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MARK Hughes had it all planned. His Wales team had made their best start to a qualifying campaign for decades and were regularly drawing crowds of more than 70,000 at the Millennium Stadium.
There was a sense of hope Welsh football had not felt for a generation.
The night of 16 October 2002 took it to another level. Italy were in Cardiff for a Euro 2004 qualifier and the city centre was heaving with supporters lining the streets for their team’s arrival.
As Wales travelled to the Millennium Stadium that evening, their manager wanted to ensure they were in the right frame of mind.
“I’d prepared a video for the team to play on the coach, showing clips of our famous goals from our history and Welsh fans celebrating at the stadium, that kind of thing – there was music and all sorts on it,” recalls former Wales manager Hughes.
“We had timed how long it took the previous night when we went to the stadium. So we knew when we got to a certain roundabout, that was when we were putting the video tape in and the plan was that we were all going to watch it leading into the stadium.
“Initially though, I was thinking good plans don’t always come off because when we were travelling in on the night of the game, it was the responsibility of our team doctor – well, he’s a surgeon actually, Professor John Fairclough – to put the video tape in. But he couldn’t get it in.
“So we were thinking we’ve missed the time we need to do this, so he got a bit of stick – we were saying all our timings are out now.
“But actually, as it happens, because there was a bit of traffic and thousands of fans of course, we were held up. As we went underneath the stadium to pull up by the dressing-room entrance, and just as the doors opened on the coach, that was exactly the moment that the video tape ended.
“The idea was for it to be motivational, so it ended up being perfect timing for it to stop right at that moment – it felt a bit eerie, really. I was thinking, ‘maybe that’s a good sign’.”
That particular ploy may not have gone exactly to plan, but little else went awry for Wales that evening.
Even by the Millennium Stadium’s standards, with the roof closed and a capacity crowd at full volume, this was a spine-tingling atmosphere.
The great John Charles, revered by fans of both sides having served Wales and Juventus with distinction, was moved to tears by a standing ovation; world-renowned bass-baritone Bryn Terfel was brought in to sing the national anthem; and the Manic Street Preachers played a pre-match concert on the pitch.
“Everything before the game was like a perfect storm for us,” says Hughes.
“It was like everything came together on that one night.”
Danny Gabbidon, who started for Wales in defence, says: “The stadium was absolutely rocking, we get out there for our warm-up and the Manics were there.
“It must have been a big game if they were there.”
Wales were up against a stellar Italian side, featuring Gianluigi Buffon – then the world’s most expensive goalkeeper – and centre-backs Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro, who would go on to win the Ballon d’Or in 2006 after captaining Italy to World Cup glory.
For Gabbidon, the step up was particularly striking. He was playing in the third tier of English football with Cardiff City at the time and his task was to face Alessandro del Piero, a Champions League winner with Juventus and another future world champion.
“It was a bit daunting but, on the other side, it was an opportunity for me to showcase my talents,” says Gabbidon.
“Even as a Division Two player, I was confident in my own ability to do a job.
“I was a bit of a ball player who would usually take a few chances but, going into that game, I had it in my mind just to do the basics well and it kind of went all right.”
That is an understatement. Italy were rattled as Wales started explosively, taking an early lead thanks to a fine finish from Simon Davies.
With Wales on top, Gabbidon shackled Del Piero so effectively in open play that the Juventus forward’s only chance came from a set-piece. Unfortunately for Wales, his free-kick deflected off the wall and looped into the net to bring Italy level.
Undeterred, Gabbidon kept defending solidly and “keeping it simple”. His confidence grew to a point when, in the second half, he demonstrated the kind of quality which would take him from the third tier to the Premier League.
Picking up possession deep inside his own half, Gabbidon took a touch and bypassed the entire Italian midfield with an incisive low pass for John Hartson, whose through ball then set up Craig Bellamy to skip past Buffon and finish into an empty net.
“I never tire of talking about this game and to be a part of the winning goal was amazing,” Gabbidon grins.
“That was probably an example of me growing into the game. For us to score a goal like that against a team of Italy’s quality – with the likes of Nesta and Cannavaro, who I looked up to as a youngster – was a nice feeling.”
Del Piero was impressed. So much so that when Italy hosted Wales for the return fixture in Milan the following year, he sought out Gabbidon – who had travelled but could not play because of injury – to congratulate him on his performance when they met in Cardiff.
“He made a beeline over to me and came over to shake my hand,” Gabbidon recalls.
“We spoke for a bit and I was like ‘wow, this is better than getting his shirt after the first game’. I just couldn’t believe it.”
Del Piero was glad that Gabbidon was not playing at the San Siro that night. The Juventus forward scored in a 4-0 win for Italy which derailed Wales’ bid to reach Euro 2004.
Although their campaign faltered from that point and ended with an agonising play-off defeat against Russia, Wales were helping to inspire the next generation to succeed where they had fallen short.
In the Millennium Stadium crowd for the win over Italy – as well as the second-leg loss to Russia a year later – was a 12-year-old Joe Allen.
He went on to help Wales end their long wait for a major finals by qualifying for Euro 2016 and, after they reached the semi-finals in France, Allen was named in the team of the tournament.
At Euro 2020 on Sunday, Allen will be part of a Wales squad in Rome to face Italy in their final group game. Wales have already all but guaranteed their passage to the second round and, as they aim to end Italy’s 29-game unbeaten run, they will look to summon the spirit of 2002.
“I remember it perfectly. It was one of my favourite nights as a Wales fan,” Allen says.
“I’ll never forget that win. If we could do something like that again on Sunday, that would be brilliant.”
BBC Sport
– June 20, 2021 @ 12:53 GMT |
Tags: The story of the Red Dragons' iconic 2002 win and how it inspires at Euro 2020
