Ben Fisher was at the Cardiff City Stadium to witness Wales secure seed status in the play-offs. His report has landed. Enjoy! Thanks for reading this Clockwatch. Nighty night.
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A word with stand-in Wales captain Aaron Ramsey, who talks to Sky. “It’s massive. Full credit to the boys who put in a massive shift. We always believed we could get a result. Everyone put a shift in for each other, put their bodies on the line. There are some big, big teams still in it, so it was so important to get a home tie. Hopefully that’ll give us an extra edge in the play-offs. I’m so proud to represent my country.”
Automatically qualified: Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Croatia, England, Germany.
Seeded in the play-offs: Portugal, Scotland, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Wales.
Unseeded in the play-offs: Turkey, Poland, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Austria, Czech Republic.
The draw for the play-offs will be made on Friday November 26. Scotland and Wales are both assured of a home semi-final tie.
What does all this mean, then? Ukraine leapfrog Finland in Group D to make the play-offs. The Netherlands secure automatic qualification from Group G, Turkey taking the play-off berth at Norway’s expense. And in Group E, Wales battle for a thoroughly deserved draw against Belgium that secures seeding in the play-off. Wales cavort. There’s a huge smile on Gareth Bale’s face. He’ll have been kicking every ball tonight, despite sitting this one out.
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The full times
Group D
Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-2 Ukraine
Finland 0-2 France
Group E
Czech Republic 2-0 Estonia
Wales 1-1 Belgium
Group G
Gibraltar 1-3 Latvia
Montenegro 1-2 Turkey
Netherlands 2-0 Norway
FULL TIME: Wales 1-1 Belgium
A huge result for Wales, who will be seeded in the play-offs!
GOAL! Netherlands 2-0 Norway (Depay 90+1)
Norway need two goals to save themselves. They pile everyone into the Dutch box for a corner. It’s a fatal mistake. Steven Bergwijn breaks clear, runs most of the length of the pitch, then rolls unselfishly to Memphis Depay to his left. Depay slams home, and the Dutch are home and hosed! Two late goals in Montenegro put a stop to Holland’s gallop on Saturday; two late goals have got the job done tonight.
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There will be six added minutes in Cardiff. Belgium are pushing Wales back, looking for the winner that would snatch play-off seeding from the hosts. It was always going to be like this.
GOAL! Czech Republic 2-0 Estonia (Sýkora 85)
Jan Sýkora doubles Czechia’s lead, and Wales will need to hang on for the draw now if they’re to remain in second spot. They’ll still qualify for the play-offs, should the worst happen, on account of their Nations League group win.
GOAL! Netherlands 1-0 Norway (Bergwijn 84)
Steven Bergwijn calms Dutch nerves with a screamer! He races down the inside-right channel, meeting a ball rolled into his path by arrowing an unstoppable rising shot into the top right from the edge of the box! Worth waiting for.
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Neco Williams comes close to a belter. He cuts in from the left and from the edge of the box, creams a wonder strike towards the top right. Koen Casteels fingertips it away, just in the nick of time. Throw in the Thorgan Hazard volley that hit the post, and we’ve been denied a couple of all-time classics in Cardiff this evening!
GOAL! Gibraltar 1-3 Latvia (Krollis 75)
Raimonds Krollis makes sure of the three points for Latvia. Gibraltar will end the campaign pointless, but they gave it a good go tonight.
GOAL! Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-2 Ukraine (Dovbyk 79)
... Artem Dovbyk doubles Ukraine’s lead in Zenica, and they’re almost certainly in the play-offs at Finland’s expense.
GOAL! Finland 0-2 France (Mbappe 76)
Kylian Mbappe strides down the left and lashes home a world-class shot from an uninviting angle. That’s probably done for the Finns, because ...
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A huge chance for Kieffer Moore! He’s found clear on the edge of the box by Joe Allen, but Dedryck Boyata arrives from nowhere to block his drive. And another big miss by Memphis Depay in Rotterdam, who has time 12 yards out, but finds his first shot blocked and whistles his second effort wide left.
Wales are more than holding their own against Belgium. There’s not a lot happening in Cardiff, but with time ticking by, the hosts won’t mind that too much. That applies to the Netherlands, who will secure qualification as things stand, but haven’t managed to find a way through the resilient Norway defence.
GOAL! Finland 0-1 France (Benzema 66)
Karim Benzema comes on to deliver a severe blow to Finland’s hopes of a play-off spot. Ukraine are through to the play-offs as things stand. Finland need an equaliser quicksmart ... or perhaps more realistically are looking to Bosnia-Herzegovina for a favour.
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GOAL! Montenegro 1-2 Turkey (Kokcu 60)
Orkun Kokcu completes the turnaround for the Turks in Podgorica. That puts some serious pressure on Norway now.
