Wales knew their final group game would be challenging, but that didn’t make their early exit from the World Cup any easier to accept. That’s because this wasn’t just any World Cup for Wales. It was their first appearance at the tournament since 1958. Thousands of fans travelled to the event, and millions more watched from home.
It is far preferable to be eliminated from a World Cup than not to compete in one at all. What was so frustrating about the qualification failures of – Euro 92, USA 94, Euro 2004 and Russia 2018 – was the sense of unfinished business, of a cosmic injustice that prevented footballers who were good enough to play on the biggest stage from doing so.
The team will be the first to admit that they underperformed. Expectations were higher this time, with many wondering what to expect from Wales at the world cup. No one by any means expected Wales to win this competition, even the bookmakers on FreeBetsExpert.com didn’t have them down as near favourites. Few of the Welsh key players played regularly for their clubs or brought injuries into this tournament, where the slightest inadequacies are brutally exposed. Tactical mistakes were made.
Away from the comforting emotional churn of Cardiff City Stadium, where Wales have almost forgotten how to lose over the last eight years. However, Wales at the world cup appeared to have forgotten how to win.
Their first match against the United States ended in a draw thanks to a late penalty taken by captain and talisman Gareth Bale. If that gave Wales hope, the next game ended in heartbreak. Both goals in their 2-0 loss to Iran came in the final minutes of injury time, leaving them with a mountain to climb in their final group game against England.
Wales needed to win and hope the other group game ended in a tie. The fans kept the faith, singing and keeping their fingers crossed for a miracle, but England came out on top. Their 3-0 victory knocked Wales out of the tournament, sending them home with just one point, and one goal to their name.
But this team has commanded the centre stage for so long that it’s difficult to imagine a return to the fallow periods of the past. Thankfully, fans have 146 years of history to guard against this complacency.
Being below Haiti and North Korea in the Fifa rankings is part of the Welsh story. Losing 7-1 against the Netherlands in a game where extraordinarily the goalkeeper Neville Southall was man of the match had shaped expectations.
Fair enough, the team had a more exposed side with players like Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Daniel James. Fans can, however, still appreciate the improvements made by the team to reach the competition. This pride was evident in the fans who attended the competition in Qatar.
On leaving the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium for the final time last night, many Welsh supporters said they were disappointed. Still, every single person reiterated how proud they were of their country for getting to this World Cup and how grateful they were to have been able to come along for the ride.
