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Nathan Broadhead, a goalscoring hero on his debut for Wales, talks to S4C. “I got a bit overwhelmed to be honest! I got quite emotional. I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long! We needed a point. We came here to win the game, but getting a point is also good. We’re made up!”
Ethan Ampadu adds: “We found it tough. But our message was to stay in it. We’ll always create a chance. Everyone’s buzzing for Nathan. We’ll enjoy this one tonight then go back home and work on the next one [Latvia on Tuesday].”
What a dramatic end to the start of the post-Bale era! Croatia outclassed Wales in the first half, but Rob Page’s side gave as good as they got in the second half. Ivan Perisic may have hit the bar with a spectacular effort, but down the other end, Daniel James should have scored when set up by Harry Wilson, then with seconds remaining on the clock, Nathan Broadhead rammed home as the hosts failed to deal with a long Connor Roberts throw. What moxie shown by Wales! They celebrate a precious point away against the third-best team at the last World Cup. A textbook demonstration of the importance in hanging on in there, and never giving up!
FULL TIME: Croatia 1-1 Wales
Pêl-droed, eh? Uffern waedlyd!
90 min +4: Bedlam as Wales cavort in front of their supporters. Then the restart. Juranovic drives his way down the right and cuts back for Perisic, who drives a shot straight at Ward. The keeper claims.
GOAL! Croatia 1-1 Wales (Broadhead 90+3)
What drama here! Roberts flings in from the right touchline. Mepham rises highest to flick on towards the far post. Broadhead nips in ahead of Juranovic, and pokes home from a tight angle!
90 min +2: Morrell is replaced by Jordan James, who makes his debut. On the other end of the scale, Modric’s 163rd international appearance ends as he makes way for Majer.
90 min +1: The first of three additional minutes. Croatia play the free kick short. The ball’s eventually pumped into the Wales box. It’s half cleared. Perisic goes for the spectacular again, but his dipping volley towards the bottom right isn’t fierce enough and easily snaffled by Ward.
90 min: Modric dribbles hard down the inside-right channel and draws a foul from Morrell. A free kick, 35 yards out. Modric doesn’t rush in getting back up to take it.
89 min: Croatia play some more keep-ball, with the clock on their side.
88 min: Croatia advance up the field and spend some time in the Welsh half. So much for that short burst of Welsh pressure.
86 min: Wales fans will understandably demur, but what a shame that Perisic effort didn’t go in. It would have been a goal from the ages. But as it is, Wales are still in this, and now they press Croatia back into their final third. Another long Roberts throw. Some more head tennis. Croatia manage to clear, but the home fans are getting a tad nervous.
84 min: … so was that a deliberate shot or a mishit cross? Let’s go with the former: there were no other Croatians around, or in the middle, so there’s a good chance Perisic decided to buy a ticket to the raffle and go for the spectacular. It would have been one hell of a goal!
82 min: Modric sends a looping diagonal pass towards Perisic, six yards from the byline to the left of goal, just outside the box. Perisic volleys first time, and sends a screaming, dipping swerver over Ward’s head and off the crossbar!
80 min: Modric dinks a clever pass down the right and nearly releases Juranovic. Rodon is alive to the danger and races across to knock out for a corner. Modric delivers a shorter one this time, and it’s claimed by Ward.
79 min: Modric hits long again, but Mepham is on point at the far post to head away from the danger zone.
78 min: Sosa probes down the left, forcing Roberts to hoick out for a corner. Modric hits it long. Gvardiol rises at the far stick and his header clanks off Ampadu and out for a corner on the right.
76 min: Kovacic and Kramaric make way for Vlasic and Pasalic.
75 min: Croatia, by contrast, have been disappointing in this second half, after a fine showing during the opening 45. As a result, they’re preparing to make some changes.
73 min: Another Roberts long throw from the right. Some head tennis in the Croatia box. The ball’s only half cleared and drops to Williams, who creams a decent first-time shot over the bar from the edge of the D. Wales have been much better in this second half.
72 min: Space for Sosa down the left. His low cross is met by Kramaric, who skies his attempt to sweep home.
70 min: Moore makes way for Bradshaw.
68 min: Modric sprays a lovely diagonal pass towards Juranovic out on the right. Juranovic drops a shoulder to jink between two white shirts, but then runs out of road in his bid to enter the box and is forced to turn back. What a ball from Modric, though.
66 min: Nothing comes of the corner.
65 min: Perisic rolls a pass infield from the left. Musa takes a touch to enter the box and scuffs a shot across the face of goal. In fact, there was a deflection, and it’ll be a corner.
