In a thrilling face-off with Finland in Cardiff, Wales was victorious with a 4-1 score, setting the stage for a Euro 2024 play-off final against Poland. Fans at Cardiff City Stadium were put at ease in the initial half with goals from David Brooks and Neco Williams. However, Teemu Pukki’s 40th goal for Finland in the last minute of the first half put the celebratory mood into perspective. Not long after half-time, Wales’ Brennan Johnson reinstated the two-goal lead, with Daniel James finalising the score late in the match.
Poland, who won over Estonia in the other semi-final by a margin of 5-1, will battle Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday for a berth at Euro 2024 this summer. A challenging rival, Poland is led by Robert Lewandowski and holds a significantly higher rank than Wales’ recent opponents. However, Wales can find solace in their commendable performance at Cardiff, which includes only three losses in 20 matches during Rob Page’s tenure.
The Wales squad had seen Gareth Bale leading them to victory over Austria in Cardiff, highlighting the lack of their main player’s presence. Despite the uphill battle from Bale’s retirement, Wales managed to earn four points from semi-finalists Croatia in the 2022 World Cup, giving them the confidence to press on.
Ethan Ampadu, who won his 50th cap at just 23-years-old, had a midfield confrontation with team-mate Glen Kamara from Leeds.
In the decimation of Finland, Wales’ main players were Brooks, Johnson and Harry Wilson, with Kieffer Moore joining Aaron Ramsey on the bench due to a calf issue. The match took a promising start for Wales, Brooks scored his fourth international goal within the first three minutes, establishing an early lead that was soon contested by Finland’s improved possession and occasional threats.
In a football match filled with intensity, Daniel Hakans launched a high volley due to a pass from Nikolai Alho, while Pukki offered a rather lacklustre attempt that Danny Ward managed easily. Despite his efforts, Joel Pohjanpalo’s shot was impeded, and Wales, on the other hand, brought little excitement to the game. However, this monotony broke after approximately thirty minutes when Wilson compelled Hradecky to make a diving save from a 25-yard shot.
Subsequently, a free-kick was earned near the boundary of the pitch by Johnson. Finland might have projected Wilson’s left foot aiming towards the right side of Hradecky’s goal, but instead, Wilson passed the ball to Williams. Taking Hradecky by surprise, Williams drove the ball to Hradecky’s left, giving him no opportunity to save.
Finland found themselves in a difficult situation, but Pukki’s goal just before half-time ignited a ray of hope. Pohjanpalo’s pass was skillfully maneuvered by Pukki, who dodged Chris Mepham to deliver a smooth finish past Ward. This unexpected goal must have upset Page, however, Wales quickly countered with another goal two minutes post half-time when Ampadu connected with Wilson’s at the far end of the field.
This led to Johnson receiving an imprecise shot from Brooks in an overloaded penalty area. As Wales tried to secure their win, Wilson sent out a wide curl, and Moore, who substituted Brooks, shot directly at Hradecky after Ampadu’s brilliant assist. A late header from Ben Davies was discounted following a VAR review, however, replacement player Dan James managed to sidestep Hradecky and score a fourth goal.
In other Euro playoffs, Greece crushed Kazakhstan 5-0, Ukraine excelled over Bosnia and Herzegovina with a 2-1 score, Iceland outplayed Israel with a 4-1 win, Poland thrashed Estonia 5-1, and Georgia claimed victory over Luxembourg with a 2-0 score.