Wales vs Poland LIVE: Euro 2024 play-off final result and reaction as Dragons defeated in penalty shootout
Wales 0-0 Poland (4-5 after penalties): Rob Page’s men fail to reach Euro 2024 after penalty heartbreak
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Your support makes all the difference.Wales failed to secure a place at Euro 2024 after losing their play-off final against Poland in a heart-breaking penalty shootout. The match remained goalless through the first 120 minutes with Wales managing to hold on through extra-time in a competitive match for the first time in their history.
They were the better team for the majority of the evening. Kieffer Moore was a consistent threat in the air and was denied a couple of times from the goalkeeping heroics of Wojciech Szczesny. Ben Davies, expertly marking Robert Lewandowski throughout, had a goal disallowed on the stroke of half-time through a marginal offside.
Wales were unable to take advantage during the second half and the match came down to a shootout. Poland, led by Lewandowski, scored a perfect five meaning Daniel James needed to score to keep the shootout on track. He shot to Szczesny’s right and the goalkeeper leapt across to palm the ball away and send his nation into Euro 2024 this summer.
Relive the action below plus get the latest odds and tips for the match right here:
Ben Davies on life after Gareth Bale
Tottenham defender and Wales’ captain this evening Ben Davies said: “It’s been a bit of transition having lost Gareth [Bale], who brought so much to this squad.
“If we could get there this time it’s a real team effort and we’d be really proud. Most of us played in the game where we got the experience of beating Ukraine in the last play-off.
“It was high stress, the game with the biggest stakes on it, and everyone handled themselves well. That’s one thing we pride ourselves on. We’ve got discipline, energy and passion, but overall we’re a proper team.”
Ben Davies confident Wales won’t pay the penalty in play-off against Poland
Ben Davies is confident Wales will prevail should they face a first-ever penalty shoot-out in their Euro 2024 play-off final against Poland.
Wales have never felt the tension of spot-kicks to settle matters at full-time, but that would be the deciding factor should Tuesday’s tie in Cardiff finish level after 120 minutes.
Poland have been involved in two shoot-outs, both at Euro 2016 – overcoming Switzerland in the round of 16 before losing to Portugal at the quarter-final stage.
Ben Davies confident Wales won’t pay the penalty in play-off against Poland
The Dragons are aiming to qualify for a third successive European Championship.
Page on Wales’ home record
"It’s an incredible record and our supporters are massive," said Rob Page about how strong Wales’ home form has been through qualifying.
"They took the roof off with the anthem the other day. Bring it on again Tuesday. Let’s use that to our benefit to get across the line."
Fortress Cardiff
Wales have only lost one of their last 15 European Championship qualifiers at the Cardiff City Stadium and are a difficult prospect to deal with at their home ground.
Will they be able to keep Poland at bay tonight or can their rivals inflict another defeat on the Dragons?
What team selections do the managers face?
Rob Page’s toughest selection dilemma for this evening will be in attack. Against Finland he sprung a surprise by starting Southampton’s David Brooks and leaving in-form Ipswich Town striker Kieffer Moore on the bench.
Brookd scored in the third minute as vindication for the decision.
Dan James made a big impact as a substitute and is pushing hard for a recall while Harry Wilson and Brennan Johnson impressed from the start.
Robert Lewandowski will captain Poland, who could be without Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash, as he went off injured during Thursday’s semi-final win over Estonia.
How did Poland end up in the play-offs?
Like Wales, Poland had an indifferent qualifying campaign which saw them miss out on an automatic spot at Euro 2024. They also had the back-up route of the play-offs thanks to their Nations League performance in recent years.
The Poles suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in their history when they lost in Moldova, and a further loss to Albania led to manager Fernando Santos’ sacking during qualifying.
A third place finish in their group saw them drop into the next stage of qualifying and they will be hoping to sweep Wales aside in order to regain some of the form that saw them reach the last-16 of the 2022 World Cup.
Gareth Southgate sends heartfelt message to Princess of Wales following cancer diagnosis
Gareth Southgate has led a message of support to the Princess of Wales, following news she had been diagnosed with cancer.
The England manager was speaking ahead of his team’s friendly against Brazil, when he sent his “best wishes”.
“Remarkably dignified statement that she gave and we obviously have a very close relationship with the family, so very upset to hear the news but hope everything goes well”, he told reporters.
Davies on Brennan Johnson
Ben Davies’ Tottenham team-mate Brennan Johnson scored three goals in his last seven Spurs appearances and netted in the semi-final play-off against Finland.
“He is playing at a big club in big games,” said Davies about Johnson. “He is pulling out results, scoring goals and getting assists.
“He offers a lot of pace, he is very direct and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. He has taken it in his stride, and we will see a better and better player coming.
“If he can bring that quality into a Welsh shirt for us we will be very happy.”
Davies claims reaching Euro 2024 would be 'better’ than previous campaigns
Ben Davies believes Wales reaching Euro 2024 would be “better in some ways” than previous successful qualifying campaigns. The defender is among a handful of survivors from the Chris Coleman squad that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016 in France and was also part of Wales teams that qualified for Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
“It would be just as good as (reaching) the others, better in some ways,” said Davies ahead of Thursday’s play-off semi-final victory over Finland.
“It’s different times. We don’t have Gareth Bale this time. That’s a big loss for Wales, our greatest ever player but that doesn’t mean there’s a different feeling within the camp. We are more than confident with the squad we’ve got.
“We are all here to play for Wales and to do a job for our country and qualify for major tournaments. Boys have been there before and boys who have been there at the top of their game. It’s still as motivating now as it was.
“We have been in this situation before, must-win games. We are on the brink.”
Wales vs Poland
Wales were absent from major tournaments for 58 years following the 1958 World Cup but, since ending that drought with a mesmerising run to the semi-finals at Euro 2016, qualification has become the expectation rathe than a dream.
They have featured at Euro 2020 and the World Cup in 2022 while a win over Poland would secure them a spot in a third consecutive major tournament.
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