Wales - our biggest home games
Ignoring the home internationals, I've been looking at past qualification campaigns and how we've done at home in those winner-takes-all games.
November 1975 - Wales 1-0 Austria. Wales needed to avoid defeat to Austria to make the quarter finals of Euro 1976.
May 1976 - Wales 1-1 Yugoslavia. 2-0 down from the first leg, Wales conceded an early penalty and failed to make the last 4.
October 1981 - Wales 2-2 Iceland. A win would have taken Wales 2 points above the Soviet Union, albeit with a trip to Tbilisi to come. Wales let the lead slip twice and lost out to Czechoslovakia on goal difference.
December 1983 - Wales 1-1 Yugoslavia. A win would have qualified us for Euro 1984.
September 1985 - Wales 1-1 Scotland. A win would have qualified us for a playoff to get to the World Cup in 1986.
November 1993 - Wales 1-2 Romania. Technically a 2-0 win would have taken us to the World Cup in 1994 but as it turned out a win would have sufficed. Recovered to equalise in the second half, a missed penalty saw us miss out again. In that group we had our last 3 games at home and managed just 1 win.
November 2003 - Wales 0-1 Russia. Having drawn away in our first leg of the playoff to get to Euro 2004, we missed out again. In the group stage Italy were a point ahead of us going into the last two games. They drew in Serbia. 2 wins would have taken us to Euro 2004 automatically. We won 1 point from our last two home games.
September 2015 - Wales 0-0 Israel. Technically not a winner-takes-all affair, but we got the point we needed to reach Euro 2016.
October 2017 - Wales 0-1 Republic of Ireland. Unbeaten in the group stage, automatic qualification was unlikely, but a draw meant a playoff place.
November 2019 - Wales 2-0 Hungary. Wales needed to beat Hungary to qualify for Euro 2020 (2021) automatically.
November 2021 - Wales 1-1 Belgium. Needed a point to finish second and guarantee a playoff place.
It's a pretty depressing list to be honest. However, we do seem to have made the Cardiff City Stadium more of a fortress than we ever managed anywhere else before.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
No mention of Scotland 1977?
I know it was at Anfield but it was technically a home game.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Lots of painful memories in there. Let’s hope Sunday isn’t added to the list.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Claude Blue
No mention of Scotland 1977?
I know it was at Anfield but it was technically a home game.
I ummed and arred about this one. We were 2 points behind Scotland and needed a win. Even then we had to go to Prague but would have done so with a far greater goal difference.
On reflection, yes, should have been included, especially as I included the Israel one....
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Nice One Eric.
May as well cancel my flight this week.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Bodes pen miss will always stay with me
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Eric the Half a Bee
Ignoring the home internationals, I've been looking at past qualification campaigns and how we've done at home in those winner-takes-all games.
November 1975 - Wales 1-0 Austria. Wales needed to avoid defeat to Austria to make the quarter finals of Euro 1976.
May 1976 - Wales 1-1 Yugoslavia. 2-0 down from the first leg, Wales conceded an early penalty and failed to make the last 4.
October 1981 - Wales 2-2 Iceland. A win would have taken Wales 2 points above the Soviet Union, albeit with a trip to Tbilisi to come. Wales let the lead slip twice and lost out to Czechoslovakia on goal difference.
December 1983 - Wales 1-1 Yugoslavia. A win would have qualified us for Euro 1984.
September 1985 - Wales 1-1 Scotland. A win would have qualified us for a playoff to get to the World Cup in 1986.
November 1993 - Wales 1-2 Romania. Technically a 2-0 win would have taken us to the World Cup in 1994 but as it turned out a win would have sufficed. Recovered to equalise in the second half, a missed penalty saw us miss out again. In that group we had our last 3 games at home and managed just 1 win.
November 2003 - Wales 0-1 Russia. Having drawn away in our first leg of the playoff to get to Euro 2004, we missed out again. In the group stage Italy were a point ahead of us going into the last two games. They drew in Serbia. 2 wins would have taken us to Euro 2004 automatically. We won 1 point from our last two home games.
September 2015 - Wales 0-0 Israel. Technically not a winner-takes-all affair, but we got the point we needed to reach Euro 2016.
October 2017 - Wales 0-1 Republic of Ireland. Unbeaten in the group stage, automatic qualification was unlikely, but a draw meant a playoff place.
November 2019 - Wales 2-0 Hungary. Wales needed to beat Hungary to qualify for Euro 2020 (2021) automatically.
