Wales boss pays tribute to Leeds United hero after historic World Cup qualification

Wales boss Robert Page has dedicated Wales' huge Qatar 2022 qualifying play-off final win to former Leeds United midfielder Gary Speed.
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The Dragons sealed their first World Cup participation in 64 years with a 1-0 victory over Ukraine at the Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday.

West Ham United winger Andriy Yarmolenko deflected Gareth Bale's free-kick into his own net to give Wales the lead and, despite knocking hard on Wales' door, Ukraine found no reply.

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United winger Dan James played 71 minutes of the historic tie, which confirms Wales as the final competitor for Group B of the Qatar 2022 finals where Page's side will face England, Iran, and the United States in the tournament's opening round.

On a historic night for his country, Page noted that the Ukraine victory was simply the culmination of an era of transformation for the Welsh National team, which began with Speed's taking up the role of manager in December 2010.

The Dragons thrived under Speed, one of the nation's most capped internationals, and under his stewardship Wales rose from 112th to 45th in FIFA's world rankings before Speed died while in post in November 2011.

In his post-match interview following Wales' win over Ukraine, Page made sure that Speed's legacy was recognised as he looked ahead to a bright future for his side.

Wales boss Robert Page. Pic: Michael Steele.Wales boss Robert Page. Pic: Michael Steele.
Wales boss Robert Page. Pic: Michael Steele.
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Gary Speed started this 12 years ago, and I want to dedicate that to Gary as well," Page said.

“He started the culture. There was a change, the environment completely changed. Chris Coleman took it on to another level, and I’ve inherited that group.

“We are just confident going into games now. We don’t hope to qualify for the World Cup or Euros now, we believe we can do it, so there’s been a massive change in the mentality as well.

“It’s encouraging, it’s good, we are going in the right direction. We need to continue to develop these young players that we have done for the last few years, and it’s only going to get better for us.

Former Wales boss and Leeds United hero Gary Speed. Pic: Michael Steele.Former Wales boss and Leeds United hero Gary Speed. Pic: Michael Steele.
Former Wales boss and Leeds United hero Gary Speed. Pic: Michael Steele.
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“We are growing in confidence game by game. I didn’t see this as a miracle tonight. It is not unusual for us to qualify for major tournaments now.”

The Cardiff City Stadium played host to an emotionally-charged evening of football, the climax of the play-offs which were delayed by months by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as the message 'Together Stronger' was displayed on the big screens across the ground.

Wales' opponents were dominant before Bales' opener and relentless in their pursuit of an equaliser - only a man of the match performance by Dragons shot-stopper Wayne Hennessey kept Page's side in the lead.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Page said. “It was a stressful game. I thought Ukraine were excellent.

Wales captain Gareth Bales leads his side in celebration of their qualification for Qatar 2022. Pic: Shaun Botterill.Wales captain Gareth Bales leads his side in celebration of their qualification for Qatar 2022. Pic: Shaun Botterill.
Wales captain Gareth Bales leads his side in celebration of their qualification for Qatar 2022. Pic: Shaun Botterill.
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“We knew we had to be at our complete best to get the result, and we had to dig deep at times. I am proud of the players and the supporters.

“It’s massive for the nation. There will be people partying in Cardiff tonight until the early hours tomorrow, and rightly so.

“I’ve just said to the senior players that the one thing they’ve had missing from their CV is a World Cup tournament.

“It is just an unbelievable occasion. Things like this will stay with you forever. This is the best moment of my football career, without a doubt.”