Wales are bound to feel disappointed – had Gareth Bale’s shot veered a couple of inches to the right, they would have won the game, and seeing Serbia find the net by an equally fine margin was a brutal sucker punch. For both teams, there’s still a long way to go.
The draw leaves Wales on six points, after they surrender the lead for the third qualifier in a row. They’re two points behind Serbia, and four behind Ireland, with away fixtures against both in March. That may be where top spot in this intriguing group is decided. Thanks for reading. Hwyl fawr, збогом, goodbye!
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Full time: Wales 1-1 Serbia
It feels like a defeat for the home crowd as the final whistle goes, after Aleksandar Mitrovic’s late equaliser cancels out Gareth Bale’s first-half goal.
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93 mins: Tadic swings the corner in, but Vokes thuds it clear at the near post. That’s it...
92 mins: Serbia looking to twist the knife, with Matic earning a corner in the last minute of stoppage time...
91 mins: Vokes almost prods the ball home from a through ball, but is flagged offside – that was a close call.
89 mins: A game that’s been simmering for some time is coming to the boil, with Ashley Williams and Serbia goalkeeper Stojkovic booked in quick succession. Three added minutes for either side to find a winner.
87 mins: Mitrovic goes off, replaced by holding midfielder Nemanja Gudelj. The crowd are in a state of shock; both sides hit the post within a minute, but luck went Serbia’s way. Credit to Mitrovic for taking his chance, although it may go down as a Hennessey own goal.
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GOAL! Wales 1-1 Serbia (Mitrovic)
Serbia tear up the other end, with Wales caught cold, and Rukavina crosses from the right towards Mitrovic. The Newcastle forward, who has been isolated all night, flicks a header onto the far post, and it squirms in off Hennessey!
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84 mins: Wales hit the post! Lawrence finds Ramsey in space with a deft flick, and Ramsey slides the ball into Gareth Bale’s path. The angle is against him, but his low shot looks in all the way – until it crashes off the upright.
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83 mins: Joe Ledley is replaced by Dave Edwards after a terrific, all-action display in central midfield.
81 mins: Serbia have been patient in the second half, keeping the ball when they can and waiting for a chance to present itself. Time will tell if it’s the right strategy. Ivanovic finds Obradovic in space on the left, behind the defence, but he can only nod the ball to Hennessey.
79 mins: Wales rocking here, with Obradovic’s deep cross bouncing all the way to Rukavina, who gets two chances to find a killer cross. The second skips across goal, but with Mitrovic surrounded by red shirts, the chance goes begging.
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76 mins: Ledley wins possession once again; he and Allen have stepped up significantly after Serbia’s early midfield dominance. Wales win a free kick, but Ramsey’s attempted cross is cleared. The hosts have the ball just where they want it, though.
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75 mins: Bale’s latest weapon, the long throw, causes confusion in the Serbia area, before Ramsey goes down clutching his ankle. He’s fine, but Wales (and Arsenal) fans might be keen to see him withdrawn soon.
73 mins: Ramsey is back on. This second half hasn’t been a classic, but three precious points are moving ever closer for the hosts.
70 mins: Allen sees his testing cross cleared away by Maksimovic. Serbia break away, and Katai fires a cross in that catches Ramsey right in the aforementioned ‘midriff’. He’s down, in some discomfort, so we really shouldn’t laugh.
68 mins: Ledley is booked after one too many agricultural tackles. Serbia make their first change, with Aleksandar Katai coming on for Kostic.
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67 mins: A change for Wales, as Robson-Kanu is replaced by Tom Lawrence, currently on loan at Ipswich from Leicester City.
66 mins: Tadic picks a hole in the Wales defence, but his through ball is overhit, and Kostic can only hook it back into Hennessey’s arms.
Anybody out there? In honour of poor Dusan Tadic, has anyone had a match ruined by a similarly innocuous injury? I once had to go off after taking a free kick in my ‘midriff’, and the rebound square in the face as I fell to my knees. It feels good to share.
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64 mins: Ramsey is looking a little leggy on his return from injury – when Serbia move upfield, he’s staying further forward than Vokes or Robson-Kanu.
