UEFA's WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS REACH THE LAST STAGE
The European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup have reached the last match day, with four places up for grabs.
Last night, eight nations tasted the bitter taste of elimination, while eight drank the cup of sweet success.
Wales missed out on back-to-back World Cups with a defeat on penalties to Bosnia & Herzegovina after a 1-1 draw in Cardiff.
The Dragons hit the post and took the lead with a long-range spectacular from Harry Wilson but their legs tired and their visitors looked the sharper in the last third of the game and throughout extra-time. Despite a good team spirit under Craig Bellamy, the post-Gareth Bale era for Wales lacks a core of quality performers to get them over the line.
40 year-old Bosnian icon Edin Dzeko equalised before his side won 4-3 on spot kicks to set up a winner-takes-all tie with Italy.
The Azzurri made heavy weather of piercing Northern Ireland's massed defence in Bergamo before Sandro Tonali fired home from the edge of the box on 55 minutes and Moise Kean made it sure 15 minutes later.
The four-time winners are the biggest historic football nation not yet qualified for this year's finals and missed out on the last two World Cups. A third exit would seem unthinkable for such a storied football nation but beating Bosnia on their home turf in Zenica on Tuesday night looks a tough assignment.
Sweden had no trouble dispatching Ukraine 3-1 with a stunning hat-trick from Viktor Gyokeres. The Arsenal man gave us a soirée of top-notch forward play to propel the Vikings into a home tie with Poland, who came from behind to beat Albania 2-1 in Warsaw. The Red and Blacks will kick themselves having missed a good chance to go 2-0 up before another veteran striker, Robert Lewandowski netted and Piotr Zielinski scored a long-range spectacular to win the night for the home side.
The game of the night was undoubtedly in Bratislava where little Kosovo (pop.1.6 million) beat Slovakia 4-3 having twice fallen behind. The prize for the Dardanians is an eliminator at home to Turkey in Pristina next week.
The Turks edged Romania 1-0 at home through a Ferdi Kalioglu strike in the second half but neither side looks likely to worry anyone across the Atlantic this summer. Romania were one of the best sides at USA '94 but there will be no repeat in June. Turkey's away decider in Kosovo looks another uphill task for an established football nation against a supposed minnow.
The Republic of Ireland, absent from the World Cup since 2002, will not be stateside this summer either after losing on penalties to the Czech Republic. The boys in green will feel particularly down having thrown away a 2-0 lead in Prague and their huge travelling support and American backing will be a loss for the finals.
The Czech reward for their comeback victory is a home tie with Denmark, who trounced North Macedonia 4-0 in Copenhagen with a second-half avalanche. The Danes went out in the group stage at Qatar 2022 and their best-ever performance was a quarter-final finish in 1998. The Czechs have only one finals appearance in 2006 where they exited at the group stage but as Czechoslovakia were twice beaten finalists, in 1934 and 1962.
On Tuesday, we will know the final four European qualifiers for the World Cup finals this summer.
FINAL PLAYOFFS - TUE 31st MAR 19:45 GMT
Bosnia & Herzegovina v Italy (WC Group: Canada, Qatar, Switzerland)
Sweden v Poland (WC Group: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia)
Kosovo v Turkey (WC Group: USA, Paraguay, Australia)
Czechia v Denmark (WC Group: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea)
(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile