Painful 64 years have passed since the Welsh Dragons last played a World Cup match. The wait has finally ended – Rob Page led his side to their first FIFA World Cup since 1958, after eliminating a characteristically spirited Ukraine side by a slender one-goal margin. The Dragons talisman Gareth Bale fired his side to Qatar via a cruel Andriy Yarmolenko headed deflection.Wales defeat Ukraine 1-0 to qualify for their first Men’s #WorldCup since 1958!Wales join Group B with the #USMNT, England and Iran. pic.twitter.com/hAbPhWwwoE— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) June 5, 2022 In a rallying cry, Ukrainian poster boy Oleksandr Zinchenko told his teammates they had to give the performance of their lives. He almost went some way in doing so minutes into the game as the Yellow and Blues picked up a long-range freekick. Manchester City man Zinchenko had the presence of mind to execute quickly and indeed find the net, only for referee Antonio Lahoz to request the whistle must be blown. The blue wave kept coming, with Oleksandr Karavayev setting Roman Yaremchuk free down the right. His drilled effort across Wayne Hennessey was fiercely struck, but the Burnley stopper was more than equal to it in the end.🇺🇦 We are proud of our national team! We are thankful to our guys anyway.The Ukraine national team lost to Wales in the final playoff match for the World Cup berth.#WalesUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/rwl8VMXpS5— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) June 5, 2022 The Dragons were feeding off scraps, looking to make the most of corners and freekicks. It was the latter that took the eye of Bale, who has five goals and an assist in his last four competitive appearances for his country. An unnatural angle for a left-footed, his strike was about to cause serious problems for Heorhiy Bushchan. In desperation, captain Yarmolenko threw his head at it only to inadvertently divert it beyond Bushchan’s grasp.Second halves don’t come much bigger with Europe’s 13th and final World Cup spot on the line. As Ukraine pushed men forward, Wales looked to make use of Dan James’ blistering pace going the other way. After breaking the first line of defence he fed Kieffer Moore on the left. The target man laid it on a plate centrally for Aaron Ramsey, but with the goal at his mercy his finish drifted agonisingly wide of the right post. Hennessey was yet again in the action at the other end, denying both Viktor Tsyhankov and Yaremchuk from point blank range in a miraculous double save to keep the slender lead intact.9 – Wayne Hennessey made nine saves for Wales in this match, while Ukraine’s nine shots on target were the most by a team without scoring during a game in the 2022 European World Cup qualifying campaign. Heroic. pic.twitter.com/id4lXDDY4O— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 5, 2022 Late on in a crazy sequence of events substitute Brennan Johnson hit the post, followed by a wonderful Bushchan save to deny Bale, but in the end Wales had enough to hang on and keep intact their 19 game home unbeaten run and break Ukrainian hearts.The last time Wales played at the World Cup, they were knocked out by a goal from a 17-year-old Pele ⏪ pic.twitter.com/4VDpv0m15d— GOAL (@goal) June 5, 2022 QATAR WORLD CUP 2022 QUALIFIERS – EuropeWales – Ukraine 1-0 (1-0)(Yarmolenko 34 og)©FlashScore
