The final European spot for World Cup 2022 has been filled. Wales have booked their place in the major tournament for the first time in 64 years as they edged past Ukraine 1-0 thanks to an Andriy Yarmolenko own goal.
The Ukrainians – who got past Scotland in the semi-final amid their difficult situation – fought remarkably hard in search of an equaliser, but the heroics of Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey denied them on several occasions as their World Cup journey came to an end.
Read on below as SBOTOP shares some key takeaways from the dramatic World Cup play-off final in Cardiff.
Brave Ukrainians battle to the bitter end
As the entire world knows all too well, Ukraine were playing in unbelievably difficult circumstances as their country remains at war. But despite the hardships they’ve had to face in recent months, the Ukrainians defied the World Cup 2022 odds by grabbing a stunning 3-1 win against Scotland at Hampden Park to make their way to the play-off final.
Ukrainians showed a tremendous amount of fight and determination in that match, and they carried it over to the final in Cardiff.
Oleksandr Petrakov picked the exact same starting XI, and his side once again came out with an aggressiveness in attack as they created most of the early chances on goal.
But unfortunately for the visitors, luck was not on their side as Wales took the lead as Ukraine captain Yarmolenko headed a Gareth Bale free-kick into his own net as he tried to clear it.
Undeterred, Ukraine continued to pepper the Welsh goal with shots in the second half, but they just could not get the breakthrough they desperately needed.
Ultimately, it was not to be for Ukraine as Wales held on for the win. But despite the disappointment of missing out on World Cup qualification, the brave Ukrainians could still hold their heads up high as they gave it their all until the very end and produced another courageous performance that their countrymen could be proud of.
Hennessey the hero as Wales hang on
Just like in their semi-final win over Austria, it was another Gareth Bale set piece that sent Wales on their way to victory. Granted, there was a huge slice of fortune with that goal, but it still gave the Welsh the advantage.
While Bale’s free-kick led to Wales’ only goal, it was veteran goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey who emerged as Wales’ play-off final hero as he made several important stops to preserve their narrow lead.
For the most part, Hennessey only had to deal with speculative long-range efforts from Ukraine, which he would be expected to save. But his reaction save on substitute Artem Dovbyk’s header was an absolutely brilliant piece of goalkeeping and one of the top World Cup 2022 highlights in the play-offs.
Wales could and probably should have won by more than one goal as they created some good chances in the second half. Aaron Ramsey wasted a glorious opportunity on a brilliantly worked counterattack, Bale had a shot well-saved by Ukraine keeper Heorhiy Bushchan, and substitute Brennan Johnson struck the post.
But the own goal proved to be enough in the end as Hennessey’s heroics – he finished with nine saves overall – helped Wales hang on to book their place to the World Cup in Qatar.
Wales need Ramsey to regain form before World Cup
Wales’ system over the years has been simple: get organised on defence, then launch counterattacks with Bale and Ramsey and hope the two stars can provide the quality in the final third. That system has been successful for the most part and was crucial in them qualifying for their first World Cup in 64 years.
Now that they’re in, the Welsh have a great opportunity to make it to the World Cup knockout round. They’ve been drawn in Group B along with England, Iran, and the USA. While the US are likely to offer some stiff competition, Wales are arguably the better team and should fancy their chances of making it through as group runners-up.
However, Wales will need Ramsey to return to somewhere close to his best if they hope to make some noise in Qatar. The 31-year-old missed a big chance against Ukraine, which underlines his lack of form at the moment.
Ramsey has had a rough last couple of years as his move to Juventus has not panned out. His loan move to Rangers this past January was also underwhelming as he missed the crucial penalty in their Europa League final loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bale and Ramsey are both in their 30s now and are no longer in their primes. But while Bale has still shown glimpses of the quality he possesses for the national team, Ramsey must rediscover his form in the next few months for the Dragons to play up to their true potential in the World Cup.
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