View From The Field: Ward’s Words (Helen Ward column)

Wales’ record scorer files hours after a narrow defeat away to Norway, and begins with what international football in a pandemic is actually like: ten days in hotels without her usual roommate, masks in every communal area, socially distanced meals and no supermarket runs. Once on the pitch, she writes, everything feels normal again, which is why she believes sport should continue where it safely can. The squad arrived at varying stages of match fitness but were united on the game plan, and she argues Wales entered the attacking third more often than ever against a top-ranked side and might have taken a point with ten more minutes. The two draws with Northern Ireland have hurt the group, but she believes second place is still there. The game also marked Sophie Ingle’s hundredth cap.