goals, Bellamy said.

– If we are honest, we were miserable.

“We laughed on the bus”

Johansson commented on Bellamy’s interview a few days later for Wales on Sunday.

– We laughed at his comments on the team bus.

Johansson wondered about the lack of style of the conker, especially in the role of national team skipper.

– You simply don’t talk in that tone about an opponent or teammate, Johansson said.

– In Finland, his comments have not received a very enthusiastic reception. He is not a very popular person.

Finland finished third in the qualifying group, Wales fourth. Johansson made five hits in qualifying, Bellamy one.

Finland and Wales will meet in Cardiff on March 21. The winner gets to the finals of the EC qualifying round, which opens the gate to the final tour.