Armenia 1 Wales 1: Welsh hopes of reaching third successive Euros hanging by a thread and now set for huge final match
WALES hopes of reaching the Euros for a third successive time were left hanging by a thread after they again failed to beat Armenia.
Rob Page’s Dragons came into the game knowing two wins would guarantee them a place in Germany this summer.
But it looks likely they will have to do it the hard way – via the Nations League play-offs in the spring.
Their only hope now is to beat Turkey in Cardiff on Tuesday – and hope Croatia slip up in one of their final two matches.
And if Wales do spend June on the beach rather than at the Euros, it will be the two games against Armenia which have cost them.
They were embarrassingly beaten at home in the summer and just a point here was not enough in the circumstances.
Despite the confidence from October’s win over Croatia, Wales made a slow start and went behind inside five minutes.
Lucas Zelarayan cut inside and then expertly fired into the bottom corner – kissing the post on its way in.
It was a lovely strike from the Argentina born midfielder who was also on the mark in his nation’s surprise win in Cardiff in the summer.
The Dragons came close to an instant response as David Brooks found space in the box but blasted his effort inches over the bar while Kieffer Moore’s flick header was just wide.
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A rash challenge from Chris Mepham saw him receive a yellow card – which rules him out of Tuesday’s final group game against Turkey.
The Bournemouth centre back was lucky not to get a second booking minutes later but it was all going wrong for Rob Page’s men.
They were struggling to create any chances of note in front of a hostile home crowd in Yerevan.
Harry Wilson – the hero against the Croats – saw a curling shot tipped around the post by home keeper Ognjen Cancarevic.
Page had taken the decision to leave out Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson – opting to keep faith with the team who performed so heroically against Croatia last month.
But it was hard not to think the pace of the former Nottingham Forest man as well as Dan James could have posed the home side a few more problems.
It had been a strangely flat half from the Dragons considering how much was at stake.
However in first half stoppage time, the visitors got a huge slice of good fortune.
Connor Roberts hurled in a long throw that was aimed for the head of Joe Rodon and the on loan Leeds man went up for it.
However Nair Tyknizyan got there first and got his header all wrong – sending it past his own keeper
Even so Wales knew they would have to do much better if they were to go on and win the game.
Page waited less than five minutes of the second half before deciding it was time to make a change – throwing on Johnson for Brooks.
Playing off the right, the £45 million ace immediately began posing some questions of his full-back.
But Armenia were fired up – knowing their own hopes of reaching Germany would still be alive with two wins.
And they were agonisingly close to retaking the lead as Vahan Bichakhchyan dug out a shot that beat Danny Ward but hit the underside of the bar.
Zelarayan followed up but blazed high over the bar and Wales had a major let off.
Sub Dan James, who had replaced Wilson on the hour – teed up his namesake Jordan but his low shot was well saved by Cancarevic.
And full-back Neco Williams, cutting in from the left, fired a long range effort which just cleared the bar.
The only team a draw suited was Croatia so both teams were pushing for a win.
Armenia threw everything forward and a shot from Eduard Spertsyan required a great block by Neco Williams to send it over the bar.
And at the other end Kieffer Moore’s header was saved by Cancarevic – although the keeper made hard work of getting it away.
Johnson’s cross from the right looked perfect for sub Nathan Broadhead but was sliced over his own bar by a home defender.
In the dying minutes, Ward made a smart save from Edgar Sevikyan’s shot to at least salvage a point for the visitors.
It keeps them in second place – but their destiny is now out of their hands.