ECQ: Wales secure late draw
Croatia 1 - 1 Wales
Debutant Nathan Broadhead secured a potentially crucial point for Wales with a late equaliser in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier against Croatia.
#WalesAway
— Si Guy 🏴 (@SimonFrancesGuy) March 26, 2023
Croatia v Wales
This one I won't forget pic.twitter.com/dJwP4m5462
The Ipswich forward scored from close range after a long throw-in caused chaos in the home side's penalty area.
Andrej Kramaric's sweetly struck shot on 28 minutes had previously given Croatia a deserved half-time lead.
However, Wales improved after the break and did cause Croatia some problems. They would ultimately upset the odds in the third minute of added time. Croatia had previously won 34 and drawn one home European qualifier so this was a huge upset.
Euro 2024 Qualifying (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
A full review of the match
It took Croatia less than three minutes to emphasise both their threat and quality as they pressed Wales into turning over possession. This allowed Luka Modric plenty of space to shoot from distance, but Danny Ward was able to save on the stretch.
#walesawaydays #croatiavwales #cymru ⚽️🏴 pic.twitter.com/YOLNsQNPGd
— Lisa Lewis (@L11saLewis) March 25, 2023
They dominated the early moments of the and Kramaric forced Ward into another superb save on 15 minutes from a sweetly-struck volley. A home-opening goal began to feel inevitable even after Perisic saw his effort ruled out for a foul on 27 minutes, with Croatia's dominance clear.
Wales would have been disappointed in the manner they fell behind, with Joe Rodon and Neco Williams outmuscled by Kramaric who fired into the bottom corner of the net from 20 yards. Poor finishing was all that prevented Wales from falling out of contention and they received a slice of fortune when Mateo Kovacic blasted over after Kramaric's pass gave him a clear sight of goal from just outside the six-yard box.
Croatia lose control in the second-half
Chances were less frequent from the hosts in the second half, but they dominated possession and always seemed in control. Croatia should have scored more, with Perisic's shot from a tight angle cannoning back off the crossbar in what proved a vital moment. Wales knew they were still in the match though whilst it remained only 1-0.
A new era for Wales starts now
This was a much-changed Wales side from the one we saw at the World Cup, with retirements and injuries forcing Page into changes in personnel and formation. The plan was to exhibit a more athletic side than the one that disappointed in Qatar. However, despite defending well at times, Wales were poor in possession.
It took until the 42nd minute for them to even get a sight of goal. The whole challenge for Page was emphasised by his bench. Six of of their 12 substitutes had never played an international match. They should have equalised on 60 minutes when James failed to hit the target after Wilson's clever pass gave him a clear sight of the goal.
Broadhead becomes the hero
As the tweet below implies, Broadhead is clearly a well liked player. Many people were delighted with his goal and performance. One Everton fan replied: "I am so happy for him, I'd argue that he should still be playing for us."
Congratulations to Ex Everton youngster Nathan Broadhead on his first goal for Wales 🏴pic.twitter.com/Z8gbk8pt9w
— 𝐓𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐄 𝐓𝐕 (@ToffeeTVEFC) March 25, 2023
The substitute Nathan Broadhead stole the headlines as he sneaked in at the back post deep into added-on time to tap home after Chris Mepham's header fell to him when Croatia failed to deal with a Connor Roberts long throw. This was a fantastic moment. It got people asking the question, where could Broadhead's Welsh career end up?
Highlights
Video credit - HIGHLIGHTS | Croatia 1-1 Wales | Late drama as Nathan Broadhead scores equaliser on debut! 🏴 - YouTube
Some of the best reaction
Steven was in Croatia and was delighted with the late point. He told us: "At no stage were we expecting that, this is what makes it such a great night. We struggled to cope with Croatia at times but were never over-run and stayed in the game until the end. This will be the hardest fixture that we face in this qualifying campaign."
Danny was also there, he told us: "It wasn't the best performance, but that will prove to be a very good point for us.
Helen added: "I think it's brilliant, we need to enjoy that. What a fantastic moment, you know when you've stolen a point as a footballer and a fan. It doesn't make it any less sweet for us."
Peter spoke with great pride about how the Welsh side defended: "I am so happy with the result. We look like we have a lot more steel at the back. With this, we are always going to be only a good attack away from taking points against some of the best international sides.
Wales captain Aaron Ramsey told the medua after the match: "I'm absolutely delighted with that, really proud of the team's performance tonight. We knew we'd have long periods without the ball, they keep the ball well, but we kept ourselves in the game and were patient. To score late on like that, it feels a little more special."
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This video contains the scenes from the Wales end.
Wales Away aha aha i like it🫶🏼🇭🇷🏴#walesaway #croatiavwales #nathanbroadhead #cymru pic.twitter.com/vGRCoFxNBk
— Alaw Llyfni 🏴 (@bbbcymraeg) March 25, 2023
From talking to everyone it seems, onwards and upwards for Robert Page's side. Qualifying for another international tournament would be a huge achievement and prove that there is life without Gareth Bale.
