Wales' tale of qualifying heartbreak

Neco Williams has made 54 appearances for Wales [Getty Images] Wales' World Cup dream is over after defeat in the play-off semi-final on penalties against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cardiff. Although Wales have qualified for three major finals in the past decade, their history is littered with a number of near misses and heartbreaks. BBC Sport Wales looks at Wales' previous qualification heartbreaks.

1978 World Cup Brian Flynn played 66 times for Wales and was briefly Wales caretaker manager in 2010 [Getty Images] Wales had beaten group rivals Czechoslovakia 3-0 in Wrexham and a win over Scotland would have taken Mike Smith's men within touching distance of qualifying for the World Cup finals in Argentina. Scotland had already lost 2-0 in Prague, and so Wales sensed their opportunity - even though the home match would be played on foreign soil. Forced to play away from Ninian Park due to crowd trouble, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) decided to stage the crucial match at Liverpool's Anfield rather than Wrexham in order to secure more money from a larger crowd.

The game's turning point came in the 78th minute when Scotland striker Joe Jordan rose with Wales defender David Jones to challenge for Asa Hartford's long throw into the Welsh box. To the astonishment of the Welsh fans and players, French referee Robert Wurtz awarded a penalty, even though TV replays clearly showed it was Jordan's and not Jones' hand deliberately flicking the ball towards goal. Don Masson coolly slotted the penalty past Dai Davies, and with Kenny Dalglish adding a second goal 10 minutes later, the Wales dream was over.

1982 World Cup Mickey Thomas won 51 caps for Wales [Getty Images] Mike England's Wales were unbeaten in their first five games of the World Cup qualifying campaign but after defeat in Czechoslovakia a home draw against Iceland proved costly. Wales were leading 1-0 at the Vetch Field in Swansea when the floodlights failed before the interval, and following a lengthy delay, Iceland twice came from behind to draw 2-2. England's side lost 3-0 to the Soviet Union a month later and Wales' faint hopes were finally extinguished when the Soviets drew 1-1 with Czechoslovakia, who finished above Wales on goal difference and qualified for Spain 1982.