Hughes hails Wales heroes
Mark Hughes hailed a heroic Euro 2004 qualifying display from Wales which saw them record a "fantastic" 2-0 victory over Finland in Helsinki.
John Hartson set Hughes' side on the way in the 30th minute before Simon Davies sealed a perfect start to the qualifying campaign 18 minutes before the end.
And Hughes was full of praise for his players - despite admitting they could have played better.
He told BBC Wales: "In the second half they really applied themselves and it is a wonderful result for us.
"To be fair the opening goal was unexpected at the time because we weren't playing as well as I know we can but the lads stuck at it and towards the end we could have had a couple more.
"It's a case of saying to the lads you've got to come to these places and even if you are not playing well you need to get something out of it.
"It sets up the Italy game perfectly. I said we wanted a good start and we've achieved our aim.
"We can play better, the lads know that, but we pat them all on the back."
Hughes reserved special praise for Tottenham midfielder Davies.
He added: "He worked hard all evening and he's got quality on the ball. In tight moments he opens the game up and he's going to be great player in the future."
