ICE AND EASY

Cullen at double as Bellamy roars on

- NEIL MOXLEY

CRAIG BELLAMY’S Midas touch was on show for all to see last night.

Three wins, three draws and promotion back into Group A of the Nations League is some return for Wales’ new head coach.

Before kick-off he had already recorded the best start of any manager who has stood in the Welsh dug-out.

And he extended that by a distance in Cardiff as three points from a demolition job on their visitors – alongside Turkey’s defeat in Montenegro – left the Red Dragons sitting on top of the pile.

That has huge implications for the World Cup qualifying campaign that Bellamy earmarked from the day he walked into the job.

Wales will now be part of a five-team group when the balls are drawn for the 2026 tournament. Their participation as a team in Group A in the Nations League means they move up the pecking order for a play-off spot if they do not finish as automatic qualifiers.