Ukraine Knocked Out as Wales Qualify for First World Cup in 64 Years

Gareth Bale inspired Wales to qualify for their first World Cup in 64 years as they beat Ukraine 1-0 in the play-off final at Cardiff. War-torn Ukraine’s hopes of qualifying for the mega event were shattered as captain, Andriy Yarmolenko, put the ball past his own net in the 34th minute.

Ukraine failed to recover as Wales held onto their lead to send them to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Wales will join England, USA, and Iran in Group B of the competition.

Earlier, Wales had beaten Austria 2-1 with captain Bale scoring both the goals while Ukraine had beaten Scotland 3-1 in the play-offs semi-finals to book their place in the final of the European qualification tie.

Bale, regarded as the best player in Wales’ history, has been at the helm of the country’s every major sporting achievement over the past few years. The Welsh wizard took Wales to their first-ever semi-finals in the European Championships in 2016, helped Spanish giants Real Madrid secure 5 UEFA Champions League titles in the past 8 years, and has now guided his country to their first World Cup in 64 years.

Wales last played in the World Cup back in 1958 as they were eliminated by the eventual winners Brazil in the quarter-final stage of the tournament. 17-year-old Pele scored the only goal of the match on that occasion.

Only two more qualification places are left for the 2022 World Cup. New Zealand and Costa Rica will battle for one spot while Peru will face either UAE or Australia in the final qualification spot for the mega event.