Key events
That was great prime-time Saturday-evening televised entertainment in the grand tradition of the Generation Game, Big Night and Strictly. Craig Bellamy the Brucie de nos jours? Both sides had plenty of chances to win; all that was missing tonight was the final ball. A draw seems only fair and right, especially as that penalty decision was on the soft side. It’s going to be one hell of a night on Tuesday. Let’s get the network together!
Straight down to brass tacks, then. Turkey still look likely to win the group and automatic promotion to League A, as they just need to win in Montenegro on Tuesday. But Wales can pip them if they beat Iceland in Cardiff, and events in Montenegro don’t go Turkey’s way. However Iceland’s win this evening keeps their hopes of a place in the promotion play-offs alive; should they triumph in Cardiff on Tuesday, they’ll condemn Wales to the relegation play-offs. The automatic relegation place aside – it’s all yours, Montenegro – everything is still up for grabs!
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Turkey P5 W3 D2 L0 F8 A3 Pts 11
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Wales P5 W2 D3 L0 F5 A3 Pts 9
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Iceland P5 W2 D1 L2 F9 A9 Pts 7
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Montenegro P5 W0 D0 L5 F1 A8 Pts 0
FULL TIME: Turkey 0-0 Wales
No goals, but what entertainment … and what drama!
90 min +4: Akgün drives down the right. The ball pinballs around the Wales box. Aktürkoğlu tries to make good by forcing a shot goalwards, but he can’t do it. Wales are so close now to keeping their hopes of automatic promotion alive.
90 min +3: Justice might have been served by that penalty miss, because Williams looked to have got a nick on the ball while making his challenge. Either way, here we are.
90 min +2: There’s barely a sound in the stadium right now. The small pocket of Wales fans making all the noise. It’s finished 2-0 to Iceland in Montenegro, by the way.
90 min: The Turkish fans are utterly stunned. Victory was so close. But Wales breathe again! Lewis Koumas comes on for Brennan Johnson. There will be five additional minutes.
Turkey miss penalty
89 min: Aktürkoğlu misses the spot kick! He gives Darlow the eyes, sending the keeper the wrong way … but in aiming for the empty right-hand side of the goal, can only ping the ball off the base of the post and out for a goal kick!
Penalty for Turkey
87 min: Ünal plays a ball down the inside-right channel and into the Wales box. Akgün takes up possession and looks to cut inside for a shot. He’s upended by Williams. The referee points to the spot. Rodon is booked for complaining.
87 min: Nothing comes of the Turkey corner. But …
86 min: Kökçü drives a shot goalwards from the edge of the box. Roberts blocks. But Wales can’t stop the ball going out for a corner on the left. Before it can be taken, Kaan Ayhan replaces the disappointing Arda Güler.
85 min: Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson has scored a second goal for Iceland in Montenegro. That game’s already gone into stoppage time.
83 min: A lot of whistling as Wales do the patient thing. A reminder that a draw keeps their hopes of automatic promotion alive.
81 min: Iceland are leading in Montenegro, incidentally. Orri Óskarsson with the game’s only goal after 74 minutes. Just a couple of minutes left on the clock there. A win for Iceland will keep their hopes of promotion alive, and make Tuesday’s match in Cardiff very interesting indeed. Unless Wales can find a winner here, of course.
79 min: Güler wears the look of someone who knows that could, possibly should, have secured Turkey’s passage to League A. The hosts get on with it, though, and Akgün has a dig from distance. This one flies over too.
77 min: Williams carelessly ships possession on the Turkey right. Çelik pulls the ball back to Güler, with time and space on the edge of the Wales box. He’s got to work Darlow at the very least … in fact, there’s anticipation of a goal … but the young man leans back and launches a dreadful effort miles over the bar. What A Chance (pt. XXXVIII in a continuing series).
76 min: Space for Johnson down the right. He crosses low and hard. Brooks, coming in at the far stick, doesn’t expect the ball to reach him. But it does. He clanks wide of goal. A shame for Wales the roles weren’t reversed there.
75 min: Zeki Çelik replaces Eren Elmalı.
73 min: The two subs are immediately in the thick of it, Cullen teeing up Brooks on the right-hand edge of the Turkey D. Brooks carves a wild shot high and wide left. On the touchline, Craig Bellamy holds his head in his hands as a decent chance flies into the night sky.
72 min: David Brooks and Liam Cullen come on for Jordan James and Sorba Thomas.
70 min: Elmalı crosses from the left. Akgün cushions a header down for Ünal, who attempts a scissor kick from ten yards. It’s heading in, but Davies gets in the road to deflect over for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece. It’s still 0-0! Somehow.
68 min: … and it’s a big chance for Wilson, who scampers clear down the inside-right channel, only to get the ball stuck between his legs upon feeling Bardakcı closing in from behind. Instead of shooting, which he surely should do after reaching the box, he attempts to flick infield for Johnson. It’s a weak pass, and flopped on by Günok. These teams are doing everything but score.
67 min: Akgün dribbles gracefully down the right, burning past Williams and cutting back dangerously from the byline. Ünal, not yet up to speed, clanks carelessly wide right. A huge chance.
