Euro 2024 play-off: Wales 4-1 Finland - reaction as Wales reach final

1. Winners beat Finland 4-1 to reach the Euro 2024 qualification play-off final
2. David Brooks puts Wales ahead after two minutes, turning in a rebound after Harry Wilson's initial shot
3. Neco Williams' free-kick doubled Wales' lead, but Teemu Pukki pulled one back before half-time for Finland
4. Brennan Johnson restores Wales' two-goal lead less than two minutes into second half
5. Dan James takes advantage of huge mistake to race clear and scores Wales' fourth to seal their place in the final
6. Poland will visit the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night, with the winner reaching the 2024 European Championships

Robbie Savage

Ex-Wales midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

There's so many young players in that squad, you have to give the manager and the system credit.

You can see the whole group wants to play for this manger and I think they'll repay him tonight with a win, a comfortable win.

Ampadu to become youngest Wales player to 50 caps

"That's the player you should be excited about."

BBC Sport Wales' Chris Wathan takes an in-depth look at Ethan Ampadu, who will tonight become Wales' youngest player to reach 50 international caps.

Read more: Ethan Ampadu to become youngest Wales player to 50 caps

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Jayne Ludlow

Former Wales manager on BBC Radio 5 Live

The pressure is definitely on, but what a great occasion for Wales.

I do believe Wales are favourites tonight, our players are playing at a higher standard week-in, week-out and I think that will be the difference.

Finland's Bundesliga-leading keeper and captain

Dafydd Pritchard

BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

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One of the most remarkable stories of this season has been Bayer Leverkusen's performance in Germany's Bundesliga.

Xabi Alonso's side are still unbeaten at the top of the league, where they are 10 points clear of serial winners of Bayern Munich.

Leverkusen have conceded just 18 goals in 26 Bundesliga matches, thanks to captain and goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.

He is also Finland's captain and keeper, so Wales will need to be sharp in front of goal tonight if they are to score.

The day Finland great Litmanen walked Wales ragged

Dafydd Pritchard

BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

BBC Sport

We all know what's at stake for Wales tonight, with a sell-out crowd at Cardiff City Stadium and the prospect of playing at a third successive European Championship.

But the current picture could scarcely be in starker contrast to the bleak backdrop when Wales faced Finland in 2009.

If you've got a few minutes and fancy a nostalgia trip, give this piece a read.

This was the day Finland icon Jari Litmanen walked Wales ragged, a moment for Wales which captain Craig Bellamy summarised with typical brutality: "Where we go from here, God knows."

'Everything to play for tonight'

FAW

Wales will be one win away from Euro 2024 if they beat Finland in their home play-off tonight.

Victory will set up a one-leg play-off final at Cardiff City Stadium against Poland or Estonia on Tuesday.

Having failed to qualify for a major tournament between 1958 and 2016, Wales are aiming to reach their fourth out of five - and a third successive Euros.

"There's everything to play for but we're fully prepared for it," said Wales manager Robert Page.

"It's quite a relaxed environment and that's not because we're blase about it or taking things for granted.

"We're in good form, most of the squad are playing for their clubs and training has been excellent.

"We have gone through similar experiences with the pressure of the play-off situations against Austria and Ukraine [to qualify for the 2022 World Cup], and the difficulty surrounding that.

"We are all quite relaxed but not underestimating the challenge."

Helen Ward

Former Wales striker on BBC Radio Wales

I'm pleased to see David Brooks starting tonight, I thought he had a great impact at the end of the campaign.

He's now playing regular football at Southampton and that can only be a good thing for Wales.

'The Wales shirt brings out the best in us'

Euro 2024 play-offs: 'Putting the Welsh shirt on brings out our best' - Ben Davies

Stand-in skipper Ben Davies says that pulling on the Wales shirt brings out the best in players.

Wales go into the match against Finland in Cardiff tonight with several of their key players playing regular club football, but Davies has dismissed that as giving them any kind of advantage as he believes playing for their country has always helped them find something extra.

How Davies is Wales' and Tottenham's reluctant star

Dafydd Pritchard

BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

BBC Sport

Ben Davies is a reluctant star. He is the rock around which Wales' defence is built, and Tottenham's longest-serving current player, yet Davies is not celebrated like some of his peers.

That is partly by design from the 30-year-old, who is happy to cloak himself in the relative anonymity which comes with playing alongside the likes of Gareth Bale and Harry Kane.

Try as he might to avoid the spotlight, though, Davies' quality shines through.

Now he wears the captain's armband for his country - albeit in the absence of regular skipper Aaron Ramsey - it is a little harder for Davies to go unnoticed.

Here's an in-depth feature on the Wales great who'd rather keep a low profile.

Sam Vokes

Wales striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

I thought Kieffer Moore would have started tonight. I personally prefer Wales when we have that focal point up front and someone we can hit.

Having said that, tonight we have pace in abundance and I think Finland will fear that.

Every Wales Euro goal

Want to take a look back at every Wales goal from the last two European Championships? Of course you do!

