It was a moment to rouse a nation that had bitten its fingernails to the bone.
On a wet Sunday afternoon in Cardiff, at the fag-end of the Platinium Jubilee weekend, Wales were inching towards immortality. Rob Page’s side held a 1-0 lead against Ukraine and stood on the verge of their first World Cup since Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister.
But their goal was leading an increasingly charmed life. An equaliser, and inevitable heartbreak, loomed on the horizon like an unwanted spectre at the feast.
There was widespread admiration for Ukraine in the build-up to the World Cup play-off, with pundits exalting their strength and courage in unthinkably horrific circumstances.
But they’re a damn fine side in their own right, a technically proficient outfit that had eased past Scotland and created chance after chance at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The clock ticked on, too slowly for those of a Welsh persuasion. And time froze when Andriy Yarmolenko, the scorer of an unfortunate own goal, was presented with the perfect opportunity to even the scores.
Ukraine had threaded the ball into their captain’s path and you’d have forgiven Yarmolenko for already mapping out his goal celebration in his head. But the former West Ham man reckoned without Ben Davies.
Appearing from nowhere, like a cat that’s sensed its feeding time, Davies pinched the ball from Yarmolenko’s feet just before his opponent had shaped to shoot. The approving roar from the home supporters could probably have been heard in Bristol.
This last-ditch tackle, which you sense had become immortalised even as Davies slid across the sodden turf, epitomised Welsh commitment in the face of an onslaught.
It epitomised the collective team spirit of the Welsh side, first fostered under Gary Speed but harnessed beautifully by Chris Coleman and now Page.
But, above all, it epitomised 64 years of pent-up frustration and the desire not to add another hard-luck tale into the canon. Not on Davies’ watch.
It…
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