When you ask a Welsh person who has left Wales to explain what it is that they miss about Wales, they will invariably mention the ‘hiraeth’.
Such was the feeling of longing and yearning for something that had been missing since 1958, felt by a nation of Welsh-the Red Wall-in Cardiff, across Wales and by those scattered to the four corners of the globe, on a fine Sunday evening last week.
Brought together by hope, faith in the greatest side that Wales has seen for decades, camaraderie and a sense of release after the confinements of the two-year lockdown, over 30,000 fans swamped a sold-out Cardiff City Stadium armed with flags and banners and with song in their hearts.
And so at approximately 7pm on Sunday, a 64 year drought came to an end in a glorious goal by Gareth Bale-assisted by Ukraine’s captain-but a goal is a goal and Rob Page’s Welsh warriors succeeded in maintaining their 1-0 lead throughout the second half, bringing a nation to its knees with gratitude-and a fair bit of relief.
FUW President Glyn Roberts expressed his pride and excitement at the prospect of Wales playing in the World Cup in Qatar saying:
"Competing at the World Cup will raise Wales 's profile on the world stage . As an industry we have worked hard over many years to break into the Middle East market. What better way to do this than taking part in the World Cup , held in Qatar? The FUW sends our congratulations to the Wales National team on their success and wishes them all the best at the world cup."
When it comes to securing our place in the next rounds after the Group B matches against the USA, Iran or England in November, it’s fair to say Wales is definitely in with a fighting chance; as the Welsh legend Dafydd Iwan would have it "R’yn ni yma o hyd”.