Chris Coleman admitted to a sense of “anti-climax” after Wales were held to a goalless draw by Israel that left them waiting on the result of the Cyprus-Belgium game to find out whether they had qualified for next summer’s European Championship finals in France.
The Wales manager’s biggest frustration, however, was with Ivan Bebek, the referee, for failing to award a penalty after Eytan Tibi handled a cross from Gareth Bale.
“It’s both an anti-climax and a good point [to win],” Coleman said. “The expectation was there we could get over the line, the supporters were incredible. We needed to score early – in that first 20 minutes we were right on top, and when you don’t score it can come back to haunt you.
“We had all the possession and chances and had a blatant handball, it had to be a penalty. I don’t know what the officials behind the goal are doing, to be honest. When they’re in a better position than the referee, they need to make the call.”
