Wales ended 10-man Switzerland's hopes of qualifying for next year's European Championship by winning 2-0 at the Millennium Stadium on Friday with goals by Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale.
After losing left back Reto Ziegler to a straight red card for a studs-up tackle on Chris Gunter in the 55th minute, the Swiss fell behind four minutes later when Ramsey fired home a low penalty after Timm Klose tripped Gunter.
Bale wrapped up a second straight home victory for the Welsh in the 71st when the winger raced onto Steve Morison's pass and slotted a neat finish past goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.
Second-place Montenegro's 2-2 home draw with England left the Balkan team four points clear of Switzerland, with just one game each remaining.
Wales, which climbed off the bottom of the table above Bulgaria, would have won by a bigger margin had Bale and Craig Bellamy not squandered chances in the closing stages.
However, it was another step in the right direction for Gary Speed's side after a wretched start to group play when it lost its first four games.
Wales visits Bulgaria on Tuesday for the teams' final qualifier, and could yet leapfrog Switzerland into third place. Switzerland ends qualifying with a trip to Montenegro.
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Lineups:
Wales: Wayne Hennessey, Chris Gunter, Neil Taylor, Darcy Blake, Ashley Williams, Andrew Crofts (David Vaughn, 81), Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale, Craig Bellamy, Steve Morison (Simon Church, 81).
Switzerland: Diego Benaglio, Stephan Lichsteiner, Reto Ziegler, Philippe Senderos, Gokhan Inler, Eren Derdiyok, Valon Behrami, Granit, Xhaka (Admir Mehmedi, 81), Fabian Frei (Innocent Emeghara, 71), Timm Klose, Xherdan Shaqiri (Ricardo Rodriguez, 62).
