By Graham Thomas
Ceri Holland finally settled Wales’ near fatal anxieties with the goal that puts her team on the edge of history.
After missing countless chances in a one-sided second leg of their play-off semi-final at home to Slovakia, Holland scored the crucial goal eight minutes from the end of extra-time.
It was enough to give Wales a 2-0 victory on the night at Cardiff City Stadium and a 3-2 aggregate win, just when they appeared in danger of succumbing to their own nervous exhaustion.
With Jess Fishlock – as ever – chipping in with a superbly-taken opening goal, it means Wales are into a two-leg play-off final against the Republic of Ireland.
Wales will play at home in the opening leg on November 29 as they bid to make the finals of a major women’s tournament for the first time.
They will face the return in Dublin on December 3.
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But it needed a VAR check to overturn an offisde decision for the dramatic aggregate winner after Holland blasted home – making irrelevant the two disallowed goals earlier and the hatful of missed opportunities.
“I’m a proud coach, because at no point did those women quit on each other,” said a relieved Wales coach Rhian Wilkinson.
“We had to find a way tonight, and we’ll be better because of that, because we have had to survive something like that. We’ll build on it as we prepare for the finals of the play-offs.”
Not for the first time over the past two decades, Wales were hugely indebted to Fishlock and her application and desire as much as her talent and know-how.
Despite the fact that she had not started a game of any description since September 6 because of an unspecified leg injury, the 37-year-old began the contest and lasted the entire 120 minutes.
It was Fishlock who gave Wales their first-half lead with a clever chipped shot over an advancing goalkeeper after a brilliant through ball from captain Angharad James.
It was Fishlock who then had two efforts disallowed for offside and it was Fishlock who battled through weariness to fire a superb pass into the path of Kayleigh Barton, which led to the 112th minute winner.
Barton crashed her shot against the post, before Holand controlled the rebound and found the net on a night when most of her teammates had lacked such composure in front of goal.
“Our performance was epitomised by Jess Fishlock who collapsed at the end of the game and had nothing left to give,” added Wilkinson.
“This is a sporting icon playing for Wales in front of her own fans. I apologised for keeping her on… but there was no way I was taking her off.
“She is the ultimate team player. She said if she had nothing left to take her off. I said ‘I will do what needs to be done.’ And I did that. I had to leave her on. She is phenomenal. I don’t take off Jess Fishlock in a game like that.”
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Wilkinson and her players will know, however, that their level of performance – and in particular their accuracy in front of goal – will need to improve, if they are to beat Ireland over two legs.
Slovakia are ranked 51st in the world, compared to Wales’ standing of 29th, and yet the visitors were able to stifle and subdue Wales for long periods.
When Wales did break through, the Slovakians were generally saved by some wayward Welsh finishing.
It meant what should have been a routine overhauling of a one-goal deficit, became, instead, a nervous journey into extra-time, shrouded in uncertainty, with the ghosts of past failures and near-misses not far from mind.
But Wilkinson insisted: “I think we were the better team and deserved the win tonight, and that’s all we asked of them – to show up today and deliver a performance you can be proud of, and they absolutely did that.
“I’m proud of the team and the performance and the win, but also of my staff and how we delivered and how we stayed in the moment.
“We go on now to the next round against Ireland, and while we know this was a really strong performance, but we also know we need to get better.”
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