Wales Forced To Look Ahead As World Cup Dream Ends

ByChris Wathan

BBC Sport Wales

It tin beryllium difficult to look up erstwhile location are tears successful eyes.

And yet Wales person nary prime aft nan symptom of penalties erstwhile again intends a awesome finals will return spot without them.

Craig Bellamy's squad did not want to beryllium looking towards tournaments beyond this summer's World Cup.

But having been beaten by Bosnia-Herzegovina connected spot-kicks successful Thursday's World Cup play-off semi-final, it is nan only point they tin do.

"We've sewage truthful overmuch much to come," said Dan James.

The winger's spectacular onslaught early successful nan 2nd half had put Wales connected people to look Italy successful a play-off last connected Tuesday, but Edin Dzeko's precocious header steered nan Cardiff nighttime successful a different direction.

"It conscionable wasn't meant to beryllium but we ever speak astir together stronger and that's what we are," James added.

"It's an absolute pleasance to play for this team. We'll particulate ourselves down because we've sewage truthful overmuch to look guardant to."

First up for Wales, connected Tuesday, is nan unappetising imaginable of a friends against chap play-off losers Northern Ireland, who mislaid their semi-final against Italy successful Bergamo connected Thursday.

Longer word location is nan imaginable of a location European Championship successful 2028, pinch Wales co-hosting alongside England, nan Republic of Ireland and Scotland.

"That was nan talk aft nan game," said Harry Wilson, who deed nan barroom early connected against Bosnia-Herzegovina but could not present a decisive rustle earlier nan crippled went to penalties.

"We were each truthful hopeless to get to America and play astatine nan World Cup. To decorativeness nan qualifying truthful strongly, I felt we were successful a really bully position going into nan semi-final and it conscionable wasn't meant to be.

"But we cognize that connected that time we're a really, really bully squad and we saw that passim nan qualifying campaign.

"Although we're each disappointed, it's astir looking guardant now. We've sewage a Nations League A run and past connected to nan adjacent Euros, which we're each hopeless to play astatine home."

On a banner successful nan Canton End of Cardiff City Stadium, Wilson's opinionated successful this Bellamy broadside was summarised by his image appearing adjacent to those of Gareth Bale, Gary Speed and John Charles, quoting nan statement from Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was My Valley: "I saw down maine those who had gone. And earlier maine those who are to come."

Wales' fans, who are connected to this squad by its history, were already looking to nan future.

So possibly it was fitting that immoderate of Wales' much difficult moments of nan past were recalled pursuing nan last whistle, amid nan sound and pyro fume of nan celebrating Bosnia-Herzegovina ultras.

"We've spoken each run astir really good nan squad has done pinch Craig successful complaint and that's going to continue," said erstwhile skipper Ashley Williams.

"There were times we were retired qualification aft 5 games [of a group], truthful we person to recognise really good we've done that we consciousness this disappointment."

Robert Earnshaw, who played successful beforehand of paltry Wales crowds astatine times, echoed Williams.

The erstwhile striker pointed retired that 20 years ago, nan thought of moreover reaching play-offs was fanciful.

Earnshaw added that he sensed "something special" is being built by Wales' existent crop.

Whether specified position is correct - aliases digestible - aft Wales mislaid a crippled astatine location against a broadside classed 36 places beneath them by Fifa is different matter.

But what is not up for statement is that for each nan consciousness of a missed opportunity, Wales were adjacent to getting it right.

Twice nan hosts deed woodwork earlier falling nan incorrect broadside of good margins erstwhile it came to penalties.

Shootout heartbreak is not caller to Wales, nor to Leeds United winger James, whose miss was decisive erstwhile Wales mislaid to Poland connected penalties successful nan Euro 2024 play-offs 2 years ago.

That was possibly why James said to nan media aft nan Bosnia-Herzegovina defeat, arsenic he offered nationalist support to Neco Williams and nan visibly upset Brennan Johnson.

"I've been location earlier and you consciousness each nan weight is connected you, you consciousness for illustration you fto your state down - but they haven't astatine all," said James.

"We wouldn't beryllium present without them today. It's not ever meant to be, but they'll decidedly beryllium stronger for it."

They and Wales will person to beryllium if they are to debar much nights for illustration this, wherever Bellamy's men tried to person themselves to look to nan early erstwhile nan coming had offered truthful much.

"I felt this was nan nighttime and this was nan week," Earnshaw said.

"My psyche is tired but location is much to come. I've loved watching what we've seen, I'm excited for what's next."