63 mins: This time Tadic, with the cotton wool back up his nose, gets the better of Ledley and wins a free kick 30 yards out, right of centre. Hennessey is off his line smartly to collect it.
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62 mins: Serbia edging further forward, with Tadic playing more centrally – but Wales are standing firm, with Mitrovic unable to get in the game at all.
60 mins: Tadic is dispossessed by Ledley, with a clean sliding tackle that draws a lusty roar from the crowd. Wales holding up well in the second half.
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57 mins: Robson-Kanu is barged off the ball by Nastasic, who goes unpunished, and stays down holding his hip. He’s put in another canny shift for Wales tonight; I’m surprised Tony Pulis hasn’t used him more at West Brom.
55 mins: Bale finds Gunter in space on the right, but his cross is headed away. Serbia spring forward on the break, before Chester gets across to stop Kostic in his tracks.
53 mins: Tadic is struggling – he’s pulled the cotton wool out of his nose – but he gets the better of Allen, earning a free-kick as the Wales midfielder brings him down clumsily. Allen is booked, but Wales see off the danger as Taylor blocks Milivojevic’s cross-shot.
51 mins: The Serbian centre-backs have a height advantage on Vokes and Robson-Kanu, but you wouldn’t know it whenever the ball is crossed into their box. They have some respite here as Serbia move upfield, the useful Rukavina forcing Gunter to turn his cross behind.
49 mins: His shot from a distance has enough power to trouble Stojkovic, who pushes it away. Ramsey collects the ball on the left and lifts it towards Robson-Kanu – but Wales are penalised for a push. Ledley is furious – it certainly looked soft.
48 mins: Bale’s deflected cross has Nastasic and Ivanovic out of position, but Serbia clear Vokes’ header. Seconds later, Allen is upended 30 yards out. Bale is lining this up...
47 mins: Both teams enjoy a short spell of possession in a gentle start to the second half. Poor old Tadic has his nose bandaged, with cotton wool stuffed up his nostrils in the old-school style.
Peep!
We’re off again! No changes for either side, with Wales 45 minutes from a big win.
Three ads in the latest break featured humans heading into space to colonise other planets. I wonder what’s brought this on...
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In tonight’s other qualifiers, Spain lead Macedonia 1-0, Italy are 4-0 up in Liechtenstein, and it’s Ukraine 1-0 Finland and Albania 0-1 Israel at half time. Earlier, aside from Ireland’s win in Austria, Croatia beat Iceland 2-0, and Turkey edged out Kosovo by the same score.
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Half time: Wales 1-0 Serbia
An even, fiercely fought first half, edged by Wales thanks to Gareth Bale’s goal. More soon.
45 mins: Two added minutes. Mitrovic has the chance to test Chester on the break, but the defender tidies up with little fuss.
People say Wales are a one man team but I'm not having it. Bale and Ramsey are quite decent and really help out Joe Allen at times.
— David Cowlishaw (@davidcowlishaw) November 12, 2016
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44 mins: Ramsey draws a foul from Nastasic on the halfway line, flicking the ball on before the defender leaves him in a heap. Nastasic goes in the book, completing a difficult first half for the former Man City man.
43 mins: Oof! Hennessey is tested by Matic, who unleashes a stinging drive from 25 yards out. It’s straight at the goalkeeper, but moving at pace, and Hennessey does well to palm it to safety.
41 mins: Tadic has been patched up, and is coming back on. Serbia almost catch Wales on the break, but Rukavina strays offside on the right with Mitrovic unmarked in the middle.
40 mins: Gunter penalised as the game goes through a scrappy spell. Taylor’s swirling cross is headed down by Robson-Kanu, and almost bounces into Vokes’ path.
38 mins: With that goal, Gareth Bale moves two behind Ian Rush in the all-time standings for Wales.
.@GarethBale11 is closing in:
— Wales (@FAWales) November 12, 2016
28 - Ian Rush
26 - Gareth Bale
23 - Ivor Allchurch/Trevor Ford#WALSRB #TogetherStronger
36 mins: A break in play here as Tadic gets treatment for a nasty cut on his nose. He’s not a pretty sight, and Serbia are forced to play on with 10 men for the time being.
