Cardiff City Women's team was struck by lightning en route to their Women's World Cup qualifier against Czech Republic. The team's charter plane was diverted to Italy due to electrical storms in the Balkans. The plane spent around an hour flying over Montenegro hoping for a chance to land before the decision was taken to divert to Brindisi. Numerous flashes of lightning could be seen from the aircraft, with the pilot later confirming to Football Association of Wales (FAW) staff that the plane itself had been hit. The team's players and staff remained on board the plane for more than three hours in the hope that the weather would ease, before the decision was taken in the early hours of last Thursday to spend the night in Italy. While the FAW eventually managed to secure accommodation for all 26 members of their playing staff, Wilkinson and some members of her backroom team spent the night in an airport waiting area. They finally made it to Montenegro on Thursday evening, only 23 hours before their qualifier kicked off. The team's head coach, Rhian Wilkinson, said that the experience was a 'horror trip' and a 'frightening one' as well. She added that the team was 'very glad that they made the right decision to divert and then that we were safely in Italy for a day.' The team will now face the Czech Republic in their Women's World Cup qualifier at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, June 9.