GOAL! Czech Republic 1-0 Estonia (Brabec 59)
Jakub Brabec slams home from close range in Prague, and are now on Wales’ heels in Group E. Both the Czechs and Wales are guaranteed a place in the play-0ffs - the Czechs having qualified through the Nations League - but second place isn’t yet in the bag for Wales.
GOAL! Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-1 Ukraine 1 (Zinchenko 58)
Oleksandr Zinchenko opens the scoring in Zenica, and it’s bad news for Finland. As things stand, Ukraine are in the play-offs.
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GOAL! Gibraltar 1-2 Latvia (Uldrikis 55)
Gibraltar were dreaming of a precious point, the first of their campaign, just in time. But the dream is slowly dying: Robert Uldrikis puts the visitors in the lead.
Connor Roberts romps into acres down the right. He loops a cross into the box. Kieffer Moore is winding his neck back with a view to crashing a header home from six yards, so Timothy Castagne’s last-gasp eyebrow clear proves a vital intervention.
A horrible collision between Neco Williams and Aaron Ramsey. The former steals the ball brilliantly from Charles De Ketelaere and makes off down the left, head down. The moment he lifts it, he crashes into Ramsey. Williams takes a whack to the face, coming off worse. Thankfully both players are back up soon enough, but Williams may have quite a shiner in the morning.
It’s fair to say it’s tense and tight across Europe tonight. All seven matches remain level; just the six goals scored so far.
A great chance for Wales is spurned. Dedryck Boyata dithers and allows Dan James to zip off down the left. He looks for Neco Williams in the middle but the ball rolls behind him. No matter, because Connor Roberts is racing down the inside-right channel. However, Roberts, under no pressure, suffers a rush of blood and shanks his shot miles wide right. He needed to work Koen Casteels in the Belgium goal at the very least.
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Well, I say that, but Norway have taken their sweet time to come out for the second half at De Kuip, keeping their hosts waiting. Eventually they emerge from the tunnel and the match can resume.
Belgium get the second half underway in Cardiff. They’ll be up and running again all around Europe as well.
Half-time entertainment.
So as things stand ... Finland will advance to the play-offs from Group D; Wales will be seeded in the play-offs (at Poland’s expense); and the Netherlands will qualify automatically from Group G, with Turkey making it to the play-offs. Tonight’s big losers would be Ukraine and Norway, close but no cigar. Plenty of time for everything to change. Drama, please!
The half-times
Group D
Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-0 Ukraine
Finland 0-0 France
Group E
Czech Republic 0-0 Estonia
Wales 1-1 Belgium
Group G
Gibraltar 1-1 Latvia
Montenegro 1-1 Turkey
Netherlands 0-0 Norway
HALF TIME: Wales 1-1 Belgium
Kieffer Moore sends a screeching shot over the bar from distance, and that’s the end of a very entertaining first half in Cardiff. As things stand, Wales will be seeded for the play-off semi-final.
Belgium are pushing Wales back as half-time approaches. Probing down both flanks. A couple of corners. The hosts could do with hearing the whistle. The pressure is released when poor Ben Davies takes a whack upside his head and the trainer is required. One taken for the team.
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Belgium are this close to scoring one of the great goals. A free kick just to the right of the Wales box, near the byline. De Bruyne shapes to flick the ball into the mixer, only to pull back a floater for Thorgan Hazard, on the edge of the D. Hazard opens his body and strokes a volley towards the top right. It pings off the outside of the post and away. A couple of inches to the left, and that would have been one for the ages.
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Belgium have responded to Moore’s equaliser by hogging the ball. It’s all happening in the centre of the park, though, despite Divock Origi’s best efforts to up Belgium’s tempo with a couple of bustling, if ultimately futile, runs down the middle.
It won’t matter whether Wales are seeded or not; Joe Morrell will miss the semi-final match. He’s booked for persistent fouling, the straw that broke the camel’s back a trip on Axel Witsel that was probably worth yellow on its own terms.
GOAL! Wales 1-1 Belgium (Moore 32)
Dan James burns his way down the left at warp speed. His first cross is half cleared. His second cross is blocked. His third effort loops to Kieffer Moore, spinning on the penalty spot. Moore takes a touch to control, then sweeps an unstoppable drive into the bottom right. Game on!
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Memphis Depay misses another great chance. A looping first-time cross from the right by Steven Bergwijn drops to Depay, six yards out. He flaps his header straight at the keeper. The Netherlands are beginning to stress-test the parsimonious Norwegian defence now.
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GOAL! Gibraltar 1-1 Latvia (Gutkovskis 25)
It could never last, and Vladislavs Gutkovskis levels things up on the rock. A nice goal, too, a dropping ball lashed into the bottom left from 12 yards.
