Wales ended their 64-year wait for a World Cup place by beating Ukraine 1-0 in Sunday night’s final at Cardiff Stadium.
Gareth Bale was once again the hero of the day as his skewed free kick proved so much the difference to the home side’s cheering crowd.
The match started slow, and the visiting team had the best in the opening quarter hour or so.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was disqualified from a free kick after he was considered to have hit it too fast.
Although the Ukrainians dominated the game early on, it was Wales who took the lead after the half-hour mark when Andriy Yarmolenko converted Bale’s free kick into his own net.
Ukraine witnessed a penalty kick rejected by the referee after Joe Allen appeared to drop Yarmolenko inside the penalty area.
Wales came close to doubling their lead early in the second half but Aaron Ramsey’s effort brightened wide off the post.
Then Ukrainian Victor Tysjankov forced Wayne Hennessy to make an eight-yard save midway through the second half.
Both teams had half the chances of finding the back net, but it was Wales who held onto the win to reach the final group in November/December 2022.
Wales will now join England, Iran and the United States in Group B.
