James McClean sends Ireland into the World Cup play-offs

Wales 0 Republic of Ireland 1

A goal from James McClean ended Wales’ hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup but sent the travelling Irish fans into ecstasy.

They are now in the play-offs for a place in the 2018 tournament but for Wales it is another case of ‘so near and yet so far’.

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The 1958 World Cup was the first and last time that Wales qualified for football’s showpiece tournament but they ran out at the Cardiff City Stadium believing the wait was nearly at an end.

All they had to do was beat Ireland, or even draw and hope Serbia didn’t take maximum points from their clash with Georgia. In the event neither result worked in their favour.

McClean’s second-half goal denied Wales their victory and Serbia’s 1-0 win over Austria ensured they finished top of group D and clinched the automatic qualification spot. Ireland go through to next month’s play-offs and are now two games away from appearing in their first World Cup since 2002.

“I’m so proud,” declared Ireland manager Martin O’Neill. “That last half hour seemed an eternity. We had to withstand pressure but we knew at some stage we would have to try to win the game - and we did it. When the draw was made I thought we had a very difficult group. We have come through. Fantastic.”

For Wales the emotions were at the other end of the scale. On two previous occasions - 1978 and 1994 - they came agonisingly close to qualifying for the World Cup and their raucous home support really believed that 2018 would be third time lucky.

But already missing the injured Gareth Bale, their hopes were further dashed when Joe Allen limped off after a tackle by David Meyler. That threw the Welsh out of their stride and although Hal Robson-Kanu forced a sharp save from Darren Randolph they rarely threatened their visitors before and after McClean’s sweet strike on 57 minutes.

“When we lost Joe Allen our creativity suffered,” admitted Wales manager Chris Coleman. “My players have given everything but it wasn’t enough in the end to get over the line… what we have done is another campaign where we have taken it right to the wire. Some you win and some you lose. It will hurt for a bit but you learn from defeat and we will learn from tonight.”

As for their conquerors, a gracious Coleman wished the Irish well for the next stage of their World Cup quest, saying: “Martin O'Neill has done a great job and good luck to them.”

If Irish fans are waking up this morning with a sore head, then so too probably is the population of Iceland.

Having humiliated England at last year’s European Championships, the Icelanders have continued their ascent up the football hierarchy by qualifying for their first World Cup. They secured their qualification with a 2-0 win over Kosovo and are now off to Russia.

The only nation to qualify for a World Cup with a population of under one million, Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson had this message for the country’s 335,000 inhabitants. “The success is not an end in itself but a long journey towards a final destination.”