November 2021 - Wales 1-1 Belgium. Needed a point to finish second and guarantee a playoff place.
It's a pretty depressing list to be honest. However, we do seem to have made the Cardiff City Stadium more of a fortress than we ever managed anywhere else before.
Think the win over Israel to make the 58 World Cup Finals (albeit fortunately) should be included Eric.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
I went to this game heartbreak all night especially with a fan being killed in the stadium
Lot younger then obvious but didn’t England go behind that night against a really small country and come back to win ????
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pembroke blue
I went to this game heartbreak all night especially with a fan being killed in the stadium
Lot younger then obvious but didn’t England go behind that night against a really small country and come back to win ????
San Marino within 13 seconds of kicking off I believe, they ended up winning 7-1.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
blue matt
Bodes pen miss will always stay with me
Didn’t he score 2 pelanties on the Saturday after, in a league game ?
Or is the grey matter not working this morning
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
The England v San Marino game was being shown on tv in England so I was listening to radio Wales for the game v Romania. When we won the penalty the BBC suddenly switched to the Wales game and stayed with it. I just knew Bodin was going to miss.
I remember that campaign started in Romania and recall coming back from work and switching on the radio. To my horror I think we were something like 5-0 down at half time.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BLUETIT
Didn’t he score 2 pelanties on the Saturday after, in a league game ?
Or is the grey matter not working this morning
Definitely one
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kendoddsdadsdogsdead
Definitely one
At home to Ipswich. He scored 7 that season in the PL for Swindon.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Eric the Half a Bee
At home to Ipswich. He scored 7 that season in the PL for Swindon.
didnt he also a score a pen at Wembley in the play off final to get promoted to the PL
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
blue matt
didnt he also a score a pen at Wembley in the play off final to get promoted to the PL
He did. I think it was the winning goal.
He also scored penalties for Wales prior to that Romania game.
Incredible what pressure does.
I cannot imagine what he was thinking as he took it. He had the guts to do it; he had been a successful penalty taker. One of those things.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Apart form the Ireland home game (where again I think tactics let us down, too conservative), it seems that since 2016 we have had a stronger mentality to get over the line. Hope that continues this weekend.
The CCS plays a big part in this too, the fact that it really has become a true home for the national team, one which helps not hinders the team, is of huge significance.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Hometown Unicorn!
Apart form the Ireland home game (where again I think tactics let us down, too conservative), it seems that since 2016 we have had a stronger mentality to get over the line. Hope that continues this weekend.
The CCS plays a big part in this too, the fact that it really has become a true home for the national team, one which helps not hinders the team, is of huge significance.
Definitely agree with this. The turnaround in recent years is quite remarkable
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Was reading some Scottish guy moaning about the choice of Cardiff City Stadium for Sunday’s match (presumably he was counting his chickens about tonight) - it’s just a Championship ground, not enough away fans will be allowed in etc. etc. All he did in my eyes was reinforce my feeling that, much like with the Racecourse in the seventies and eighties, opposition teams don’t like coming to a medium size ground as much as they do a Millennium Stadium.
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
Was reading some Scottish guy moaning about the choice of Cardiff City Stadium for Sunday’s match (presumably he was counting his chickens about tonight) - it’s just a Championship ground, not enough away fans will be allowed in etc. etc. All he did in my eyes was reinforce my feeling that, much like with the Racecourse in the seventies and eighties, opposition teams don’t like coming to a medium size ground as much as they do a Millennium Stadium.
I guess there's a certain validity in the argument that big games should be played in as big a stadium as possible. In principle that's fair enough, but the Millennium Stadium /Arms Park is no more the traditional home of welsh football than Murrayfield is Scottish football (okay, there is a bit more history but still..)
I did wonder if the FAW would move this game to the Millennium before it was all rearranged, maybe it wasn't possible anyway, but credit to them for sticking with the CCS given they could have sold 40,000 more tickets in town
Re: Wales - our biggest home games
Quote:
Originally Posted by
JamesWales
I guess there's a certain validity in the argument that big games should be played in as big a stadium as possible. In principle that's fair enough, but the Millennium Stadium /Arms Park is no more the traditional home of welsh football than Murrayfield is Scottish football (okay, there is a bit more history but still..)
I did wonder if the FAW would move this game to the Millennium before it was all rearranged, maybe it wasn't possible anyway, but credit to them for sticking with the CCS given they could have sold 40,000 more tickets in town
Maybe had the Bryn Glas tunnels in mind:hehe:
