Dragons are flying to Qatar - Wales complete the list of European passengers to the World Cup!

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.

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.

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.

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.

QATAR WORLD CUP 2022 QUALIFIERS - Europe

Wales - Ukraine 1-0 (1-0)

(Yarmolenko 34 og)

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