Originally Posted by
Loramski
It's the hope that kills you. After a fantastic draw against Germany the Welsh lads suddenly had to deal with some expectation, for once, as the French were up next in a tricky, but winnable, game. Wales have had the better of them every time over the past 6 years but a slight dip in form and the law of averages did for Wales as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat.
A heavy loss against the Dutch followed. Absolutely no shame in that, the Dutch are World number one and ended up winning this tournament, but it seemed to knock the stuffing out of the lads and a shambolic 4-1 defeat to the bus-parking Austrians left them guaranteed to finish last with one game left.
A lot of these lads got their chance at international level after the 2013 squad imploded in Vienna, now it looked like this squad would do the same 10 years later. A lot of bad feeling and arguments in the changing room after, unheard of in this tight-knit group, but a team meeting later in the day cleared the air.
Spain needed a win in the last game to guarantee a place in the 2025 Euros. Wales only had pride to play for but they showed plenty of that, fighting back from 3-1 down to equalise late on. A draw would've been very creditable but the chance to beat a top ten side was there and they pushed for a winner. Summing up the week, they got caught on the counter-attack and conceded again with 26 seconds left for a 4-3 loss.
A tough week, time will tell what the consequences will be. One lad retired after the last game, a key back-room staff member too. A few more might feel it's time to call it a day soon, especially if they continue to have to fund the programme themselves. It's dawning on them that further progress is impossible without the kind of backing that other teams are getting.