35 mins: The temperature’s rising, as Milivojevic raises a foot on Robson-Kanu. The referee, Alberto Mallenco, doesn’t give a free kick – but does when Taylor’s boot flicks Tadic in the face. Gareth Bale is miffed, and talks his way into the referee’s notebook.
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34 mins: Ledley is penalised for a high boot, allowing Tadic a set piece at an inviting angle. His ball in is excellent, but nobody in a white shirt can get a touch on it.
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32 mins: Wales move through the gears, Ramsey finding Bale on the left. His cross is inch-perfect for Robson-Kanu, who heads just wide!
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30 mins: After a testing half-hour Wales take the lead, thanks largely to Hal Robson-Kanu’s tenacity. Out on the right wing, he bullied Nastasic off the ball, then slotted the ball infield to Bale, who took a touch and fired a low shot that flummoxed Stojkovic – possibly due to a deflection off Ivanovic.
GOAL! Wales 1-0 Serbia (Bale)
Against the run of play, Gareth Bale gives Wales the lead!
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28 mins: Ramsey almost finds Robson-Kanu with a chipped ball into the area, as Wales try and get a foothold in the game.
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26 mins: Kostic fires a speculative shot over from 25 yards. If he and Tadic can connect better with Mitrovic up front, Wales might have a problem. Regardless, this has been a good start from a team whose last qualifying campaign was a total disaster.
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24 mins: Tadic has Ledley on his heels inside the boxes, and fires a blistering shot that Williams somehow gets his head to. That must have stung. Vokes is back to clear the corner away, but Serbia have the upper hand here.
22 mins: Wales are bullied in midfield again, with Allen no match for Matic, who sets up Kostic, again racing forward on the left. His shot is scuffed, and rolls wide of Hennessey’s near post.
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21 mins: You can file this Serbia side under ‘well drilled’. They’ve allowed Wales plenty of possession, but are offering plenty of bite on the break. Here, Rukavina exposes the space on Wales’ left and whips a dangerous ball across goal.
19 mins: Quick thinking from Robson-Kanu, holding up play down the left and slipping a pass into Ramsey’s path – but the returning midfielder can’t bring it under control.
17 mins: ...and from Tadic’s delivery, Serbia so nearly take the lead! Ivanovic’s downward header is going in, but Neil Taylor clears off the line, letting a static Wayne Hennessey off the hook.
16 mins: Ramsey is put in trouble by a pass out from defence, and Serbia strip him of the ball, with Kostic racing into the area. It’s scrambled behind for a corner...
14 mins: Obradovic, an unexpected starter at left-back, steps infield and picks out Rukavina on the right, but his cross is collected by Ramsey.
12 mins: A pattern is emerging, as Wales’ midfield look for gaps in Serbia’s defensive set-up. Ramsey tries an ambitious shot that is blocked behind for a corner.
10 mins: Kostic motors to the byline and tries to pick out Mitrovic, but his pull-back is nowhere near. In team photo news, Wales went with four at the back, and seven at the front this time:
9 mins: Wales have shaded a rough-and-tumble opening spell, and Bale wriggles clear of two markers before firing over the bar. The home fans are singing this; you’ve got to love an instrumental chant.
7 mins: Gunter is brought down by Kostic, allowing Bale the chance to clip the ball into the area – but it’s headed clear. Serbia work their way upfield, and Chester clears into the stand under pressure from Kostic.
5 mins: Gunter pushes up from right-back, and with men in the middle, takes on Obradovic, who does enough to clear for a corner. It’s cleared, and returned with interest by Joe Allen – but it goes into the arms of Nottingham Forest’s Vladimir Stojkovic.
3 mins: Serbia win a corner, but with plenty of big men heading up from the back, Tadic fires it in low, and it’s cleared away.
2 mins: Gareth Bale, starting out on the right-hand side, is involved as Wales stroke the ball around midfield.
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1 min: Wales are in red shirts and white shorts, Serbia in white shirts, blue shorts. Williams hesitates and almost lets Kostic in very early, but Chester covers for his partner at centre-back.
