Robert Page says Wales fans can dare to dream of a first World Cup finals appearance since 1958 after getting the “luck of the draw” in Zurich.
Wales were among the six seeded teams guaranteed a home semi-final tie in the World Cup play-offs after finishing second in their qualifying group.
The Dragons were paired with Austria in that section of the draw, with the winners then handed a home tie against either Scotland or Ukraine for a place at Qatar 2022.
In doing so, Scotland and Wales avoided big guns Italy and Portugal, who were drawn together in the same play-off path to determine Europe’s last three World Cup qualifiers.
“If you had a wish, you’d want two home games,” said Page, whose side have not been beaten at home since November 2018 – a run of 16 matches.
“We had to work hard for one and we got the luck of the draw for the second one, so the incentive is there for us.
“We’ll have two packed houses. We’ve seen the impact supporters can have on us in the recent campaign.
“We’ve given ourselves a great opportunity, haven’t we? It’s all there to play for.
“I’m not going to lie, I had one eye on Portugal and Italy. You want to avoid, on paper, the better teams and they are fantastic teams.
“Seeing them both finish in second place was a shock, but it’s good they’ve got together in the same group.”
Asked if Wales fans could dare to dream of ending a 64-year wait to be at a World Cup, Page said: “Why not? Absolutely. That’s why we put all this work and effort into this campaign.
“Why can’t we dream? That’s what we are here for.
“Since we were young boys growing up you always wanted to be part of a World Cup qualification campaign and then a World Cup. We are two wins away from it.”
Austria finished fourth in their qualifying group behind Scotland but qualified for the play-offs through their Nations League results.
Gareth Bale and company have done well against Austria over the last decade, winning two and drawing one of their three games.
A potential ‘Battle of Britain’ final against Scotland would rekindle memories of past World Cup meetings between the two nations.
The Scots came out on top 2-0 in a decisive 1978 World Cup qualifier that had been controversially switched to Liverpool’s Anfield ground, while a 1-1 draw in Cardiff eight years later was enough to dash Welsh qualification hopes for the 1986 World Cup.
Scotland fans vastly outnumbered their Welsh counterparts on both occasions as Wales’ home advantage was almost completely conceded.
But Page, who insisted any all-British final would not be switched from their Cardiff City Stadium fortress to Welsh rugby’s 74,500-capacity Principality Stadium home, said that would not be the case this time.
Page said: “It is not going to be an 80:20 split in Scotland’s favour, I will tell you that. Absolutely.
“We’ve got a phenomenal record at home and our supporters have a big part to play in that.
“The stadium was rocking in the last two games against Belarus and Belgium and we need that again.
“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it at this moment in time. We have had a great experience of playing at Cardiff City Stadium.
“You saw what it was like against Belgium and that’s more important for us. It’s about creating that atmosphere, getting a full house and getting the support behind us.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel