Gareth Bale’s teammates will play their first World Cup since 1958.
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A real event. For the first time since 1958, Wales will participate in the World Cup in Qatar (November 21-December 18). Gareth Bale’s teammates beat Ukraine (1-0), in a qualifying play-off originally scheduled for last March. The unfortunate Andriy Yarmolenko scored the only goal of the match against his side (34th), shattering the Ukrainian dream. In Qatar, the Welsh will be in Group B along with England, the United States and Iran.
After two well-made European Championships (semi-finals in 2016, round of 16 in 2021), the Welsh golden generation will compete against the world’s gratin. Together in a boiling Cardiff City Stadium, they resisted the relentless pressure put on by the Ukrainians after opening the scoring with a free kick deflected by Yarmolenko. With 19 shots, including 8 on target, the visitors tried everything. But when the Welsh building rocked, their guardian proved intractable. More than once, the Hennessey seagull flew into goal, to frustrate opposing forwards.
The end of a great adventure for Ukraine. Ole Zinchenko and his family tried everything to offer, for a moment, a smile to their compatriots, three and a half months after the start of the Russian invasion. Their feat against Scotland (3-1) on Tuesday was not enough. They fail one step away from goal with their heads held high, and will not play in a first World Cup since 2006.