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GOAL! Montenegro 1-1 Turkey (Aktürkoğlu 22)
Kerem Aktürkoğlu equalises for Turkey, putting his team back into the play-offs as things stand, at the expense of Norway.
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A dash of optimism, courtesy of our old pal Kári Tulinius. “On paper, France should trounce Finland, and Ukraine should beat Bosnia. The pessimist in me sees no way for Finland to outdo Ukraine tonight, but football is a ridiculous sport. So I let myself hope. As the Finnish chant has it: Oi Suomi on!”
Wales haven’t responded to falling behind. A bit of sterile possession in the middle of the park, but no real advance towards the Belgian box.
The Dutch should be leading in Rotterdam. A right-wing cross should be converted by Memphis Depay from six yards, but he takes a strange lunge at the ball, missing it altogether and allowing Ørjan Nyland to gather. Then a much more confident flick of the boot, as he meets another right-wing cross. It’s heading into the bottom right, but Nyland is down quickly to smother.
GOAL! Wales 0-1 Belgium (De Bruyne 12)
This is a lovely goal - Kevin De Bruyne meeting a half-cleared ball on the flush, steering a delicious volley into the bottom right - but it’s silenced the Cardiff City Stadium. Welsh hopes of being seeded in the play-offs take a huge knock.
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The first big scare for Wales in Cardiff. Divock Origi takes a stride towards the Welsh box and lets a shot rip towards the bottom right. Danny Ward does extremely well to turn it around the post, and nothing comes of the resulting corner.
GOAL! Gibraltar 1-0 Latvia (Walker 7)
Gibraltar score only their fourth goal of the campaign, Liam Walker swanning gracefully in from the right and dinking a lovely finish over the Latvian keeper. There’s nothing riding on this match, but that doesn’t stop Gibraltar celebrating wildly, and who can blame them?
GOAL! Montenegro 1-0 Turkey (Bećiraj 3)
Some great news for Holland and Norway, as Fatos Bećiraj gives Montenegro the early lead in the other important Group G game. A huge gap appeared in the middle of the Turkey back line, not for the first time in this qualification campaign, and Bećiraj was able to steer into the bottom left without too much bother.
No super-early goals in any of tonight’s seven games. In Rotterdam, the big winner-takes-all game between the Netherlands and Norway begins with some gentle probing by both sides. Everyone getting a nice feel of the ball.
They’re off in Cardiff ... and Wales make a statement of intent in the first 20 seconds, winning the first corner of the match. Nothing comes of it, but that’s the gauntlet flung down!
All across Europe, the teams take to the pitch. Plenty of bedlam in Cardiff, where Wales, bedecked in their traditional red, emerge from the tunnel. Belgium, number one in the world, will play in second-choice white. We’ll be off in short order, one the anthems are done and dusted.
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Group D team news
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Vasilj, Ahmedhodzic, Hadzikadunic, Kovacevic, Susic, Prcic, Hadziahmetovic, Gojak, Stevanovic, Demirovic, Menalo.
Subs: Krunic, Prevljak, Kodro, Piric, Sanicanin, Cipetic, Cimirot, Nalic, Sehic, Jovicic, Ziljkic, Civic.
Ukraine: Bushchan, Zabarnyi, Stepanenko, Matviyenko, Tymchyk, Malinovsky, Zinchenko, Sobol, Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk, Tsygankov.
Subs: Riznyk, Dovbyk, Kovalenko, Kacharaba, Pyatov, Shaparenko, Sydorchuk, Kryvtsov, Karavayev, Buyalsky, Harmash, Zubkov.
Finland: Hradecky, Uronen, Ivanov, Vaisanen, O’Shaughnessy, Hamalainen, Nissila, Schuller, Kamara, Pukki, Lod.
Subs: Tenho, Toivio, Taylor, Eriksson, Jensen, Forss, Valakari, Niskanen, Granlund, Arajuuri, Pohjanpalo, Joronen.
France: Lloris, Kounde, Upamecano, Zouma, Dubois, Tchouameni, Rabiot, Digne, Griezmann, Diaby, Mbappe-Lottin.
Subs: Kante, Areola, Coman, Veretout, Pavard, Hernandez, Guendouzi, Benzema, Costil, Lenglet, Lucas, Ben Yedder.
Other Group E team news
Czech Republic: Vaclik, Coufal, Zima, Brabec, Novak, Kral, Sadilek, Masopust, Barak, Pesek, Vydra.
Subs: Mandous, Havel, Soucek, Nguyen, Sykora, Mateju, Panak, Krmencik, Pavelka, Kopic, Kuchta.
Estonia: Igonen, Paskotsi, Kuusk, Tamm, Mets, Sinyavskiy, Poom, Kreida, Vassiljev, Sappinen, Sorga.
