Wales made a winning start to their World Cup qualifying campaign with a nervy 1-0 win over Azerbaijan in Cardiff, courtesy of an 81st minute goal by teenage substitute Sam Vokes. Here are the individual player ratings…

Wales

Hennessey - 7
On the spot when he needed to be, making one important save from a long range effort which might have made it a long hard night for Wales. Aside from that, not much to do.

Gunter - 7
A good performance from the Tottenham youngster who was solid in defence and got forward down the right when he could. Nearly scored in the first period only to be denied by a last ditch intervention, and won the penalty which Koumas missed.

Morgan – 6.5
Caught a little cold once or twice, but solid overall and rarely troubled

Williams - 7
Looked the part in defence, and very comfortable on the ball, always looking to play it out of the back and set attacks in motion
Bale- 8
The outstanding player for Wales, and probably the match. Everything went down Wales’s left in the first half, and much of the second, before the subs changed the game. The opposition could not cope with his dribbling ability. Class.

Davies- 6.5
Not really involved in the game enough going forward, slipping in and out of play, but saw more action as the match wore on.

Fletcher 7
Solid in his usual holding role just in front of an inexperienced defence.

Edwards - 7
A chance to impress Toshack for the Wolves man , and he didn’t let himself down. Always looking to push forward from the centre of midfield, went close with a curling left foot shot, and was probably a little unlucky to be substituted.

Ledley - 6
A quiet game for the sought-after Cardiff man, with Bale totally dominating proceedings down the left. Not the Ledley we usually see in a Wales shirt. He needed to be involved far more given his creative and attacking potential.

Koumas – 7.5
The creative brain of the team, as always Koumas displayed that extra touch of class, over and above anyone else on the field. Hit a fantastic shot from nothing with impetuous ease that was destined for the top corner, forcing the Azeri ‘keeper into a great save. Dreadful penalty though.

Earnshaw - 6
Largely ineffective in attack, where he was unable to get on the end of any balls coming into the box. First touch let him down once or twice, and the impact made by the young strikers who came on  (coupled with Bellamy and Eastwood’s future return), mean Earnie could have blown his chance.

Subs

Evans - 6.5

Vokes- 7.5
Perfect example of the instant impact a replacement striker should make. Two early headers could have opened the scoring before the eventual goalmouth strike.

Robinson - 6

Azerbaijan

Arhayev – 8
Excellent display by the Azeri ‘keeper. Made a string of top quality saves and was not to blame for the goal.

Melikov – 6
Unable to suppress Bale down the Wales left, from where the hosts were able to maintain consistent pressure on the visitors.

Sadygov - 6
Hacked down Gunter for the penalty and looked vulnerable to pace

Abbasov – 6.5
Defended reasonably well, but the goalmouth melee resulting in the opener put paid to the collective defensive effort.

Oglu – 6.5
The captain, much like his defensive team mates, put the challenges in when he had to, but it was all in vain.

Huseinov – 6
Contributed to the defensive cover like the rest of his team mates, but subbed off at half time by Vogts due to injury.

Bashiev – 6
Denied space to on-running midfielders and helped out the defence, but offered little in the other direction.

N Mammadov - 6
Much like the rest of the midfield, got back behind the ball to deny the Welsh time and space to thread balls through, but failed to contribute much in possession.

E Mammadov – 7
One of the better midfield performers for the Azeri, he looked lively down the flanks at times and kept Gunter on his toes, evidenced by the Spurs man’s inability to push on as much as Bale on the other side.

Ramim – 6.5
Dangerous looking player who showed some nice touches, and always looked to play in and link with Subhasic. But his red card killed it for the visitors, as Wales regained the momentum that just deserted them when Koumas missed from the spot.

Subhasic - 7
The best outfield performance in an Azeri shirt, the Red Star man looked a potential threat throughout even if he was short on support, and was one of the few to test the Welsh keeper.

Subs

Nabiyev – 6
Nduka - 6

Ref From goal.com

After Scotland suffered a disappointing start to their World Cup qualifying campaign by losing 1-0 to the Republic of Macedonia, Goal.com’s Chris Myson analyses the player performances from this afternoon’s game in Skopje.

