Craig Bellamy keeps unbeaten Wales record alive in Turkey after late penalty drama

A missed penalty in the penultimate minute extended glorious honeymoon period.

escaped from Kayseri with a share of the spoils after the hosts fluffed their lines following the award of a hotly-disputed spot-kick. Bellamy took his unbeaten record to five as Kerem Akturkoglu’s effort crashed into the foot of the upright and to safety - and few points will be harder won than this one.

It took an almighty stroke of good fortune to preserve the head coach’s unblemished record after referee Juan Martinez Munuera punished Neco Williams for a foul on Yunus Akgun. The little playmaker had worked himself on the wrong side of ’s defender and although the left-back made contact with the ball, he was adjudged to have taken his opponent’s leg first.

VAR stayed with the on-field decision and Akturkoglu sent keeper the wrong way - only to see his penalty hit the woodwork. It was just reward for the efforts Bellamy’s players put in as they refused to buckle under near constant home pressure - particularly in the opening half.

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Before kick-off, the head coach asked the question of whether his players were good enough to keep with possession. During the opening 45 minutes, the answer was a simple: ‘No.’

Turkey gradually upped the ante and it took a series of blocks, interceptions, desperate clearances and a super save from Darlow to keep them on level terms. Conor Roberts produced a brilliant clearance to stop Merih Demiral scoring from Mert Muldur cross and Hakan Calhanoglu shot over the bar after a mix-up playing out from the back.

Darlow was then called upon when Yunus Akgun was sent through. Leeds’ keeper was out of his goal quickly to close the angle and managed to save the shot with his legs. The Red Dragons somehow managed to weather that storm and finally posed some problems of their own.

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Abdulkerim Bardakci shoved Wilson as the man chased a through ball but the visitors’ appeals for a penalty were waved aside. Then, Jordan James finished from Mark Harris’s pull-back, only to see an offside decision by the thinnest of margins given against the Oxford United striker.

But it was from Wilson - looking to become the first player since Ian Rush to score four goals in four games - who came closest. Harris fed his colleague jut outside the area and the playmaker moved the ball out of his feet before cracking a drive into the foot of the post.

Turkey lost their impetus when skipper Hakan Calhanoglu was substituted at half time. He had been pulling the strings in midfield and, without him, the hosts were unable to exert the same level of control.

They had their chances as the game went on. Enes Unal almost made a stunning start after being introduced from the bench but he missed the target amid a cluster of yellow shirts at the near post from just three yards. Golden boy Arda Guler fired over the bar from just inside the area with his left foot as the tempo was raised in the dying moments before the late drama from the penalty spot.

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