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| Wales' party is put on hold after draw at home to Israel |
SO STILL they wait. It is not quite the agony of times gone past, but boy, do Wales know how to put their fans through the wringer.
The sun was shining, the fans were out on the city centre streets in their red shirts drinking, singing and dancing, already planning on booking their tickets for France next summer.
And then Israel arrived. Stubborn, unwilling, un-cooperative Israel. They had one shot on goal all night, but they defended with utterly grim determination. And yet another Welsh night ended in frustration.
But not disaster, because a point in Bosnia on October 10 will still see them through to the Euro 2016 finals. Failing that, there is Andorra at home three days later. Surely, surely they can't stumble now.
After past disasters, a delay of just over a month should surely be bearable for the Principality's long suffering fans. Fifty seven years of pain does not end that easily folks.
And actually Chris Coleman's team should have won a game they almost totally dominated from start to finish. Aaron Ramsey missed a golden early chance, and Andy King, David Edwards and Gareth Bale - obviously - all missed good opportunities. Plus they had what looked like a perfectly good shout for a penalty turned down late on by Croatian referee Ivan Bebek, when Eytan Tibi appeared to clearly handle in the penalty area. But it was not to be.
Israel, as coach Eli Gutman freely admitted afterwards, came for a point and got it.
There will be those who reel off the litany of nights of doom for Wales after this frustration: nights of agony when Wales fell at the final hurdle - 1977 and 1985 against Scotland, 1983 against Romania and 2003 against Russia. Each time they one step from glory, each time fate fell against them. Each time there was a long period of recrimination, of rebuilding.
This was different. Matters are still in Wales' hands. As coach Chris Coleman afterwards, Welsh teams might in the past have lost this game. But this current line up know how to grind out a result, this was four points from two games. It is coming. Coincidentally that qualification for the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden - the last finals Wales reached - came via a win over Israel, that time in a play off. Wales won home and away then. This one wasn't so easy.
Coleman's team, fresh from that victory in Cyprus on Thursday, tore into the Israelis from the off, backed by a fanatical crowd. Andy King saw his shot held by goalkeeper Ofir Marciano, but Wales should have got the early goal that would have killed it when the indefatigable Hal Robson-Kanu won the ball, and set up King.
The midfielder burst through on goal saw his shot saved by Marciano's foot - but then somehow Ramsey somehow headed the rebound over with the goal gaping. Wales battered away at the Israel defence, but former Bolton and Chelsea man Tal Ben Haim, now 33, held them steady, and Marciano was a safe pair of hands.
Robson-Kanu, who never stopped running all night, put two headers over, and then Bale, who had a quiet game, burst through middle only to shoot high and wide. Then Wales' usual saviour - six of their nine goals so far in this campaign have been scored by Bale - chipped a free kick over from the edge of the area when he should have done better. Marciano did well when he saved King's close range header, and even better when David Edwards from six yards out back flicked Ramsey's corner, scooping the ball around the post.
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| Simon Church's goal was ruled out for offside |
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| Chris Coleman and his Wales side will have to put the Euro 2016 qualification party on hold |
As the pressure mounted, referee Bebek to Wales' astonishment waved away their claims for a penalty when Tibi clearly looked to have handled.
Israel's only moment of danger came when Tal Ben Haim II (correct0 crossed and Tomer Hemed flashed in a diving header - but Wayne Hennessey turned the ball over the bar. Apart from that moment they did not have a shot on goal. Twice Bale went close as the pressure mounted, and Marciano saved Ramsey's deflected shot. In injury time sub Simon Church nodded home - but was clearly offside. Wales had played well, but not quite well enough. There were times when Coleman's men lost their focus, lost their intensity as the crowd bayed.
Afterwards Coleman said that Bale, who dropped deep often to try to get hold of the ball and never had enough runs at the Israeli defence to really cause too much havoc, had suffered from two games in four days and having taken some kicks in Cyprus. For once Wales' talisman could not deliver.
He will just have to do to again, next month. You can't ask the fans to take too much more - can you?
Wales (3-5-2): Hennessey; Gunter, A Williams, Davie; Richards, King (Vokes 85), Ramsey, Edwards, Taylor; Robson-Kanu (Church 78), Bale.
Israel (4-4-2): Marciano; Dgani, Ben Haim, Tibi, Ben Harushi; Dasa, Natcho, Bitton, Kayal (Ben Haim II 46); Zahavi (Sahar 90), Dabbur( Hemed 46).
Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia).
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