Wales fell to China Cup final defeat against Uruguay as Edinson Cavani celebrated winning his 100th cap in style.
Cavani settled an entertaining contest four minutes into the second half, tapping home his 42nd international goal into an unguarded net.
A 41,000-plus crowd filled the Guangxi Sports Center in Nanning, with most of them enthralled by the match-up between Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale and Barcelona’s Luis Suarez.
Tweet of the match
Star man – Luis Suarez
No stranger to British audiences, Suarez proved his star quality for the second time in this tournament. The Barcelona forward had bagged a brace to reach 50 goals for Uruguay in the semi-final victory over the Czech Republic and proved a constant menace to Wales’ defence on Monday as they lost for the first time under Ryan Giggs’ embryonic stewardship. The only surprise was that he did not join Cavani on the scoresheet, twice hitting the post.
Moment of the match
It was only fitting that Cavani marked his landmark international appearance with the only goal of the game. The Paris St Germain striker is regarded as one of the world’s premier centre-forwards but he will not be presented with many easier opportunities than the one he was afforded here. Cristian Rodriguez managed to sneak in behind the Wales defence on the left and he squared the ball across the six-yard area to leave Cavani with the simplest of first-time finishes – despite goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey’s desperate dive.
View from the sidelines
While Ryan Giggs is embarking on his first permanent head coach role after an illustrious playing career in which he won almost every club honour with Manchester United, his opposite number Oscar Tabarez is approaching 40 years in management. Tabarez ended a relatively low-key playing career in 1979 before turning to management the following year, when Giggs was still a child, and his vocation has taken in stints at Boca Juniors and AC Milan. The 71-year-old took charge of Uruguay for a second time in 2006 and this match was his 185th at the helm.
Player ratings
Wales: Hennessey 6, Chester 6, Williams 6, Davies 7, Gunter 6, King 7, Allen 7, John 6, Bale 6, Vokes 6, Wilson 6. Substitutes: Roberts (for John, 60) 7, Bodin (for Vokes, 67) 6, Evans (for Wilson, 72) 6, Lockyer (for Chester, 75) 6, Matthews (for Gunter, 79) 6, Hedges (for Davies, 89) 7.
Who’s up next?
Mexico v Wales (international friendly, May 28)
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