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64 min: Wales make a triple change. Burns, Thomas and Broadhead come on for Wilson, Ramsey and James. Slightly surprising that Wilson is going off, seeing he’s been the main Welsh creative threat tonight and caused a whole world of bother a couple of minutes ago. But there it is.
62 min: Williams crosses from the left. Roberts tries to get a head on the ball but nearly clatters into Livakovic, who was in the process of catching. The keeper threatens to kick off, over bugger all it has to be said. But Roberts shows no interest in engaging and it all calms down soon enough.
60 min: Wales should be level! Wilson barrels down the inside-right channel and nearly breaks clear into the box, only to be eased off the ball by Sutalo. Ramsey keeps things going by latching onto the loose ball and pulling back for Wilson, who crosses towards James, free just inside the box on the left! He must score, all alone and one on one with Livakovic, but pulls his close-range shot wide left. What a chance!
59 min: VAR is quite correctly not interested in the penalty shout. The ball hit Sutalo in his personal area.
58 min: Roberts flings a throw into the Croatian box from the right. Moore wins a glancing header, then appeals for a handball by Sutalo. VAR to check.
56 min: A lot of space for Sosa down the left. His low curling cross is met by Perisic, who sidefoots lamely straight at Ward. That’s Croatia’s 11th attempt at goal; Wales have made just one.
54 min: All a bit scrappy, which probably suits Wales more than Croatia right now.
53 min: Nope. He hobbles off and Musa takes his place.
52 min: Livaja is down feeling his hip. On come the physios. It doesn’t look as though he wants, or is able, to continue.
50 min: It should be 2-0. Perisic crosses from the left. Rodon heads clear. Kovacic latches onto the clearance and one-twos down the inside-left channel with Kramaric, whose cushioned touch is delightful and tees up Kovacic beautifully. However poor Kovacic suffers a rush of blood to the noggin and blazes over from six yards. That would have been a lovely goal. Wales breathe again.
49 min: Williams barges his way down the left touchline before nipping past Sutalo near the corner flag. Sutalo bowls him over from behind, but the referee waves play on. That’s a poor decision, one that denies Wales what would have effectively been a corner.
47 min: James races down the left and crosses into an empty box. Goal kick.
46 min: Perisic is immediately sent skittering down the inside-left channel. He reaches the edge of the box and prepares to curl one towards the top right, only to be hunted down by Mepham.
Wales get the second half underway. No changes.
Half-time entertainment. Wilson has landed!
HALF TIME: Croatia 1-0 Wales
No more than Croatia, high on their World Cup exploits and full of confidence, deserve. They’ve been the better side by some distance. But Wales are still in this game. Big half-time team-talk coming up!
45 min: Williams gifts Kramaric with a careless square pass in from the Wales left. Kramaric advances on the Welsh box. A simple ball down the inside-left channel would tee Perisic up inside the area … but Kramaric blooters wildly over instead. A poor decision, and one that earns him the severe displeasure of his team-mate.
43 min: Wilson takes, and aims a curler over the wall and towards the top-left corner. It might have been heading in, you know, but we’ll never know for sure as the ball flicks off Perisic’s lid. Wales are incensed, correctly so, when the referee awards Croatia a goal kick. For all Croatia’s dominance, Wales came very close to levelling there.
42 min: Wilson prepares to shield a left-wing cross on the edge of the Croatia D. Gvardiol comes clumsily barrelling in and skittles him from behind. A free kick in a very dangerous position. One for Gareth Ba… ah.
41 min: Juranovic curls yet another cross in from the right. Roberts takes a fresh-air swipe in an attempt to clear, and is fortunate that the nearby Perisic had assumed the task would be completed. Had Perisic gambled on Roberts missing the ball, he’d have been shooting from six yards with only Ward to beat.
40 min: Croatia knock it back and forth across their defensive line, taking a wee breather.
38 min: Kovacic, who suddenly looks very lively, dribbles down the middle and tees up Sosa to his left. Sosa tries to curl towards the top-right corner, but can’t get any power behind the shot. An easy claim for Ward.
37 min: Williams tries to release James down the left but is block-tackled with no little force by … Modric. Is there anything this man can’t do?
35 min: A long pass down the middle is headed down by Perisic on the edge of the Wales box. Modric attempts a spectacular diagonal looper towards the top-left corner, but gets it all wrong. Goal kick.
34 min: Moore goes down having taken a Kovacic pass in the breadbasket. Play stops as he gathers himself. Then play restarts.
