Cymru will face the Republic of Ireland in a two-legged play-off final after leaving it late to overcome Slovakia at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday.
A scrappy first half saw Cymru maintain the majority of possession – but turning it into a tangible lead proved difficult, with countless efforts stifled by Maria Korenciova between the Slovakian sticks.
Jess Fishlock, named in the starting eleven after her substitute appearance in Poprad last week, eventually found the breakthrough with less than ten minutes remaining before the interval as she dinked the goalkeeper, levelling the tie on aggregate.
With the scoreline still level at the sounding of the full-time whistle, thirty minutes of extra time were in order and with just eight of those remaining, Ceri Holland netted a decisive goal that keeps the hosts’ hopes of a month in Switzerland alive.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs it happened
For Rhian Wilkinson’s Cymru, the task was simple: win.
It was a task that, for much of the first half, looked easier said than done. Early deliveries in courtesy of Lily Woodham were held well by Maria Korenciova, and Rachel Rowe’s teasing cross for Jess Fishlock didn’t come to all that much either as the visiting defence remained resolute.
Ffion Morgan could have had her name on the scoresheet just before the half-hour mark after another Rowe couldn’t quite connect with an incoming cross from the left, though the Bristol City forward scuffed her attempt just wide of the left post to a chorus of groans from the home supporters.
But the Welsh pressure continued to mount, with the hosts winning a corner as Jana Votjeková slid in well to turn Morgan’s cross behind for a corner after a well-timed pass from Angharad James in midfield. The set-piece didn’t come to anything of note for Cymru though, with Lily Woodham’s delivery nodded behind.
As desperation grew amongst the Welsh ranks, respite arrived in the form of Fishlock. Another fine pass through from James sent the 37-year-old through on goal, restoring aggregate parity as she dinked Korenciova with a beautiful precision.
Embed from Getty ImagesCymru trundled down the tunnel for half-time as contenders; they emerged fifteen minutes later as a side rejuvenated. Ceri Holland saw an effort zip wide of the far post after cutting in from the right, before Morgan squandered two opportunities in quick succession by blazing over the crossbar before curling harmlessly wide of the far post.
Slovakia looked to claw themselves back into the lead they earned so valiantly on home soil as the hour mark grew nearer in Cardiff, with Patricia Hmírova forcing Olivia Clark into two routine saves via crosses from the right-hand side.
But Slovakia’s attacking contributions would be short-lived, with Cymru soon back on the front foot as they continued their search for a goal that would see them take control of this tie for the first time. Fishlock found the net twice but was denied by the offside flag on both occasions, with Holland in an illegal position as she provided the assist for the first ‘goal’ and Fishlock herself straying too far forwards as she latched onto a through ball for the second.
Embed from Getty ImagesYet for all those close chances, Cymru could not find that elusive breakthrough they so desperately needed – and so, with the best chance of the dying stages falling for Slovakia’s Tamara Morávková, this qualification tie would need a further thirty minutes of extra time to decide who’d be pitted against the Republic of Ireland in the fight for a spot in Switzerland.
Unnervingly for the hosts, Slovakia enjoyed the better start to the first half of extra time. Kristína Panáková unleashed a fierce effort from distance that flew just over the crossbar, with the hosts’ closest efforts both coming through off-target strikes from a tiring Fishlock.
A brief pause for half-time revolutionised Cymru once more, with a teasing ball intended for Hannah Cain held well by Korenciova before Gemma Evans timed a sliding challenge to perfection to deny a promising Slovakian counterattack.
Finally, with just eight minutes remaining before the dreaded penalty shootout still feared by those of a Welsh affection after the men’s EURO2024 heartbreak against Poland, Rhian Wilkinson’s side found the answer to their prayers: Ceri Holland.
Smashing home on the rebound after Kayleigh Barton had initially struck the post, an agonisingly lengthy VAR check for offside followed before Pawel Malec decided there was in fact no reason to deny Cymru their second goal of the evening.
Victory in Cardiff sets up a two-legged play-off final against the Republic of Ireland, with the first leg to be played at the Cardiff City Stadium on 29 November before the return leg sees Cymru head to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. The two sides met earlier this year in Tallaght, with Cymru prevailing on that occasion.
The lineups
CYM: Clark; Evans, Roberts, Ladd, Woodham; Holland, Griffiths, James; Fishlock, Morgan, Rowe
SVK: Korenciova; Votjeková, Bartovičová, Košiková, Mat’avková, Horvathova; Hmírová, Mikolajová, Šurnovská, Škerdová; Hrúziková
