You’d have been forgiven for thinking it was a sudden instance of double vision. Not just at the end of full-time, but in the subsequent penalty shoot-out drama. They were in, they were out. They were in again, they were out again. The twists and turns, flipping from one screen to the other, were engrossing. But in the end, for Wales and the Republic of Ireland, there will be no final play-off showdown for a treasured spot stateside this summer.
It was a heartbreaking conclusion to the evening for both nations. Wales, hosting Bosnia and Herzegovina in their Cardiff cauldron, had their game in the palm of their hands after Dan James’s screamer. Ireland even more so, 2-0 to the good and cruising in the first-half. Yet ultimately, it all came crashing down in a manner football fans in this part of the world are well used to by now.
With Northern Ireland’s 2-0 defeat in Italy, it means all three home nations in play-off contention on Thursday night could not book their Tuesday date with destiny. There was a very genuine prospect that this summer’s tournament could have been the first World Cup in 40 years to have three home nations competing, since England, Scotland and Northern Ireland’s appearance at Mexico 86. Alas, there will be just two.
And for Wales and Ireland, quite mysteriously, their demises transpired in devastating symmetry. Both precariously holding a one-goal lead in the closing stages, both equalisers were conceded in the 86th minute, within 36 seconds of each other.
The Irish, having gifted Czechia a route back into the match with Ryan Manning’s needless shirt-pull in the penalty area in the first-half, failed to react quickly enough at the near post to a free-kick, with Wolves centre back Ladislav Krejci powering home.
The Welsh, with Bosnia probing ferociously in the final 20 minutes, inexplicably allowed Edin Dzeko – Bosnia’s captain, still doing it at 40 – a free leap at the near post from an inswinging corner. Goalkeeper Karl Darlow, who was terrific on the night, was nowhere near the ball as he leapt from his line on this occasion. In fact, by the end of normal time, Wales were satisfied to get to 90 minutes all-square.
Yet even the extra-time half an hour – though penalties seemed something of an inevitability – saw parallels for both countries. Both were on top by the end, ready to take any momentum graspable into the dreaded spot-kicks when a winner was not possible. And, at the halfway stage of the one-on-ones, both were ahead.
Karl Darlow and Caoimhin Kelleher made excellent saves in the shoot-out; the Welsh No 1 at the start and the Irish No 1 on penalty No 3. Surely this was actually happening? Home nation fervour would be fizzing loud and proud in Cardiff and Prague tonight, right?
Wrong. Ireland’s Finn Azaz and Alan Browne saw their tame efforts saved by Matej Kovar before Jan Kliment fired the Czech Republic to a home contest with Denmark in five days’ time. In exact similarity, Wales also missed their final two penalties, with Brennan Johnson skying over and Neco Williams’ strike well-saved. For Bosnia, impressive teenager Kerim Alajbegovic stroked the ball home to send the rapturous Bosnians, cocooned in a corner of the Cardiff City Stadium, into delirium. They will host four-time champions Italy, eyeing their first World Cup since 2014.
“With 20 minutes left we stopped playing and we just can’t do that, even though it was understandable,” a gutted Craig Bellamy, Wales manager, said afterwards. “It was a big lesson for us. We needed to see the game out with the ball.”
Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson was also disappointed with the manner in which the game panned out: “Just pain. We only feel pain. When you go this far, obviously it is up to luck or a flip of a coin. So it’s just pain that we feel, obviously, being that close. It was not a good football match. The match was never under control.”
And so for both Wales and Ireland, the 2026 dream is dead. It’ll hurt more for the latter, given the Irish heroics to reach this stage with dramatic victories over Portugal and Hungary. Star striker Troy Parrott – who scored two penalties last night – deserved better and was disconsolate afterwards. Wales’ Harry Wilson, too, has stepped up to the mantle for his country so impressively over the last year or so.
Yet both countries will host the match nobody wanted on Tuesday. In order for stadiums to prepare adequately and logistics to materialise regardless, Uefa mandated that the losers of each tie in their section would face off on Tuesday, regardless: Wales will host Northern Ireland and Ireland will welcome North Macedonia to Dublin. They will be the most painstaking of international friendlies.