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Peep!
We’re off!
Time for the anthems. Why not join in at home?
Enough talk of actual football: what are Wales going to do in their team photo this time? Joe Ledley has hinted the tradition of lopsided line-ups will continue; will we see a human pyramid, a can-can, or a collective tribute to Ed Balls doing Gangnam Style? We’re about to find out.
Here’s Chris Coleman:
On his formation: “Judging by what Serbia have been doing, we need to be on the front foot.”
Are those two defeats on his mind? “It’s gone, it’s finished. I’ve been telling the boys, [Euro 2016] is finished, so it’s the same for those two games. Tonight it’s not the be all and end all, but a chance for either team to get an edge.”
Is the game must win, or must not lose? “Must perform”. Fair enough.
Tonight’s opponents will bring back painful memories for Wales. Serbia were the last team to come to Cardiff and beat Chris Coleman’s side, back in September 2013. The reverse fixture was even worse – a 6-1 shellacking in 2012 that left Coleman wondering if he was cut out for the job.
With apologies to any Serbian fans checking in, a little more Wales news. Curiously, the Welsh rugby team are playing Argentina at the Millenniu Principality Stadium, barely a mile from the Cardiff City Stadium, right now. It could be a lively night on St. Mary’s Street.
Here’s a thing: Republic of Ireland have beaten Austria 1-0 in Vienna, continuing their superb start to qualifying. Here’s our match report:
That result puts Ireland on 10 points, with Serbia on 7, Wales on 5 and Austria on 4. Defeat tonight would leave Wales five points off a play-off place. Elsewhere, Georgia, who I suggested were underrated in my preamble, drew 1-1 at home to Moldova.
It looks like a rare 4-4-2 for Wales, with Sam Vokes and Hal Robson-Kanu starting; much will depend on where Gareth Bale starts, and if he stays there. Serbia go with a five-man defence, with Southampton’s Dusan Tadic the obvious creative threat; he has scored three and set up five goals in Serbia’s first three qualifiers.
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The teams / Y timau / тимови
Wales: Hennessey; Gunter, A Williams, Chester, Taylor; Allen, Ledley, Ramsey, Bale; Vokes, Robson-Kanu.
Subs: Ward, Fôn Williams, Matthews, Walsh, Dummett, Edwards, Huws, King, Lawrence, MacDonald, J Williams, Cotterill.
Serbia: Stojkovic; Rukavina, Nastasic, Maksimovic, Ivanovic, Obradovic; Kostic, Matic, Milivojevic, Tadic; A Mitrovic.
Subs: Rajkovic, Jovanovic, D Tosix, Gudelj, Z Tosic, Markovic, Radoja, S Mitrovic, Mladenovic, Pejcinovic, Katai, Pavlovic.
Preamble
It says a lot about the year 2016 that Wales reaching the semi-finals of a major tournament is only the 37th weirdest thing that has happened. Like the rest of us, they are now adjusting to a new reality where, as top seeds in their group, pressure sits on their shoulders in every game.
Their bid to reach a first World Cup since 1958 has been far from disastrous; a comfortable win over Moldova and an impressive 2-2 draw in Vienna were followed by a 1-1 home draw against a Georgia side who they clearly underestimated.
By the impeccable barometer of quality that is the Fifa world ranking, No11 Wales are the clear heavyweights in Group D; in reality, Austria (30), Republic of Ireland (33) and tonight’s opponents Serbia (43) will all believe that automatic qualification is within their grasp in a competitive group.
All of which means that the final qualifier before a long winter break takes on added significance, with trips to Dublin and Belgrade coming next spring. Victory would leave Wales well placed; defeat will leave the path to Russia looking a little rocky.
The good news is that Aaron Ramsey is back, for the first time since the Euro 2016 quarter-final win over Belgium, while Joe Allen is also available. The bad news is that in 2014 qualifying, Serbia beat Wales by an aggregate score of 9-1. That feels like a long time ago, but if they embarrass their hosts again, so will Wales’ golden summer.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm GMT; team news and build-up to follow.
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