Republic of Macedonia

Petar Milosevski - 7: Made a meal of a McFadden shot in the first half and almost conceded a penalty to the same player in the second period, but a clean sheet is a clean sheet and Milosevski will be hoping for more of the same in future games in this group.

Nikolce Noveski - 6: A quiet game, but made up solid defensive trio for the home side as they dealt with Scotland comfortably for the majority of the game.

Robert Petrov – 7: A good performance from another important component of the experienced defensive trio.

Goce Sedlowski - 8: An excellent captain’s performance from Sedlowski. Vastly experienced and marshalled the defence superbly. Created the first goal with his free-kick piledriver.

Igor Mitreski - 6: Quiet, but did his job efficiently to contribute to a good all-round team performance.

Vlade Lazarevski – 6: Similar to Mitreski, did his job and left the fireworks to the flair players in the side. Kept things ticking over and proved an important link from defence to attack.

Slavco Grozdanovski - 7: Neat and tidy in midfield as the Republic of Macedonia controlled possession for much of the match, which was crucial in the sweltering heat. Had an attempt from long-range towards the end of the game.

Velice Sumulikoski - 8: Known as the ‘Macedonian Steven Gerrard’, Ipswich Town clearly have a top player on their hands. An excellent all-round midfield display from Sumulikoski, who was so unlucky not to score when Gordon denied him with a great reaction save in the second half.

Goran Maznov - 8: A threat throughout the match, Maznov showed pace and craft to play his part in a front three that will cause problems for the defences of most international sides. Came so close to scoring in the first half but was denied by Caldwell’s goal-saving challenge.

Goran Pandev - 7: The main man for the Republic of Macedonia showed glimpses of his talent throughout the match. Had some creative moments but wasn’t quite at his best, although always had to be closely watched by the Scotland defence.

Ilco Naumoski – 8: Finished comfortably on five minutes to score what proved to be the winning goal. Always lively and at 25-years-old there could be a lot more to come from Naumoski.

Substitutions:

Vanco Trajanov – 6: Came on and was neat and tidy in midfield. Grncarov – n/a: Brought on towards the end of the game. Tasevski – n/a: On in the latter stages.

Scotland

Craig Gordon - 8: Was unlucky to concede the goal after a super initial save and made a great reaction stop from Sumulikoski in the second half. Played well but couldn’t prevent defeat.

Graham Alexander – 6: Solid defensively but offered nothing going forward, something which is required from the modern full-back.

Stephen McManus – 6: A steady effort from the stand-in captain. Allowed Maznov and Naumoski too much space at times though, which almost cost his team.

Gary Caldwell  – 7: A good performance from Caldwell highlighted by his excellent tackle to deny Maznov from scoring what would have been a second goal just before half-time.

Gary Naysmith – 6: Naysmith, an experienced international player, did not let anybody down but will know that like Alexander, he has to offer more support in attack.

Scott Brown – 5: Completely ineffective on the right-hand side of midfield. Came into the game more in the second half as he was moved into a central role, which should be where he is deployed if George Burley wants to play him regularly in the Scotland team.

Darren Fletcher – 5: After a good start to the season for Manchester United, more was expected from Fletcher. Generally failed to exert his influence on proceedings and needed to get himself more involved if he were to effect the outcome of the match.

Paul Hartley – 5: A quiet performance that resulted in a second-half substitution. Usually a reliable player for both club and county, Hartley was unable to make his presence felt in this one as the Scots struggled to keep hold of possession.

Barry Robson – 6: Improved as the game went on as he received more of the ball having been isolated in the early stages. Could have caused the Republic of Macedonia’s defence more problems if he had been able to run at pace at the three-man defensive unit more regularly.

Kenny Miller – 6: Not a lot of service, but a hard-working display as we have come to expect from Miller. Will be hoping for more opportunities to impress throughout the qualifying campaign.

James McFadden  – 7: Like Miller, struggled with a lack of service but looked more likely to create something out of nothing. Got away a few attempts at goal and should have been awarded a penalty in the second half after being brought down by the home goalkeeper.

