Inevitably, Gareth Bale was involved in the goal which sent the Welsh to a first World Cup finals since 1958 with his free-kick diverted via a flying header by Andriy Yarmolenko into the back of his own net.
Now, as well as the nature of the Welsh goal being a painful way to go out, Ukraine can consider themselves unfortunate not to have scored given their far greater share of the possession and chances in the match.
Earlier, last Wednesday, the dangerous Ukrainians had outclassed Scotland at Hampden Park, meaning the Scots' own wait for a World Cup finals appearance will extend to 28 years at least.
Callum McGregor gave some hope to Steve Clarke's side by pulling the score back to 2-1 after Ukraine goals from Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk, either side of half time, had deservedly put the visitors in control.
John McGinn then missed a big chance to equalise by sending a header wide from just six yards out.
But, as the Scots frantically searched for an equaliser through the bizarre tactic of playing Grant Hanley up front, Artem Dovbyk killed off the remaining hopes of the Tartan Army with the last kick of the game.
As such, it was merely another case of so near yet so far away for Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers in the 21st Century - which will be more than quarter of the way through by the end of the next edition.
Back to the present - and, in the final in Cardiff on Sunday, the threat of Ukraine was again immediately apparent.
Only four minutes were on the clock when Manchester City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko hit the back of the net with a quick free-kick - taken too quickly as far as Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz was concerned.
The Ukrainians then had a succession of corners before Yaremchuk beat the offside trap but failed to beat Wayne Hennessey in a series of early efforts on the Welsh goal.
Consequently, Wales' goal on 34 minutes came rather out of the blue - and unsurprisingly from a Bale set-piece.
Even then, Rob Page's men had another scare to survive before half time when Joe Allen appeared to catch Yarmolenko on the foot after being dispossessed in the box by the West Ham United winger.
Yarmolenko certainly did not help his cause by the dramatic nature of his tumble - but there were more than a few sighs of relief among the capacity crowd of 33,280 when the Video Assistant Referee opted not to make any intervention.
In fairness, there was also hope that the Welsh might use the confidence gained from their hard-won advantage by improving their general performance in the second half.
But this Ukraine outfit were never going to go away quietly - and only they will know how they did not score early in the second half through Yaremchuk on the rebound after Hennessey had saved from Viktor Tsygankov.
Or just how Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies managed to get across to block Yarmolenko from eight yards out - on two separate occasions.
It was not all completely one-way traffic, of course. Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson hit the base of the post for Wales - and, shortly afterwards, Aaron Ramsey linked up with Bale whose cushioned volley was well-stopped.
For the last 10 minutes or so, though, it really was just one-way traffic as Ukraine set up camp inside the Wales half.
With six minutes left, the pressure almost paid off - but Hennessey made a flying save to deny a powerful header from substitute Artem Dovbyk.
It was truly a match-winning stop by the Burnley goalkeeper as, bar a couple more efforts which cleared the Welsh goal by some distance, weary Ukraine had nothing more to give thereafter.
In keeping with our expectations of this proud nation, it was a brave effort by Ukraine - but it was also an emotional occasion for Wales.
So often the headlines for the Welsh go to Bale or Ramsey. This time, though, it was undoubtedly Hennessey and Davies who got their team over the line.
Now, finally, the older Wales fans can banish the painful memories of defeat in playoff matches against Scotland in 1977 and 1985 - and the cold sweat-inducing flashback to 1993 of Paul Bodin's last-minute penalty miss against Romania.
Cymru have qualified again at last - and, except for hosts Qatar, who will be the sole debutants, Wales will have waited the longest time of any of the 31 returning qualifiers.
At this point in time, there are still two finals places left to be decided through the intercontinental playoffs in Qatar this month.
Australia became the representative from the Asian Confederation after beating the United Arab Emirates thanks to Ajdin Hrustic's deflected volley.
Graham Arnold's Socceroos will now face Peru in a one-off match on 13 June for the penultimate World Cup finals place.
On the following day, the outcome of the 32nd - and last - World Cup finals entrant will be known after Costa Rica take on New Zealand.
Therefore, it is only on 14 June - 161 days ahead of the opening match on 21 November - that the World Cup line-up will finally be completed.
Additionally, that night - only 46 days before the 2022-23 Football League season begins - the 2021-22 season of club and international football will have finished at last, ending with a series of UEFA Nations League fixtures.