Subs: Anier, Teniste, Ojamaa, Lukka, Vallner, Soomets, Puri, Pikk, Aksalu, Zenjov, Miller, Kirss.
Rob Page speaks to Sky. “We want that home tie. We saw what impact our support can have on the team on Saturday evening. It’s in our control and a point will take us through to that. Look at the size of the teams dropping into the play-offs, we want to finish second. We can only control what we can control, our performance tonight. If we maintain our levels, the result will take care of itself. It’s the most sensible thing to leave Gareth out, he’ll be fully fit come March.”
Group G team news
Netherlands: Cillessen, Dumfries, de Ligt, van Dijk, Blind, Wijnaldum, Frenkie de Jong, Klaassen, Bergwijn, Depay, Danjuma.
Subs: Ake, Malacia, Lang, de Roon, Gravenberch, Weghorst, Rensch, Til, Flekken, Koopmeiners, Malen, Krul.
Norway: Nyland, Pedersen, Strandberg, Hanche-Olsen, Meling, Odegaard, Thorsby, Normann, Elyounoussi, Sorloth, Solbakken.
Subs: Daehli, Hansen, Ryerson, Gregersen, Olsen, Thorstvedt, Gyrtebust, Gabrielsen, Midtsjoe, King, Aursnes, Hauge.
Montenegro: Sarkic, Vesovic, Savic, Vujacic, Radunovic, Jovovic, Jankovic, Haksabanovic, Tomasevic, Beciraj, Osmajic.
Subs: Vujnovic, Vukotic, Dreskovic, Agovic, Mirkovic, Raickovic, Bozovic, Mijatovic, Marko Vukcevic, Simic.
Turkey: Cakir, Celik, Soyuncu, Demiral, Erkin, Omur, Ozdemir, Akturkoglu, Dervisoglu, Calhanoglu, Burak Yilmaz.
Subs: Karaman, Ridvan Yilmaz, Destanoglu, Antalyali, Cigerci, Kokcu, Dursun, Ayhan, Bolat, Baris Yilmaz, Sari, Kutlu.
Gibraltar: Coleing, Sergeant, Wiseman, Roy Chipolina, Mouelhi, Britto, Torrilla, Annesley, Valarino, De Barr, Walker.
Subs: Morgan, Ronan, Jolley, Bosio, Goldwin, Banda, Casciaro, Vinet, Barnett, Badr, Styche, Coombes.
Latvia: Ozols, Savavnieks, Cernomordijs, Dubra, Jurkovskis, Jaunzems, Kigurs, Tarasovs, Ciganiks, Gutkowski, Uldrikis.
Subs: Krollis, Sorokins, Kamess, Fyodorov, Karklins, Zjuzins, Oss, Varslavans, Zviedris, Matrevics.
Wales v Belgium team news
Wales: Ward, Neco Williams, Ben Davies, Mepham, Rodon, Morrell, Ramsey, Allen, Connor Roberts, James, Moore.
Subs: Johnson, Thomas, Norrington-Davies, Colwill, Tyler Roberts, Hennessey, Vaulks, Jonathan Williams, Wilson, Adam Davies, Gunter, Lawrence.
Belgium: Casteels, Castagne, Boyata, Theate, Meunier, Witsel, De Bruyne, Thorgan Hazard, Vanaken, De Ketelaere, Origi.
Subs: Vertonghen, Trossard, Dendoncker, Carrasco, Sels, Saelemaekers, Vanzeir, Faes, Benteke, Sambi Lokonga, Mertens, Kaminski.
Referee: Artur Soraes Dias (Portugal).
Wales captain Gareth Bale, who won his 100th cap against Belarus on Saturday, misses out on cap 101 through injury. He’s one of three changes, with Ethan Ampadu suspended and Harry Wilson dropping to the bench. Chris Mepham, Joe Morrell and Kieffer Moore come in. Belgium have a few injuries, and only five survivors - Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne, Hans Vanaken, Timothy Castagne and Thomas Meunier - from the side which saw off Estonia on Saturday remain.
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Preamble
There’s plenty on the line tonight. Wales need to beat Belgium this evening to be sure of being seeded in the play-offs, though a point would be enough should Turkey fail to win by four goals in Montenegro, or they don’t win by three while Norway beat the Netherlands by four. Finland host reigning champions France requiring victory to be sure of a place in the play-offs; if they lose or draw, Ukraine can pip them by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina. And it’s all to play for in Group G, where the Netherlands, Norway and Turkey can all still qualify automatically, and yet one of them is certain to be eliminated tonight. Excitement guaranteed! Kick offs are at 7.45pm GMT. It’s on!
Group D
Bosnia-Herzegovina v Ukraine
Finland v France
Group E
Czech Republic v Estonia
Wales v Belgium
Group G
Gibraltar v Latvia
Montenegro v Turkey
Netherlands v Norway
