World Cup qualifier: Serbia v Wales (Sun)
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Aaron Ramsey chipped in a first-half penalty to give Wales the lead
Wales' hopes of qualifying for the World Cup remain intact - but precariously so - after their depleted side produced a spirited performance to draw in Serbia.
A hostile home crowd was stunned into silence as Aaron Ramsey's outrageous chipped penalty gave Wales a precious half-time lead after Sam Vokes' shirt was pulled.
The visitors toiled relentlessly to protect that advantage, though they began to tire as they were subjected to exhaustingly long periods of Serbian pressure.
Aleksandar Mitrovic made the breakthrough with 17 minutes left, finishing calmly to give the hosts a point they more than deserved to reclaim their place at the top of Group D.
The Newcastle striker scored a late equaliser against Wales in Cardiff in November, and his intervention on this occasion was another hefty blow to Welsh chances of reaching next year's World Cup in Russia.
They remain third in their group, still four points behind Serbia and the Republic of Ireland with four games left.
But given Wales' raft of withdrawals prior to this match and Serbia's dominant display, this draw may well feel like a precious point gained for Chris Coleman's men.
A good point, but is it enough?
The average position of Wales' players (right) throughout the game shows how deep they had to sit for long periods
Wales' World Cup hopes hung in the balance before kick-off in Belgrade, as they were five points behind the Republic of Ireland, who had drawn 1-1 with Austria earlier in the day.
Coleman and his players knew defeat would effectively extinguish any aspirations of qualifying automatically, while a draw would only have preserved them on the condition they won their remaining four fixtures.
Their task was made infinitely more difficult by the absence of Gareth Bale. The Real Madrid forward was suspended along with Neil Taylor, while several others were injured.
Given those they were without, Wales had to be resilient in the face of intense Serb pressure and an intimidating home crowd.
They defended bravely and, after Ramsey's insolent opening goal, had to be at their dogged best to repel chances for Mitrovic and others.
However, their immense workload eventually took its toll and a tiring defence allowed Mitrovic the space in the penalty area to fire past Wayne Hennessey at his near post.
Serbia had opportunities to score a second - captain Branislav Ivanovic headed one fine chance wide - but Wales dug deep to frustrate the relentless hosts and draw five consecutive games for the first time in their history.
Ramsey's Panenka tribute
Flashback: Ramsey's penalty echoed that of Antonin Panenka's in the same stadium 41 years ago
Bale's suspension left an enormous void in the Welsh side, and so it was left to their other leading players fill that chasm.
Ramsey accepted the challenge with relish. Vokes' shirt was pulled at a corner and, after an initial confusing delay, referee Manuel De Sousa pointed to the spot.
There was a deafening din of boos as Ramsey placed the ball, but the Arsenal midfielder ignored the hysteria and audaciously dinked the ball into the right corner, wrongfooting goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic and sparking ecstatic celebrations among the Wales fans.
The phrase 'Panenka' is often used to describe similar goals, referring to a spot-kick taken by Czechoslovakia's Antonin Panenka in the 1976 European Championship final shootout.
Panenka chipped the ball down the middle of the West Germany goal to seal victory in the cheekiest fashion imaginable and, coincidentally, that was also at Stadion Rajko Mitic in Belgrade.
However, Serbia's resurgence meant that Ramsey's moment of impudent inspiration was only enough to give Wales a fifth successive draw, preserving their slim hopes of qualifying for only a third major tournament in their history.
Man of the match - Aaron Ramsey
Several defenders were worthy candidates for their bloody-minded efforts but it was Ramsey - who was also industrious - who provided Wales with that vital, if rare, goal threat
'Can we bridge the gap? 100%' - Wales reaction
Wales boss Chris Coleman on Sky Sports: "It was a great point. But we were 1-0 up, they weren't peppering Wayne Hennessey.
"You expect a tough game here but we had chances over 90 minutes. You aren't going to come here and play open football, we did that before and you know what happened. We lost 6-1.
"I can't fault the players, they worked so, so hard. Joe Ledley hasn't played for three months and he gave me 90 minutes, incredible.
"We can't seal the deal. Last campaign we saw them out but that's where we are. We weren't standing there biting our nails. It's all to play for. Serbia have got to go to Austria and the Republic of Ireland. It will go down to the wire."
- Published11 June 2017