Ahead of that, for the record, here is a list of winners (and losers) from another long domestic campaign:
ENGLAND
Premier League| Champions | Manchester City |
| Runners-up | Liverpool |
| Champions League | Chelsea (third place), Tottenham Hotspur (fourth place) |
| Europa League | Arsenal (fifth place), Manchester United (sixth place) |
| Europa Conference | West Ham United (seventh place) |
| Relegation | Burnley, Watford, Norwich City |
Championship
| Champions | Fulham |
| Runners-up | Bournemouth |
| Playoff winners | Nottingham Forest 1-0 Huddersfield Town |
| Relegation | Derby County*, Peterborough United, Barnley |
League One
| Champions | Wigan Athletic |
| Runners-up | Rotherham United |
| Playoff winners | Sunderland (won 2-0 v Wycombe Wanderers) |
| Relegation | Gillingham, Doncaster Rovers, AFC Wimbledon, Crewe Alexandra |
League Two
| Champions | Forest Green Rovers |
| Runners-up | Exeter City |
| Also promoted | Bristol Rovers |
| Playoff winners | Port Vale (won 3-0 v Mansfield Town) |
| Relegation | Oldham Athletic, Scunthorpe United |
National League Premier
| Champions | Stockport County |
| Playoff winners | Grimsby Town (won 2-1 v Solihull Moors, after extra time) |
| Relegation | King's Lynn Town, Weymouth, Dover Athletic* |
National League North
| Champions | Gateshead |
| Playoff winners | York City (won 2-0h v Boston United) |
| Relegation | Guiseley |
National League South
| Champions | Maidstone United |
| Playoff winners | Dorking Wanderers (won 3-2h v Ebbsfleet United, after extra time) |
| Relegation | Billericay Town |
Domestic Cup Finals
| FA Cup Final | Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea, after extra time. Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties. |
| League Cup Final | Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea, after extra time. Liverpool won 11-10 on penalties. |
| FA Community Shield | Leicester City 1-0 Manchester City |
| EFL Trophy | Rotherham United 4-2 Sutton United, after extra time. |
| FA Trophy | Bromley 1-0 Wrexham |
| FA Vase | Newport Pagnell Town 3-0 Littlehampton Town |
⚽
SCOTLAND
| Champions | Celtic |
| Runners-up | Rangers |
| Europa League | Heart of Midlothian (third place) |
| Europa Conference | Dundee United (fourth place), Motherwell (fifth place) |
| Relegation | Dundee |
Championship
| Champions | Kilmarnock |
| Runners-up | Arbroath (not promoted) |
| Relegation | Dunfermline Athletic, Queen of the South |
League One
| Champions | Cove Rangers |
| Runners-up | Airdrieonians (not promoted) |
| Playoff winners | Queen's Park (won 3-2 on agg v Airdrieonians (1-1h, 2-1a)) |
| Relegation | Dumbarton, East Fife |
League Two
| Champions | Kelty Hearts |
| Runners-up | Forfar Athletic (not promoted) |
| Playoff winners | Edinburgh City (won 3-2 on agg v Annan Athletic (2-0h, 1-2a)) |
| Relegation | Cowdenbeath (lost 0-4 on agg v Cove Rangers (0-3a, 0-1h)) |
Domestic Cup Finals
| FA Cup Final | Rangers 2-0 Heart of Midlothian, after extra time |
| League Cup Final | Celtic 2-1 Hibernian |
| Challenge Cup Final | Raith Rovers 3-1 Queen of the South |
⚽
WALES
Cymru Premier| Champions | The New Saints |
| Europa Conference | Bala Town (runners-up), Newtown (third place) |
| Relegation | Barry Town United, Cefn Druids |
Welsh Cup Finals
| FA Cup Final | The New Saints 3-2 Penybont |
| League Cup Final | Connah's Quay Nomads 0-0 Cardiff Metropolitan University Connah's Quay Nomads won 10-9 on penalties. |
⚽
NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Premiership| Champions | Linfield |
| Europa Conference | Cliftonville (runners-up), Larne (playoff winners), Crusaders (cup winners) |
| Relegation | Warrenpoint Town |
Irish Cup Finals
| IFA Cup Final | Crusaders 2-1 Ballymena United, after extra time |