Substitutions:

Commons – 7: Came on and looked a real threat on the wing, pushing for a starting spot. Maloney - 7: Looked lively, not scared to take players on. Boyd – n/a: Thrown on in search of an equaliser.

Ref From Chris Myson, Goal.com

Two second half goals from substitute Joe Cole saw England safely past Andorra in Barcelona. Goal.com rates the performers in the Olympic Stadium.

ENGLAND

David James: 5.0 - Difficult to score because he had absolutely nothing to do and was a complete bystander.

Glen Johnson: 6.0 - Handed the chance at right back in favour of Wes Brown and possibly offers more of an attacking threat than the Manchester United man. It will be interesting to see if he retains his place against Croatia.

Joleon Lescott: 6.0 - Had little to do at the back but a lovely touch to play Joe Cole in for the opener. Whilst he did little wrong he is unlikely to keep his place if Ferdinand is fit.

John Terry: 6.0 – Appeared distinctly unimpressed by Andorra’s physical tactics but was comfortable at the back.

Ashley Cole: 6.0 - A decent enough performance on the left, as usual by Cole.

Stewart Downing: 4.0 - His deliveries were unimpressive and he only lasted 45 minutes. A performance that made you wonder how Ashley Young had failed to make the squad.

Gareth Barry:  5.5 - Neat and tidy but still not quite at his best for England.

Frank Lampard: 5.5 – A chance to shine with Gerrard missing but he only really flickered. His set pieces were his high point, including the free kick from which Cole scored.

Theo Walcott: 6.5 - Bright on his first England start. His pace and trickery caused a problem but he faded badly in the second half.

Wayne Rooney: 6.0 - Worked hard but there were only flashes of inspiration from the striker. Had an excellent chance to open the scoring in the first half but fired over. Redeemed himself with a lovely weighted pass to put in Cole for the second goal.

Jermaine Defoe: 4.0 - Would have been expecting to get on the score sheet but failed and the fact he didn’t appear for the second half probably says it all.

Substitutions:

Joe Cole: 7.5 - Came on at half time and three minutes later England were ahead thanks to a sweet volley. Ten minutes later and he had his second and in all likelihood a place in the starting line up against Croatia on Wednesday.

Emile Heskey: 6.0 - Probably didn’t have quite the impact Capello was hoping for but his stronger presence gave the Andorran defence something else to think about.

David Beckham: n/a Only given the last ten minutes.

ANDORRA

Koldo Alvarez: 6.5 - According to Fifa he is Andorra’s greatest ever player. Untroubled by England’s first half crosses and had little chance with either goal but a decent performance nonetheless.

Josep Ayala: 6.0 - The full back enjoyed a decent first half and will have been disappointed to see Stewart Downing removed.

Jose Maria Txema: 5.5- Struggled against the pace of Walcott, especially in the first half, but improved as the game wore on.

Oscar Sonejee: 6.0 - The feisty insurance salesman wound up Rooney last time out but appeared on his best behaviour tonight.

Antoni Lima: 6.5- Unlike his opponents, he only plays international football and he had a busy night. Some decent clearances frustrated the England front line and enjoyed a wrestling match with Lescott in England’s box on a rare foray forward.

Ildefons Lima: 6.0 - Toni’s brother is Lima is Andorra’s top scorer with five goals but he never looked like adding to his tally.

Marc Pujol: 5.0 - He missed the last game between the two sides as he injured himself in the warm up. A few clumsy challenges irritated the visitors.

Marcio Vieira: 5.5 - Worked hard to frustrate England but like many of his team mates ran out of steam as the game wore on.

Fernando Silva: 5.0 - It was his foul on Glen Johnson that led to Joe Cole’s goal and he was substituted in the second half for Toscana.

Manolo Jimenez: 5.5 - Spent virtually the entire match in his own half and put in a decent shift.

Xavi Andorra: 5.0 - Has a reputation as liking to get stuck in but with Andorra rarely venturing out of their own half he was under employed.

Substitutions:

Juan Carlos Toscana: n/a

Juli Fernandez: n/a

Marc Valas: n/a

Ref From Gill Clark - goal.com