Wales 1-0 Finland – Euro 2024 play-off semi-final: Live score, team news and updates as David Brooks gets hosts off to the perfect start with opener inside three minutes

A lovely strike from Wilson from 30 yards out is stopped well by Hradecky. It’s a straightforward for the Leverkusen goalkeeper, but quick-thinking too – although Johnson might have been offside by a toenail if the effort had gone in.

James releases a rudderless ball from 25 yards out which rolls without intent towards Hradecky’s gloves, handing possession back to the visitors.

But when a long ball is sprayed in Pohjanpalo’s direction on the right, he can’t pull it away from Mepham, who is all over him and forces the ball away from danger.

Wales have a strong chance here, after Johnson bullies an approaching Finland defender away from the ball on the right edge of the box, and fires silkly towards the near post.

The angle means it doesn’t trouble Hradecky, however.

Pukki continues to pose problems for Wales to solve as he makes his foray into a cluttered box, and manages to find Hakans square on goal – or at least, he things he does.

As the Welsh lock up, Pohjanpalo is the one who actually strikes the ball just ahead of the six-yard box, but has his effort thoroughly blocked.

Kamara in the mid-pack attempts to control tempo and keep the ball at Finnish feet, but under pressure from Roberts, the final pass is struck from range well into the grasp of Ward.

Finland win the first corner of the match, which Lod lines up to send it, the outswinger entirely bypassing players from both sides in the box.

When Peltola goes chasing after it on the other side of the pitch, he’s toppled by a feisty Johnson, conceding a freekick in the process.

When Finland do little with it and Wales look to head off, Lod gets revenge – and the match’s first yellow card – when he steamrollers Williams. Lots of pep and fire early on.

Pukki is felled by James as he attempts to escape up the pitch from the Finland box, winning his side a freekick in their own half.

Mepham ushers the ball forward, before handing off to Roberts on the right, looking for Brooks in the box, but Finland are quick to rebuff the hosts, and unlock their dangerous left wing, as Hakans combines with Pukki on the run yet again.

Things are nicely open for now, with Finland increasingly keen to see proceedings level again.

Two strong opportunities as play races between both ends, with Pukki having a sliding shot at goal inside the box after picking up from Hackans on the left first.

Play then slides back down to the Finnish half, with Brooks keen to slip away again. His one-on-one with Hradecky sees his first shot blocked, and attempts for Wales to bury the remains go begging after a strong defensive showing from Finland under pressure.

Wales are forced into defending now, after Finland swarm into the box and the hosts can’t control the bobbing ball.

Hakans eventually pulls it down, and looks to smack it past Ward on the half-volley, but his strike flies just out for a goal kick.

Now there’s a statement of intent from the home side.

Well, that’s one way to start a play-off tie. Wales looked dominate in the opening moments, and immediately made Finland pay with a clever bit of confident play.

As the visitors try and hold onto the ball at the back now, the Dragons buzz about, keen to make life very difficult.

We’re scarcely underway, when Wales go for jugular, Wilson skittering into the box after picking up a rebounded ball and firing at Hradecky – the Leverkusen keeper makes the save but the ball springs for Brooks, and he can leather it into the back of the net!

The Finnish fans are already leaping up and down, and it’s their side who get us underway for this tantalising play-off semi-final

Lots of brass band boom and bombast from the Finnish national anthem, up first, ‘Maamme’, or ‘Our Land’.

There are only a few hundred travelling supporters this evening, but they make a good fist of it, and all the players belt it out before it’s time for Wales’ spine-tingler.

Cardiff City Stadium’s proverbial roof lifted, it’s time to get things underway!

… at Cardiff City Stadium, and the fans are in full voice – so stirring is the scene, some travelling Finland supporters even get in the mood and join in.

The lights are going down, and the players are preparing to come out… An enormous match for Wales, coming right up.

Tottenham wonderkid Brennan Johnson keeps his place in the Wales starting XI as he continues to enjoy a bright 2023-24 after his summer move from Nottingham Forest.

Ahead of tonight’s clash, he talks sharp dressing and national pride – have a leaf through, below.

One name looms larger than most in the recent history of Welsh football, and Euro 2024 would mark the first major tournament in ABE (After Bale Era).

Rob Page, however, is keen for younger members of the squad to see his retirement as an opportunity, as he told the press on Wednesday.

We have lost one of the world’s best players with Gareth.

There has been enough in the squad to put us in a position where we are two wins away from qualifying for the fourth time (in the last five major tournaments).

Of course he’s going to be missed on and off the pitch but it gives others an opportunity.

