Wales beat Albania and will face Norway in play-off final — BBC Sport

Wales' women's national team beat Albania 3-0 in Llanelli to reach the play-off final of the European qualification for the World Cup. Wales won 4-0 on aggregate and will now face Norway, BBC Sport reports.

Goals in the match against Albania

Maisie Davies, Elise Hughes and Hannah Cain scored in the second leg. It was Davies' first goal in her professional career. Wales came into the home match after a difficult first meeting with Albania, but produced a much more convincing performance in Llanelli.

Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson said her team had improved its intensity and defensive play. According to her, captain Angharad James led her teammates from the opening minutes, and the team demonstrated its capabilities.

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Matches against Norway

The first match of the play-off final will take place on 1 December at Cardiff City Stadium, with the return match in Norway four days later. Norway are ranked 14th in the world, 17 places above Wales, and will be favourites for the tie.

Wilkinson stressed that the pressure in such matches falls on the major footballing nations, while her team is capable of causing Norway problems. Norway were world champions in 1995 and have participated in every Women's World Cup since the tournament began in 1991. Wales have never beaten a team from the top 20 of the rankings in a competitive match.

Even a victory over Norway would not guarantee Wales a place at the World Cup in Brazil: depending on the results of other European play-off finals, the team may need to take part in an intercontinental play-off in February.