Wales bury the demons for now

Wales restored some pride in the wake of Saturday's humiliating defeat to Slovakia with a comfortable win in Cardiff to register…

Wales restored some pride in the wake of Saturday's humiliating defeat to Slovakia with a comfortable win in Cardiff to register their first points of the campaign.

First-half goals from Jason Koumas and Robert Earnshaw and a second half-strike from captain Craig Bellamy helped the hosts to a solid win over a side who stunned Ireland 5-2 at the weekend.

They got the opener after 33 minutes through Koumas, who has a Cypriot mother, when he headed a Simon Davies cross through the fingers of Michael Morphis, before Bellamy squared for an easy chance for Earnshaw six minutes later to leave Wales 2-0 up at the break.

The visitors improved after the interval and were denied a goal of their own when Lewis Price saved well from Ioannis Okkas.

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But Wales made it safe when Bellamy grabbed his first goal for his country in 20 months after he finished another Davies pass.

Okkas lobbed Price with eight minutes remaining for a clever late score.

WALES: Price, Duffy (Edwards 78), Gabbidon, Nyatanga, Bale, Morgan, Robinson, Koumas (Ledley 76), Simon Davies, Bellamy (Parry 90), Earnshaw. Subs not used: Brown, Crofts, Valentine, Cotterill. Booked: Koumas. Goals: Koumas 33, Earnshaw 39, Bellamy 72.

CYPRUS: Morfis, Theodotou, Lambrou, Louka, Satsias (Yiasoumi 84), Michael (Charalambidis 45), Garpozis (Charalambous 45), Makrides, Aloneftis, Konstantinou, Okkas. Subs not used: Georgallides, Elia, Alexandrou, Daskalakis. Booked: Garpozis, Satsias. Goal: Okkas 83.

Referee: J Granat (Poland).