With the final whistle blown, Georgia have pulled off an upset and shocked Luxembourg 2-0 – they’ll face the winner of Greece versus Kazakhstan next week.

But what of the rest of the night’s matches? Can you predict who ends up on top by roughly 9.30pm?

… after reaching the 2022 World Cup via the same route, and despatching Austria and Ukraine in the process.

That will ease tensions of those made nervous by their European Championship qualification record: they’re zero for three, having lost every play-off tie they’re been drawn into.

That’s Hungary in 1963, Yugoslavia in 1976, and Russia in 2003.

He starts on the bench, but national team captain’s very inclusion in Page’s squad was a curious one, in light of his non-existent recent form.

You can read more on the manager’s conundrum below.

… with the recruitment of Notting Hill’s own Rhys Ifans (my blog, my reference choice) to give Rob Page’s men a galvanising pep talk ahead of the crunch clash.

Ifans’ appearance in the dressing room comes on the heels of Michael Sheen’s two years ago, ahead of the Dragons’ two Nations League fixtures.

The former will hope he has more success than the latter, whose rousing speech couldn’t stop Wales from falling to Poland and Belgium in quick succession.

Two changes from the Wales side that faced Turkey in their last 1-1 stalemate to close the door on group stage qualifying, as Chris Mepham replaces Luton’s Tom Lockyer, and David Brooks is swapped in for Nathan Broadhead.

Finland’s last outing was against FIFA minnows San Marino, and they’ve made wholesale changes since then, among those the re-appearance of Bayer Leverkusen’s Lukas Hradecky in goal.

Wales versus Finland is just one of this evening’s play-off ties, with Georgia in the process of beating 10-man Luxembourg 2-0 as we speak.

For more on these knockout clashes ahead of next week’s play-off finals, have a look through Mail Sport’s primer below.

Wales and Finland have met comparatively few times historically, with just 15 encounters on the board – as a result, at first glance, there looks like plenty of potential needle, with Wales having won just six times to Finland’s four victories.

Indeed, the last meeting – a 2021 friendly – ended in a 0-0 stalemate, one scoreline we can be assured of avoiding this knockout evening.

Neither can Wales cling to dominance on home soil – in their last three trips to Cardiff, Finland have lost one, drawn one, and won one.

That 2009 win was in emphatic style too, thanks to a late, late, late goal from Shefki Kuqi.

There’s more than one familiar face amongst the Huuhkajat to followers on the English top-flight, such as former Norwich striker and one-time phenomenon Teemu Pukki, and Leeds’ Glen Kamara, who was on media duty on Wednesday.

He’s one of five Leeds players that could be featuring this evening, with Wales having their pick of his team-mates Joe Rondon, Ethan Ampadu, Daniel James, and Connor Roberts.

And this, Kamara believes, will be of huge advantage to the travellers.

They are all quality players and have done well this season. Hopefully I can use all my information against them in a way to help us.

I’m looking forward to playing against them. 2024 has been good to us all as we’re in good form at Leeds.

All I can do is take my good experience right now to help my team-mates, and hopefully get the win.

… currently taking over Cardiff, the Huuhkajat (or eagle-owls, naturally) have tipped a hat to Gareth Bale’s iconic – and muy impopular – ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid’ flag with a version of their own.

For the uneducated, that’s Suomi (aka Finland, in Finnish), Sisu (Finnish for strength, courage and determination), and Sauna (no translation necessary).

Wales seemed on the precipice of one of their most straightforward qualifying campaigns after the Dragons started autumn off on the right foot with a 2-0 victory against Latvia, an inevitable 4-0 thumping of Gibraltar, and a good-looking 2-1 smash and grab against Croatia.

In fact, rumours of Rob Page being quick-marched towards the exit after a lacklustre World Cup campaign all but dissipated – until the final two matches in November, against Armenia and Turkey.

Wales were held to draws in both outings, where wins were vital to keep Croatia out of the second-place spot in Group D.

Noswaith dda, hyvää iltaa, hello and welcome to Mail Sport’s live coverage of Wales versus Finland, with kick-off at Cardiff City Stadium at 7.45pm.

With a third consecutive European Championship appearance for Wales on the line, it really is all to play for in the capital this evening, after Rob Page’s side failed to overturn Turkey and Armenia in their final run of group qualifying matches last autumn.

In Finland, they meet an opponent more than 30 points below them in the FIFA rankings – but the visitors will be keen to upset the apple cart.

We’re kicking off in just over an hour and 45 minutes, but until then, stick around for all the build-up, team news and more.