Wales will look to continue a curious trend of this Women's World Cup qualifying campaign when they host Albania in Llanelli on Tuesday, needing only to protect a narrow advantage to reach a play-off final against Norway.
Rhian Wilkinson's side travelled to Shkoder on Friday and secured a 1-0 win, the goal arriving when Ezmiralda Franja turned Lily Woodham's corner into her own net. It was far from a polished display, continuing a theme that has defined Wales' away performances throughout qualifying — functional results built on resilience rather than fluency.
Throughout the group stage, Wales ground out results on the road, including a draw in the Czech Republic, the same narrow win over Albania, and a 1-1 stalemate in Montenegro, while saving their best football for home fixtures, where they recorded three emphatic victories. Friday's performance in Albania fit that pattern perfectly, with the hosts, ranked 37 places below Wales in the FIFA standings, arguably the better side for large spells.
Goalkeeper Safia Middleton-Patel was called into repeated action as Albania pushed for an equalizer, and Wales were fortunate to escape without conceding. Fortesa Berisha struck the post with one effort, while a Megi Doci goal was chalked off for offside. Wales created few clear chances of their own, with Mared Griffiths and Hannah Cain among those to go closest.
Captain Angharad James acknowledged the difficulty of the assignment but emphasized the importance of the result. "We knew coming here [to Albania] wasn't going to be easy," she said. "The most important thing was getting the result, the clean sheet and taking that back to Llanelli on Tuesday. Playing in Wales — we love nothing more as a group, so we're in a good situation right now."
Midfielder Rachel Rowe echoed the sentiment, pointing to good fortune alongside determination. "There were moments where obviously they could have scored, but you ride your luck sometimes," she said. "We rode the game out. I'm really proud of the girls. We go into Tuesday confident and with areas to improve on."
Wilkinson, too, praised her side's fighting spirit despite the below-par showing, describing the away leg as a "hard day" at the Loro Borici Stadium. She called for greater composure and improved standards ahead of the second leg at Parc y Scarlets. Sophie Ingle highlighted the need for calmness in possession and defensive discipline against Albania's pacey counter-attacking threat, noting their forwards had tested Middleton-Patel on the break.
Wales will take confidence from their home form in this campaign, including a 4-0 rout of Albania in Wrexham back in April, and will hope for a similarly dominant display to seal their passage. A win or draw in Llanelli would send Wales through to a two-legged play-off final in December, with Norway the near-certain opponents after Gemma Grainger's side took a commanding 2-0 lead over Romania in their own semi-final first leg.
Beyond the immediate tie, there is history at stake. Wales' win in Albania extended their unbeaten run to nine matches, equaling the country's best-ever sequence without defeat, set between 2013 and 2014. Victory or a draw on Tuesday would set a new national record and keep alive hopes of reaching a first-ever Women's World Cup.
Wilkinson could also welcome back some of the nine regular squad members currently sidelined through injury by the time a potential final against Norway arrives, strengthening her options for what would be a significant step up in opposition quality. For now, the focus remains on finishing the job against Albania and advancing with momentum intact.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.