please log in to view this image Wales v Estonia please log in to view this image Competition - World Cup Qualifier Date - Wednesday 8 September 2021 Kick off - 19:45 Venue - Cardiff City Stadium Following their dramatic 3-2 away victory against Belarus, next up for Robert Page’s Wales squad is a home match against Estonia. Last Sunday, Gareth Bale completed a match-winning hat-trick deep in injury time to spare Wales from embarrassment against Belarus in Russia and keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Wales made the ideal start as the first of two Bale penalties gave them an early lead, but they unravelled in two calamitous first-half minutes as goals from Vitali Lisakovich and Pavel Sedko put Belarus in front. Lisakovich scored from the spot after Chris Gunter was penalised for a raised foot, before an unmarked Sedko punished shambolic defending from Wales, who were fortunate not to be further behind at half-time. Bale scored his second penalty to bring Wales level midway through the second half and, in the third of four minutes of injury time, the captain came to his country's rescue with a low shot that squirmed under Belarus goalkeeper Sergei Chernik and into the net. In the circumstances - with 13 players unavailable - it was a decent result, even if the overall performance was not up to standard. It was points over performance that truly mattered. Turning to Wednesday evening, Robert Page has added former Swan Joe Rodon to their squad for the World Cup qualifier against Estonia. Centre-back Rodon, 23, had been missing because of an undisclosed injury which has prevented him from playing a single minute for either club or country so far this season. Not so good news is that Page has been unable to include Aaron Ramsey in the squad, despite it being understood that the midfielder has not recovered from a thigh problem. This is a match that Wales just have to win to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive. I’m going for a workmanlike regulation 2-0 home win.
"Wales are hoping for a 20,000-plus attendance with fans welcomed back into the Cardiff City Stadium in large numbers for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. The last time Wales hosted such a crowd was in November 2019 when the Dragons beat Hungary 2-0 to qualify for Euro 2020." The atmosphere should be enough to ensure a win. Hopefully.
Looking forward to this. I'm expecting a much better performance and hopefully the atmosphere will be great. I also think we'll win by 2 goals in this one. COME ON WALES !!!! (before we get back to the depression of the Championship)
COME ON WALES !!! Got a good feeling about tonight but having seen how Estonia are lining up, we may find it hard to break them down.
They're well organised but when we get up a head of steam we look interesting. Unfortunately it's too little and there's too much passing across the back. Shame Wilson missed that early chance, could have been a stroll from there.
Well, failing to score against Estonia is not a badge of honour given nearly every side does find the net against them ….. Can’t really blame the Manager given the glaring misses by Harry Wilson and Tyler Roberts. I suspect that these 2 dropped points will come back to haunt us …..
Too many sub-international standard players in the team. Whilst, as I said above, you can’t blame Page for the misses by Wilson and Roberts, the fact remains that he is not an International level coach. Hell, what has he achieved that enabled him to be appointed to cover Giggs’ absence? Managing Port Vale, Northampton and Wales U21s
He was Giggs no 2 and a cheaper option than bringing in a new manager...it was certainly a case of huffing and puffing but no incisiveness from the forwards....again
I think I posted in the Belarus thread that Wales' qualification campaign has almost become academic, because: Belgium will win the group, pretty much nailed on. Wales will go into the playoffs if they finish 2nd or 3rd (will qualify by rights if second and as one of the best 2 Nations League group winners if 3rd). Only some catastrophic collapses by Nations League group winners would prevent it as far as I understand. And the Nations League group winners are already winning their World Cup qualifying groups!! Wales and Austria are currently in the 2 slots.
Thanks for the info Aswan, still not sure I understand it all though Qualification would be nice but unless there's a change of management (at least) we'd only be making up the numbers.
I would agree that Wales chance of getting through the play-offs is probably quite slim. Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Czech Rep, Norway, Russia, Poland all likely to be in it. Still, you never know.
