Bridesmaid 5

September 8th 1993 - the RCS at the National Stadium. Wales started poorly and were very unsure. When Kuka scored after 16 minutes, there was a sinking feeling among the crowd, but if the crowd were beginning to feel frustration, the players certainly were not. The goal seemed to stir Wales into action and it was not long before Ryan Giggs had scored the equaliser. Wales continued to dominate and it was no surprise when Ian Rush put Wales in front after 35 minutes.

After half-time, Wales continued to dominate and should have put the result beyond question before disaster struck. A free-kick by Dubousky brought the RCS back into the game. You had to admire the skill of the goal but it was against the run of play and despite relentless pressure, Wales could not regain the lead. This was another game against the RCS that Wales must have looked upon as points lost. The group situation remained the same with any two from four capable of securing the all-important top two positions.

Belgium, the group leaders for so long, were beginning to falter, but for Wales the situation looked simple - win the remaining two games and qualification was guaranteed. The penultimate game of the group saw Cyprus visit the National Stadium on October 13th, 1993. This was without doubt the roughest match of the group. The Cypriots had obviously come to defend and keep the score down at any cost. Wales had to withstand some vicious tackling and provocation and also had to be patient in their approaching. Referee Philip Don had had enough of the nasty tactics and dismissed the Cypriot Costas Costa. The sending-off did not manage to quell the tempers of the Cypriots and it was obvious that retaliation for their kicking of the Welsh would be administered before the end of the game.

The patience of the Welsh paid dividends when Dean Saunders scored after 21 minutes. Ian Rush ensured that the points were safe with a second Welsh goal four minutes from the end. With the points safely secured, Wales should have been happy, but the continued physical nature of the game had a far from happy ending. Mark Hughes - who had been kicked from the very start of the game - had finally had enough. Hughes obviously felt that he was not being protected by the referee and decided to take matters into his own hands. His moment of madness earned him a booking, but much worse was to follow. The booking meant that he would be unavailable for the final match of the group against Romania. Players like Mark Hughes are irreplaceable - he is known as a man for the big occasions, as his countless goals in important games for Manchester United have proved. As usual, if Wales were to achieve the necessary results, it would have to be done the hard way.

November 17th 1993. The group table was the most complicated of all the World Cup groups:

Belgium - 14 points Romania - 13 points RCS - 12 points Wales - 12 points

The simple solution was that Wales had to win to be sure of qualifying. The build-up to the game was unprecedented in Welsh football. Newspaper and TV coverage was at saturation point; in Wales, media scrutiny of this nature is usually reserved for rugby.

The first half was a very tense affair, but given what was at stake for both sides, you can understand why. Hagi opened the scoring for Romania alter 32 minutes and you could sense the feeling among the crowd that this was going to be another night of heartache. However, if anything, the goal seemed to inspire Wales and they certainly had the better of the closing stages of the first half.

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"Come on Cymru" and "Come on Cymru 2000" are available to order on-line from http://www.sigmapress.co.uk .

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Photo: Action Images

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