Rob Page insisted he will take Wales forward after their Euro 2024 dream was ended by penalty shoot-out heartbreak.
Daniel James missed the decisive spot-kick as Wales lost 5-4 on penalties to Poland after a goalless draw at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney put Page’s position in the spotlight in October by saying the manager’s position would be reviewed if the Dragons did not qualify for Euro 2024 automatically.
Page and Mooney held clear the air talks after those comments – the 49-year-old remaining in post after Wales had to settle for a play-off place that ultimately ended in failure.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Dave Adams, the technical director,” said boss Page.
“We’ve had our issues in the past, haven’t we? It’s been well documented. But everything’s fine. Everything’s great. I think they appreciate it.
“The board, the chief exec, the president, I think they see the journey we’re on and what we’re trying to do.
“In 12 months, from retirement of senior players to introducing younger players and being one kick away from qualification. I think they see the work we’re doing and the supporters do too.”
Wales had never been involved in a penalty shoot-out in their history and it was left to James, with the 10th spot-kick, to feel the pain of failing to convert as Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny pushed out his effort.
Page told S4C: “It is a cruel game and that is what I have said to the players. One kick away from qualifying and it hurts.
“I thought we were the better team. I’ve just said to the group, ‘look how far we have come – we are that disappointed we have not qualified for a major tournament’.”
Page offered sympathy to James and praised his squad for their efforts throughout the qualifying campaign.
He added: “We will rally round Deej. He had the bravery to take that penalty.
“I’m just so proud of that group and the nation should be proud of them. They have put a shift and some in tonight to try to get us there.
“We will be bigger and stronger for going through this horrible experience. We are going somewhere. There is something good happening with this group.
“They are so disappointed but they are hungry for it. We were nearly there, one kick away. There is a lot more to come.”
Page defended his decision to keep Aaron Ramsey on the bench and not send on his skipper in the closing stages.
Ramsey has not started a game since September because of knee and calf issues, but played 20 minutes for Cardiff in their last game following his latest injury.
“Who could he come on and replace?” said Page.
“We needed two sixes on the park and we weren’t going to take a risk in extra-time.”
Fiorentina 2-1 Milan: Gudmundsson seals win after De Gea penalty heroics
David de Gea saved two penalties for Fiorentina, setting the stage for Albert Gudmundsson to score the winner in a 2-1 victory over Milan.
In a pulsating encounter that saw three missed penalties and two red cards, Fiorentina prevailed to halt Paulo Fonseca's Serie A winning run.
The hosts had the first spot-kick of the game, with Moise Kean's tame effort being kept out by Mike Maignan before the forward had a goal disallowed for offside.
Former Milan midfielder Yacine Adli did break the deadlock soon after, ricocheting a low shot in off the far post from the edge of the box, and De Gea kept them ahead at the break, superbly denying Theo Hernandez from the spot.
Kean had a second goal chalked off for offside in the second half and Milan wasted another golden opportunity from 12 yards, as De Gea got down well to keep out Tammy Abraham this time.
On the hour mark, an in-form Christian Pulisic finally pulled the visitors level with a perfect volley, but the drama was far from over as Gudmundsson drilled his low shot past Maignan to put Fiorentina back in front in the 73rd minute.
Emotions ran high in the final moments as Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino was sent off, while Hernandez also received his marching orders for arguing with the referee after the final whistle had gone.
Data Debrief: De Gea's penalty redemption
For all the plaudits De Gea received while at Manchester United, one blip on his record was his struggles against penalties.
However, with his impressive showing against Milan, he became the first goalkeeper to make two penalty saves in a single Serie A match since Federico Marchetti in May 2016.
Since his debut in the top five European leagues (2009-10), the Spaniard has saved 10 of his 52 penalties in the league, including each of the last three, having also saved one against Fulham in May 2023.
Rangers 2-0 St. Johnstone: Cerny double provides Ibrox redemption
Rangers got back on track in the Scottish Premiership as Vaclav Cerny scored both goals in a 2-0 victory over St. Johnstone.
Philippe Clement's side were thrashed 4-1 by Lyon in Thursday's Europa League clash at Ibrox Stadium, where they made amends with a routine domestic victory on Sunday.
Cerny broke the deadlock 11 minutes before the interval, cutting inside and curling a sumptuous effort into the bottom-left corner of Ross Sinclair's goal.
Czech Republic winger Cerny added Rangers' second, and doubled his account, just before the hour after combining with returning midfielder Ianis Hagi before producing a right-footed finish into the far corner.
Hagi – who had not played a first-team game for over a year due to a contract dispute – was sent off with nine minutes left though, following a VAR review for a high challenge on Benjamin Kimpioka's standing ankle.
Rangers still recorded a comfortable triumph to move back within five points of the league-leading Celtic, who are clear of Aberdeen on goal difference, heading into the October international break.
Data Debrief: Defensive recovery after Lyon pain
Rangers were well off the pace in the Lyon hammering in which they shipped four goals, though the hosts rediscovered their defensive solidity here.
Clement's men have now won three matches in a row without conceding in the competition for the first time since doing so across January and February last campaign.
It came as no surprise, however, given St. Johnstone have lost each of their last seven away league games against Rangers without scoring a single goal in the process.
Kompany not concerned despite Bayern's defensive issues in Frankfurt
Vincent Kompany saw no reason for concern despite Bayern Munich conceding a late equaliser in Sunday's 3-3 draw away to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bayern have now failed to win any of their last three matches in all competitions after last week's top-flight draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen and their midweek Champions League loss at Aston Villa.
Kim Min-Jae sent the visitors ahead early on, only for in-form Omar Marmoush to level before his strike partner Hugo Ekitike edged the home side into the lead.
Goals from Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise turned the game around, only for Marmoush to provide a last-gasp equaliser – yet Kompany did not appear too worried at the full-time whistle.
"This was a tough game against a team that was second in the Bundesliga [before the match]," Kompany told a press conference after the points were shared in Frankfurt.
"When I look how the team worked and ran for each other it is a positive performance.
"We are all judged by results but my job is to see how we perform against some of the top teams in Germany and continue to improve. If we continue like this we will have a lot of wins."
All three Eintracht goals came from quick counter-attacks with the Bayern defence caught off guard.
"The way we approached the game I cannot say I am not proud of the team," Kompany added.
"I know you are all going to talk about the three goals that we conceded. We always have to improve things step by step. There are things that are not perfect but I have to focus on the things we did well."
The Bavarians now have 14 points and sit top of the table on goal difference ahead of RB Leipzig, who were 1-0 winners at Heidenheim earlier on Sunday.
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