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Pass the paracetamol because Football Daily’s neck is in absolute bits. Two penalty shootouts at the same time will do that to you, eyes bouncing from Wales’s heartbreak in Cardiff to the Republic of Ireland’s agony in Prague. Alas, neither will feature at the Geopolitics World Cup after their playoff semi-final defeats. For Ireland, it’ll be a minimum of 28 years between appearances at the big show. At least they’ll always have Troy Parrott’s glorious week in November. For Wales, it’s … ah, the long wait ended at the Human Rights World Cup in 2022. Never mind.
In hindsight, was the double-screening pain worth it? The lack of original storytelling is disappointing. Dan James gave Wales the lead against Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Ireland went 2-0 up inside 23 minutes against the Czech Republic. Edin Dzeko, 73, rose from a corner to equalise in the 86th minute … Ladislav Krejci rose from a corner to equalise in the 86th minute. Karl Darlow saved first in the shootout to give Wales the advantage … Caoimhín Kelleher saved first in the shootout to give Ireland the advantage. “My heart hurts,” sighed Craig Bellamy. “Just pain, we all feel pain,” lamented Heimir Hallgrímsson. Incredible drama? This was a blatant copy-and-paste job.
