{"id":74181,"date":"2024-03-22T16:29:23","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T16:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wales-sink-finland-to-book-play-off-final-clash-with-poland-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-03-22T16:29:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T16:29:23","slug":"wales-sink-finland-to-book-play-off-final-clash-with-poland-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wales-sink-finland-to-book-play-off-final-clash-with-poland-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Wales sink Finland to book play-off final clash with Poland | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\nCARDIFF:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wales will face Poland for a place at Euro 2024 after powering to a 4-1 win against Finland in the play-off semi-finals on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Rob Page’s side stormed into a two-goal lead thanks to strikes from David Brooks and Neco Williams in Cardiff.<\/p>\n

Teemu Pukki reduced the deficit just before the break, but Brennan Johnson and Daniel James netted in the second half to keep Wales’ Euro dreams alive.<\/p>\n

Bidding to reach a third consecutive European Championship, Wales will take on Poland in the play-off final at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Poland were 5-1 winners against Estonia in their semi-final on Thursday.<\/p>\n

“We got off to the best possible start. Everyone put in a performance. It could have been five or six in the end, but the message is that this is half-time,” Page said.<\/p>\n

“We’re going to enjoy the win and take this into the final. We’ve now got a massive effort to go. We can’t wait. Roll on Tuesday.”<\/p>\n

Finland boss Markku Kanerva added: “I’m disappointed. We had disastrous starts to both halves. We didn’t reach the level I wanted.”<\/p>\n

After failing to qualify for a major competition for over 50 years following their appearance at the 1958 World Cup, Wales are one win away from making it to a fourth tournament in their last five attempts.<\/p>\n

In their first qualifying campaign since the retirement of Gareth Bale, Wales are proving they can cope without the former Real Madrid and Tottenham star.<\/p>\n

The 2016 European Championship semi-finalists look battle-tested in the race to reach the finals in Germany after previously surviving play-off pressure to reach the 2022 World Cup.<\/p>\n

With the atmosphere already deafening prior to kick-off, Brooks raised the decibel levels even louder in the third minute.<\/p>\n

Page’s team tore through the Finland defence as Harry Wilson found space for a low shot that Finland keeper Lukas Hradecky could only parry to Brooks, who kept his composure as he volleyed into the roof of the net from 12 yards.<\/p>\n

Brooks’ goal repaid the faith shown in him by Page, who had opted to select the on-loan Southampton forward instead of the more physical Kieffer Moore.<\/p>\n

After returning in 2023 from a battle with cancer, Brooks has struggled to recapture the promise he showed earlier in his career, making his goal an especially sweet moment for the 26-year-old.<\/p>\n

Daniel Hakans should have silenced the raucous crowd, but the Finland forward volleyed over from a dangerous position inside the Wales area.<\/p>\n

Pukki lacked his usual predatory ability when he shot weakly at Danny Ward after breaching the Wales offside trap.<\/p>\n

The hosts made the most of those escapes by doubling their lead in the 35th minute after Johnson’s incisive raid won a free-kick on the edge of the area.<\/p>\n

Working a clever set-piece routine, Wilson back-heeled the ball into Williams’ path and the defender’s superb strike bent around the crumbling Finland wall into the top corner.<\/p>\n

Pukki is Finland’s all-time leading scorer and the 33-year-old striker gave them a lifeline on the stroke of half-time.<\/p>\n

Picked out by Joel Pohjanpalo’s astute pass, Pukki calmly slotted in the 40th goal of his international career.<\/p>\n

Wales were unfazed and delivered the knockout blow 78 seconds after the interval.<\/p>\n

Ethan Ampadu headed across goal to Brooks, whose miscued shot was converted by the unmarked Johnson from close-range.<\/p>\n

James capped a memorable night for Wales when he stole possession from the lumbering Miro Tenho and stroked a low finish past Hradecky in the 86th minute.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CARDIFF: Wales will face Poland for a place at Euro 2024 after powering to a 4-1 win against Finland in the play-off semi-finals on Thursday. Rob Page’s side stormed into a two-goal lead thanks to strikes from David Brooks and Neco Williams in Cardiff. Teemu Pukki reduced the deficit just before the break, but Brennan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-22-at-3-59-26-PM1711105213-0\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-22-at-3-59-26-PM1711105213-0.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t