International Round-Up - February 9th, 2005

In South Africa
By Chris O'Brien
February 14 2005

Five Cardiff City players have been in international action. Daniel Gabbidon, Robert Page, Rhys Weston, Tony Vidmar and Graham Kavanagh have all been representing their countries.

Five Cardiff City players were in international action in the UK, Ireland and South Africa! Robert Page, Daniel Gabbidon, Rhys Weston, Graham Kavanagh and Tony Vidmar have all bolstered their cap collection over the past week as the Bluebirds squad was once again represented on the worldwide stage.

Wales 2-0 Hungary

A dismal game watched by little over 16,000. Craig Bellamy netted two second half goals as Glasgow Celtic's latest signing showed his pace and finishing prowess to beat a physical Hungarian side at the Millennium Stadium, as John Toshack's second reign as Welsh boss got off to a winning yet unspectacular start in Cardiff.

Injuries meant a depleted Welsh side was on show, and there was surprise as out-of-favour City defender Robert Page was named as captain. Rhys Weston came on as a substitute only minutes after the second-half got underway, and had a nasty flare-up with Page over a defensive error. Rift in the camp? Meanwhile, Gabbidon was solid and went onto pick up the man of the match award to add to his Football League Championship player for January award.

Republic of Ireland 1-0 Portugal

The Republic of Ireland once again showed their ability to stand alongside the biggest names of world football with a narrow but deserved victory over Portugal. Newcastle defender Andy O'Brien netted the only goal of the game. 44,100 were in Lansdowne Road to cheer on Brian Kerr's side. Their ambitions must now go further than just qualifying for major tournaments, but challenging for international trophies.

Alan Lee spent the game as a spectator, but Graham Kavanagh came on as a second-half substitute as Eire secured a famous victory over the European Championship finalists. He came off unscathed and should skipper the Bluebirds for Saturday's Championship clash at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.

South Africa 1-1 Australia

The Socceroos fought back to come from behind and secure an international friendly draw with the South Africans. Former Cardiff target Scott Chipperfield netted a 71st minute equaliser to cancel out a first-half strike from the highly-rated Benedict McCarthy.

Cardiff City veteran defender Tony Vidmar played his crucial role in the Australian defence, a tiring 90 minutes for the former Rangers man. It was a decent display from the Bluebird, recently linked with a move to the Bundesliga with first-team opportunities fast becoming a rarity under Lennie Lawrence.

Well done to all who represented their respective nations.