Teenage striker Vokes rescues Wales

Teenage striker Samuel Vokes came off the bench to score a late winner as Wales beat Azerbaijan 1-0 in their opening World Cup qualifier at the Millennium Stadium here on Saturday.

The 18-year-old Wolves player found the net in the 81st minute to give John Toshack's side a winning start to their campaign in Group Four, a section likely to be dominated by Germany.

Just 15,000 fans watched the game inside the 75,000-capacity stadium and they endured a miserable afternoon which was summed up by Jason Koumas's penalty miss against an Azerbaijan side who had Fabio Luis Ramim sent off.

Vokes scored when he swept Gareth Bale's corner past Azerbaijan goalkeeper Kamran Agaev from close-range.