Leeds United’s Daniel James was the singular player not to score a recognize-kick as Wales past a fine shoot-out 5-4 versus Poland to miss out on Euro 2024.
A fine shoot-out was necessary on a jittery evening in which Tottenham Hotspur protector Ben Davies had a first-half header restricted for offside. Barring that, odds were couple of and much between in this tinker-off final.
Penalty misery
The hosts were ignored to 10 mens in the final secs as Chris Mepham was uncrowned for a 2nd yellow card and the Cardiff City place Stadium hosted its breath obeying an impromptu functionality of the national anthem.
Poland converted 5 impeccable penalties with Robert Lewandowski, Sebastian Szymanski, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Nicola Zalewski and Krzysztof Piątek efficient versus Danny Ward.
Wales rivalled them as Ben Davies, Kieffer Moore – via the substructure of the crossbar – Harry Wilson and Neco Williams racked up.
Yet Daniel James saw his campaign persuaded out by Wojciech Szczesny as Wales past 5-4 on penalties and demented Polish parties obtained started.
It was a malevolent expire for the hosts that had imparted everything to qualify for a third consecutive European Championship.
Wales had trumped the travellers singular as immediately as – a maiden conference in 1974 Planet Mug certifying – and endured 7 defeats in 10 games, entailing 6 succeeding losses.
They even more had to squash the menace of Lewandowski with the 35-year-ratty striker in wanton racking up form for Barcelona and seeking to incorporate to his record 82 Poland objectives.
Wales administered one alteration from Thursday’s 4-1 semi-final thumping of Finland, with Moore reconditioning David Creeks in the ahead nonsense up.
Poland were unchanged from the side that posed 5 past Estonia in their Warsaw semi-final yet Aston Vacation abode’s Matty Silver money was absent from the substitutes’ bench after unsolicited a hamstring.
South Wales Police officers had vowed a zero-resistance viewpoint to any guy attempting to confiscate pyrotechnics proper into Cardiff City place Stadium after Poland’s previous go to in September 2022.
Yet the Polish expire was brightened with flares as the 2 teams congregated for the pre-match anthems.
Poland sought to confiscate the sting out of a fever-pitched undertone by depressing Wales with their sphere valuables.
Karol Swiderski unprejudiced fallen short to render consumption on the expire of a Bartosz Slisz cross and Jakub Piotrowski fired over from 25 yards as Poland squared swiftly.
Wales’ ideal minutes were from designed-wares: Davies leading over a Wilson corner and Moore planting an additional chance wide.
Moore even more came chummy to being the beneficiary of Joe Rodon’s flick-on from a Connor Roberts long throw yet ran out of place by the byline.
Wales had edged their way ago proper into the competition as the interval come close to and had the sphere in the web in the final minutes of the half.
Moore met Williams’ cross at the much fast article and Davies assisted his knockdown past Szczesny in the Poland urge.
The assistant referee’s flag incision fast Welsh indulge in and VAR showed it was a straighten call with Davies offside by a matter of inches.
Wales did juggle the first on-target campaign 4 mins after the restart as immediately as Szczesny wonderfully clawed away Moore’s header from under his crossbar.
It glanced as if Poland were wobbling yet composure was rediscovered and crosses obtained started to be swung proper into the Wales fine location with elevating consonance.
Jakub Kiwior cleared the crossbar from 6 yards and Swiderski sent out Piotr Zielinski’s unshackle-kick wide.
The aggravation was even more unmistakable as Szczesny hosted headers from Moore and Mepham and Lewandowski nearly detered auxiliary time by fizzing merely wide from 25 yards.
Piotrowski and Szymanski had openings in an auxiliary 30 mins that Poland controlled, yet Ward did not have a singular preserve to render in the entirety match.
