Having defeated Ukraine at Cardiff City Stadium, Wales has finally managed to qualify for the World Cup after a long wait. The game’s lone goal came from Welsh captain Gareth Bale in the first half, a free-kick that Ukraine captain Andriy Yarmolenko deflected. The Welsh men had several chances to score, with Bale wasting another goal-scoring opportunity and Brennan Johnson hitting the post for Wales. The Welsh defense did a phenomenal job, with Wayne Hennessy in goal and Ben Davies in defense. 

The scenes at the Cardiff City Stadium truly symbolized how happy and ecstatic the country was to end the 64-year dry period. Welsh supporters cheered on the Ukrainian team, and the Football Association of Wales gave 100 Ukrainian refugees free tickets.

After the match and the celebrations, Bale expressed his emotions. 

“It’s what we’ve been working for all our careers for, and to do this for the fans, the nation, ourselves, and our families is an incredible achievement, and it will be something that we will be forever proud of,” Bale said. “It means everything. It is the last piece of the jigsaw that we all wanted, and we’re going to celebrate well tonight”, he added.

At the World Cup in Qatar this November, Wales will be part of an intense group that includes old-time rival England, the United States, and Iran.

Since their first and only World Cup appearance in 1958, the Welsh team has had a few near-misses of qualifying for the World Cup until now. In 2016, Wales qualified for the Euros and ended a 58-year wait for a major tournament, and reached the semi-final, where they were defeated and sent back home by Portugal.