| League Cup Final | Cliftonville 4-3 Coleraine, after extra time. |
⚽
EUROPE
UEFA Finals | Champions League | Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool |
| Europa League | Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Rangers, after extra time. Eintracht Frankfurt won 5-4 on penalties |
| Europa Conference | Roma 1-0 Feyenoord |
| Super Cup | Chelsea 1-1 Villarreal, after extra time. Chelsea won 6-5 on penalties. |
Major European league champions
| Spain | Real Madrid |
| Italy | AC Milan |
| Germany | Bayern Munich |
| France | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Portugal | FC Porto |
| Netherlands | Ajax Amsterdam |
| Belgium | Club Brugge |
| Greece | Olympiacos |
| Turkey | Trabzonspor |
⚽
(Q) WORLD CUP 2022 QUALIFIERS (Q)
Qatar, Germany, Denmark, Brazil, Belgium, France, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, Switzerland, England, Netherlands, Argentina, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Canada, Ghana, Senegal, Portugal, Poland, Tunisia, Morocco, Cameroon, Mexico, United States, Wales, Australia, Costa Rica [32/32]
| Date | Venue | ||
| ITV | Mon 21-Nov 10am | SENEGAL v NETHERLANDS | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha |
| BBC | Mon 21-Nov 4pm | QATAR v ECUADOR | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
| BBC | Fri 25-Nov 1pm | QATAR v SENEGAL | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha |
| ITV | Fri 25-Nov 4pm | NETHERLANDS v ECUADOR | Khalifa International, Al Rayyan |
| ITV | Tue 29-Nov 3pm | ECUADOR v SENEGAL | Khalifa International, Al Rayyan |
| ITV | Tue 29-Nov 3pm | NETHERLANDS v QATAR | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
GROUP B ENGLAND - IRAN - UNITED STATES - WALES
| Date | Venue | ||
| BBC | Mon 21-Nov 1pm | ENGLAND v IRAN | Khalifa International, Al Rayyan |
| ITV | Mon 21-Nov 7pm | UNITED STATES v WALES | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan |
| BBC | Fri 25-Nov 10am | WALES v IRAN | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan |
| ITV | Fri 25-Nov 7pm | ENGLAND v UNITED STATES | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
| BBC | Tue 29-Nov 7pm | WALES v ENGLAND | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan |
| BBC | Tue 29-Nov 7pm | IRAN v UNITED STATES | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha |
GROUP C ARGENTINA - SAUDI ARABIA - MEXICO - POLAND
| Date | Venue | ||
| ITV | Tue 22-Nov 10am | ARGENTINA v SAUDI ARABIA | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
| BBC | Tue 22-Nov 4pm | MEXICO v POLAND | Stadium 974, Doha |
| ITV | Sat 26-Nov 1pm | POLAND v SAUDI ARABIA | Education City, Al Rayyan |
| ITV | Sat 26-Nov 7pm | ARGENTINA v MEXICO | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
| BBC | Wed 30-Nov 7pm | POLAND v ARGENTINA | Stadium 974, Doha |
| BBC | Wed 30-Nov 7pm | SAUDI ARABIA v MEXICO | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
GROUP D FRANCE - AUSTRALIA - DENMARK - TUNISIA
| Date | Venue | ||
| ITV | Tue 22-Nov 1pm | DENMARK v TUNISIA | Education City, Al Rayyan |
| BBC | Tue 22-Nov 7pm | FRANCE v AUSTRALIA | Al Janoub, Al Wakrah |
| BBC | Sat 26-Nov 10am | TUNISIA v AUSTRALIA | Al Janoub, Al Wakrah |
| ITV | Sat 26-Nov 4pm | FRANCE v DENMARK | Stadium 974, Doha |
| BBC | Wed 30-Nov 3pm | AUSTRALIA v DENMARK | Al Janoub, Al Wakrah |
| BBC | Wed 30-Nov 3pm | TUNISIA v FRANCE | Education City, Al Rayyan |
GROUP E SPAIN - COSTA RICA - GERMANY - JAPAN
| Date | Venue | ||
| ITV | Wed 23-Nov 1pm | GERMANY v JAPAN | Khalifa International, Al Rayyan |
| ITV | Wed 23-Nov 4pm | SPAIN v COSTA RICA | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha |
| ITV | Sun 27-Nov 10am | JAPAN v COSTA RICA | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan |
