Wales end Ukraine dream to qualify for World Cup after 64 year wait

Wales ended their 64-year wait for a place in the World Cup finals as they beat Ukraine 1-0 on Sunday to end the war-torn nation's hopes of reaching Qatar.

An own goal from Ukraine winger Andriy Yarmolenko, who headed a Gareth Bale free-kick into his own net, decided the contest.

Wales will join the United States, Iran and rivals England in Group B at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Wales beat Ukraine to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 pic.twitter.com/0P4ad83SJy

— GOAL (@goal) June 5, 2022

The home crowd at Cardiff City Stadium in Wales was euphoric as their team qualified for the nation's first World Cup since 1958.

"The result is the greatest result in history of Welsh football," said Welsh star Gareth Bale, who previously led his country to the semi-finals of Euro 2016. "It's what dreams are made of.

"I'm speechless because we're so happy. We did it for all our amazing fans in the country. Words can't describe our feelings at the moment."

The Ukrainian players appeared heartbroken following the defeat, wanting to give their country a positive after it has endured three months of bombardment by Russia.

#Ukraine national team, thanks for making us feel so happy and proud. To get this far was incredible. Wasn’t our day but a massive congratulations to Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 and good luck in Qatar! #WALUKR #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/WrUu0jLrHQ

— Maria Romanenko (@rommari) June 5, 2022

Oleksandr Petrakov's men deserved much more from another exceptionally composed performance under the strain of carrying the hopes of a people devastated by Russian aggression.

"I think we did everything we could, but I really want the people in Ukraine to remember our team, our efforts," said Petrakov.

"I want to say sorry we didn't score but this is sport."

Ukraine hasn't qualified for the World Cup since 2006. This match was delayed about three months because of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which was banned from competing in the qualifier.