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Leeds United ace Ethan Ampadu slammed for 'ridiculous' moment in Wales draw v Armenia
BBC Sport journalist Michael Pearlman criticised Ethan Ampadu over a bad decision made by the Leeds United midfielder as Wales were held 1-1 by Armenia.
Ampadu played the full 90 minutes for Wales in their disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying draw in Yerevan on Saturday (18 November).
The 23-year-old fired a shot over the crossbar from a long way out, much to the disbelief of Pearlman on BBC Sport’s live blog [18 November, 83 mins].
“Ethan Ampadu tries a shot from so far out it’s ridiculous and the ball goes miles over. Wasteful,” Pearlman said.
In another incident, Ampadu was unable to pick out a team-mate during a promising second-half counter-attack, which left pundit Nathan Blake surprised.
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, as per BBC Sport’s live blog [18 November, 65 mins], Blake said: “He has to make that pass.
“You can see him put his head in his hands. He should make that pass in his sleep.”
Rarity
Ampadu has been a key player for both Leeds and Wales this season, but he and his international colleagues had an off-day against Armenia.
It was a full-throttle contest that saw both sides take it in turns to attack, with both needing a victory to keep their qualifying prospects fully alive.
While Ampadu did have some promising moments, his misplaced pass and terrible shot were the two lasting memories from the game.
The former Chelsea ace was also cautioned for a foul on Vahan Bichakhchyan in the second half just to cap a disappointing day for both him and Wales.
From a purely selfish point of view, it is better that this rare underwhelming performance came for the Dragons and not in a Leeds shirt.
Ampadu will likely start against Turkey next Tuesday (21 November), before then linking up with United in time for the Rotherham United game three days later.
In other Leeds United news, Daniel Farke’s hand may have been forced by a development 1,200 miles away.