| BBC | Sun 27-Nov 7pm | SPAIN v GERMANY | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
| ITV | Thu 01-Dec 7pm | JAPAN v SPAIN | Khalifa International, Al Rayyan |
| ITV | Thu 01-Dec 7pm | COSTA RICA v GERMANY | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
GROUP F BELGIUM - CANADA - MOROCCO - CROATIA
| Date | Venue | ||
| ITV | Wed 23-Nov 10am | MOROCCO v CROATIA | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
| BBC | Wed 23-Nov 7pm | BELGIUM v CANADA | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan |
| BBC | Sun 27-Nov 1pm | BELGIUM v MOROCCO | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha |
| BBC | Sun 27-Nov 4pm | CROATIA v CANADA | Khalifa International, Al Rayyan |
| BBC | Thu 01-Dec 3pm | CROATIA v BELGIUM | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan |
| BBC | Thu 01-Dec 3pm | CANADA v MOROCCO | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha |
GROUP G BRAZIL - SERBIA - SWITZERLAND - CAMEROON
| Date | Venue | ||
| ITV | Thu 24-Nov 10am | SWITZERLAND v CAMEROON | Al Janoub, Al Wakrah |
| BBC | Thu 24-Nov 7pm | BRAZIL v SERBIA | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
| ITV | Mon 28-Nov 10am | CAMEROON v SERBIA | Al Janoub, Al Wakrah |
| ITV | Mon 28-Nov 4pm | BRAZIL v SWITZERLAND | Stadium 974, Doha |
| ITV | Fri 02-Dec 7pm | SERBIA v SWITZERLAND | Stadium 974, Doha |
| ITV | Fri 02-Dec 7pm | CAMEROON v BRAZIL | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
GROUP H PORTUGAL - GHANA - URUGUAY - SOUTH KOREA
| Date | Venue | ||
| BBC | Thu 24-Nov 1pm | URUGUAY v SOUTH KOREA | Education City, Al Rayyan |
| ITV | Thu 24-Nov 4pm | PORTUGAL v GHANA | Stadium 974, Doha |
| BBC | Mon 28-Nov 1pm | SOUTH KOREA v GHANA | Education City, Al Rayyan |
| ITV | Mon 28-Nov 7pm | PORTUGAL v URUGUAY | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
| BBC | Fri 02-Dec 3pm | GHANA v URUGUAY | Al Janoub, Al Wakrah |
| BBC | Fri 02-Dec 3pm | SOUTH KOREA v PORTUGAL | Education City, Al Rayyan |
SECOND ROUND
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 3pm | Sat 03-Dec | (1) WINNER A v RUNNER-UP B | Khalifa International, Al Rayyan |
| 7pm | Sat 03-Dec | (2) WINNER C v RUNNER-UP D | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan |
| 3pm | Sun 04-Dec | (3) WINNER D v RUNNER-UP C | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha |
| 7pm | Sun 04-Dec | (4) WINNER B v RUNNER-UP A | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
| 3pm | Mon 05-Dec | (5) WINNER E v RUNNER-UP F | Al Janoub, Al Wakrah |
| 7pm | Mon 05-Dec | (6) WINNER G v RUNNER-UP H | Stadium 974, Doha |
| 3pm | Tue 06-Dec | (7) WINNER F v RUNNER-UP E | Education City, Al Rayyan |
| 7pm | Tue 06-Dec | (8) WINNER H v RUNNER-UP G | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
QUARTER FINALS
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 3pm | Fri 09-Dec | WINNER (5) v WINNER (6) | Education City, Al Rayyan |
| 7pm | Fri 09-Dec | WINNER (1) v WINNER (2) | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
| 3pm | Sat 10-Dec | WINNER (7) v WINNER (8) | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha |
| 7pm | Sat 10-Dec | WINNER (3) v WINNER (4) | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
SEMI FINALS
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 7pm | Tue 13-Dec | WINNER QF1 v WINNER QF2 | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
| 7pm | Wed 14-Dec | WINNER QF3 v WINNER QF4 | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor |
THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 3pm | Sat 17-Dec | LOSER SF1 v LOSER SF2 | Khalifa International, Al Rayyan |
WORLD CUP FINAL
| Time | Date | Venue | |
| 4pm | Sun 18-Dec | WINNER SF1 v WINNER SF2 | Lusail Iconic, Lusail |
No comments:
Post a Comment