Watch every Wales Euro finals goal including ones that took them to the semi-finals

Nathan Blake

Former Wales striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Tonight is massive for Wales, it's the first of hopefully two back-to-back cup finals.

This is a second chance for Wales and it's due to the good work they've done in the Nations League previously.

I expect Wales to take it and get over the line tonight.

Draw 'one of the best Wales could have got'

Sam Vokes

Wales striker on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

When the draw came out I think it was one of the best Wales could have got.

Finland didn't have a great group stage, they didn't finish strongly. They picked up a couple of wins but that was against teams they are expected to beat and we were pushing for automatic qualification - we only just missed out on that.

For us, it's a game we're looking forward to it and hopefully we can set something up for Tuesday [play-off final], not that we can talk about that yet.

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Page dismisses Cardiff boss Bulut's Ramsey concerns

Dafydd Pritchard

BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

Huw Evans Picture Agency

It wouldn't be an international window without a bit of a club v country row, would it?

Well, Wales manager Robert Page has dismissed concerns from Cardiff City boss Erol Bulut about including Aaron Ramsey in his squad to face Finland tonight.

Bulut was unhappy Wales did not contact Cardiff before recalling Ramsey.

"I don't know what all the fuss is about to be honest," said Page.

"We just want the player fit, both Cardiff and ourselves.

"We are in constant communication. I trust my medical team. I don't need to have a conversation with the [Cardiff] manager.

"I know their medical team. Their head of medical was my physio when I was manager at Port Vale. Their club doctor is our Under-21s' doctor. There has never been a better relationship."

You can read the full story here.

'Wales will have to cope without Ramsey'

Rob Phillips

BBC Wales Football Correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

Wales are going to have to cope without Ramsey, until at least late on in the game.

He's played just 90 minutes of football since he got injured in September when he was in fine form for Cardiff and playing well for Wales too.

Wales have got this far largely without him for the six or seven months and I think they'll have to cope without him again, but what a player to be able to bring on for the last 20 minutes if you're trying to see out the game or looking for a goal to make a difference.

He is there and is around the camp. The other players really like him and he's a big figure off the field as well as on it.

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'No gamble' in picking Ramsey

Manager Robert Page says including captain Aaron Ramsey in his Wales squad for the Euro 2024 play-offs is not a gamble.

Ramsey - who is on the bench this evening - has made just two substitute appearances for Cardiff City in the last six months after injury.

But Page does not see "what the fuss is about" in selecting the midfielder in his squad to face Finland tonight and potentially either Poland or Estonia in the play-off final.

Aaron Ramsey selection for Euro play-offs not a gamble - Wales boss Page

Listen live to a special night in Welsh football

Ian Hunt

Presenter on BBC Radio Wales

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There's a special feeling in the air here at Cardiff City Stadium.

We've another sell-out crowd with Wales two wins away from reaching a third successive European Championship.

So two more dates with destiny in Cardiff - that big home advantage echoes the World Cup qualifiers of 2022 - they just don't have their goal machine super hero anymore

Can they get over the line without a Gareth Bale or a fully-fit Aaron Ramsey?

Join me, Rob Phillips, Nathan Blake and Helen Ward for full, live commentary on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Wales to find out.

Georgia 90 minutes away from first tournament

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Luxembourg's Euro 2024 dream is over after they lost 2-0 to Georgia in Tbilisi.

Georgia, who have never qualified for a major tournament, will face the winners of Greece v Kazakhstan in Tuesday's play-off final.

Budu Zivzivadze scored goals in each half for the hosts.

Luxembourg thought they had made it 1-1 in the 53rd minute with Gerson Rodrigues firing home.

But suddenly the score was back to 1-0 and Luxembourg were a man down.

The goal was disallowed by the video assistant referee because of a foul at the other end 45 seconds earlier, which saw Maxime Chanot sent off for a professional foul.

Home advantage is huge

Sam Vokes

Wales striker on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

It's huge. The excitement has been building for a while now.

Players will have woken up this morning knowing the job in hand.

It's just last minute preparations before the game. They'll be pretty chilled out, unlike the rest of Wales.

The play-offs do bring a bit of nerves but being at home is massive.

That home draw is huge. The atmosphere at the Cardiff City stadium is like nothing else, it's almost like a cauldron.

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Finland fans are optimistic

Finland supporter Rich Nelson was speaking with BBC Radio 5Live breakfast this morning in the build-up to tonight's Euro 2024 qualifying play-off semi-final against Wales.

Nelson said: "A lot of people know Teemu Pukki from his time at Norwich but Joel Pohjanpalo is the top scorer in Italy's Serie B at the moment. It's probably about the strongest squad Finland could name.

"It has been pretty positive over the last five or six years.

"The last Euros, 2020, was the first tournament that Finland had ever qualified for and then there's a bit of confidence and expectation.

"Not finishing in the top two in the [Euro 2024 qualifying group] was a bit of a shame but that's what happens when you lose at home to Kazakhstan. There's a lot of optimism, though."

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