65 min: Yılmaz crosses from the left. Thomas leaps to block and sticks out an arm. He’s penalised for that. Before the free kick can be taken, Yılmaz is replaced by Ünal … and then Kökçü shanks the set piece out for a goal kick.
63 min: Yılmaz is penalised for sticking a strong arm in Roberts’ face. For some reason, Bardakcı gets involved in a discussion with the officials, and goes into the book. He’ll miss Turkey’s final game, in Montenegro.
61 min: The other game in this group between Montenegro and Iceland remains 0-0 as well, by the way. It can’t be as good as this one. It just can’t be.
59 min: Wilson chases a long bouncing ball. Günok claims. Turkey look the more likely, but Wales are still carrying a threat.
57 min: Aktürkoğlu lurks behind Rodon and Darlow, as the keeper prepares to bowl out. Is he planning on doing a Gary Crosby? Darlow is no Andy Dibble style patsy, and turns around, wise to the potential of a grift. Aktürkoğlu gives the keeper a cheeky wink and the beginning of a smile plays on the edge of his mouth. All good fun.
55 min: Akgün sends Kökçü into space down the right with a clever backheel. Kökçü whips a cross to the near post, where Darlow claims without fuss. No idea how this 101mph game hasn’t produced a goal yet. It’s great fun nonetheless.
54 min: Wilson attempts to release Roberts into the Turkey box with a cute roll down the inside-right channel, but the pair lose communication somewhere down the line. Turkey mop up.
53 min: Yılmaz drives hard down the left and finds Aktürkoğlu on the edge of the box. Aktürkoğlu tries to return the pass but Roberts and Rodon aren’t having any of it, shutting the door just in time. Turkey are beginning to relocate their straps, if not fully hitting them yet.
51 min: Wilson plays a daft blind pass across the face of his own box, left to right, allowing Akgün to intercept and slap a shot wide right. Akgün should have done better. So should Wilson, who has got away with one there.
50 min: Yılmaz crosses from the right. Some real whip on that. But there’s nobody in the middle to take advantage. Darlow comes out and flaps at the ball anyway.
49 min: Güler has the opportunity to release Aktürkoğlu down the inside-left channel, but inexplicably faffs around with a drag-back on the edge of the box, presumably in the hope of finding Yılmaz to his right. Not the correct decision. Wales breathe again.
48 min: Wales are gifted a corner, which Thomas swings in from the right. Davies wins a header on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box, but it’s all downwards direction and no power, and the hosts clear their lines.
47 min: Joe Rodon is still in the game, by the way, and now sports what looks like a very secure black headband.
Turkey get the second half started. They’ve replaced their captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu with İsmail Yüksek, while Dan James has come on for Mark Harris.
Half-time reading. Other entertainment-infused Welsh football stories are available.
HALF TIME: Turkey 0-0 Wales
That was such good fun. Who needs goals?
45 min +8: A ball swung into the Wales box from the left. Güler guides a header straight at Darlow. It’s hardly stopped.
45 min +6: Wales hit the post! Harris advances down the left and crosses low for Wilson, who swivels and crashes a low drive off the base of the right-hand post! Günok was beaten all ends up. The rebound does not favour Wales. Well, it didn’t take long for things to pick up again, did it?
45 min +5: The game restarts but for the first time this evening, the pace has dropped. Understandable after the long stoppage while Rodon was getting patched up.
45 min +3: In other naked-eye-misinformation news, Rodon wasn’t whacked on the nose. Like Harris, he’s taken a bash to the brow, though blood has been drawn. Thankfully he’s good to continue, having presumably passed concussion checks, but he’s now wearing a very large bandage around his head.
45 min +1: Harris is back up, sporting quite the shiner.
45 min: Harris was only just offside in the build-up to that disallowed goal. The gap looked much bigger to the naked eye, so that’s the power of VAR for you. There will be five additional first-half minutes. Probably more, because Rodon is still receiving treatment.
43 min: Harris and Rodon stick the nut on each other while competing for a high ball. Ooyah, oof, that looked super-painful, and poor Rodon looks to have come off significantly worse. Think his team-mate caught him on the bridge of the nose there. Some of the red stuff already seeping through his fingers. On come the medical folk.
41 min: Harris is sent scampering down the right. He cuts back for James, who sweeps into the net from 12 yards! But it’s not going to be a goal, because the assistant referee has put her flag up. The end of the move wasn’t initially televised, either, because the Turkish director stayed on the official rather than following the action, just so everyone knew what was what. Everyone doing their bit. Replays showed, etc., and so on.
39 min: There’s a VAR check over the Aktürkoğlu incident, but it’s not a penalty.
37 min: Akgün is sent scampering into acres down the right by Güler’s sprayed pass. He looks for Aktürkoğlu in the middle. Aktürkoğlu is barged by Davies and clanks into Darlow. He wants a penalty as Wales clear their lines and counter. He’s not getting one. Up the other end, Wilson nearly gets on the end of Johnson’s clever pass down the right, but Günok races out of his box to bash away from danger.
35 min: This is a greased piglet of a match. Çalhanoğlu crosses from the left. Yılmaz wins a header but can’t get any power on it. Darlow claims. Williams goes down in search of breath. A brief pause.
