- Turkey were given a controversial penalty during their match against Wales
- Pundits claimed Kenan Yildiz ‘dived’ for visitors during 1-1 draw
- Have you witnessed referee abuse? Contact IAKO@dailymail.co.uk
Pundits have complained about the ‘weak’ penalty awarded to Turkey during their 1-1 draw against Wales on Tuesday evening.
Rob Page’s side will head into the Euro 2024 play-offs following the result in Cardiff, having finished third in their qualifying group – four points behind Croatia.
The hosts had taken the lead on the evening after Neco Williams’ early strike, before Turkey leveled in controversial fashion during the second half.
In the 70th minute, Turkey’s Kenan Yildiz went down in the penalty area after causing a slight collision with Wales defender Ben Davies.
There appeared to be minimal contact but the referee pointed to the spot and Yusuf Yazici made no mistake putting his effort into the back of the net.
Turkey were awarded a controversial penalty after Kenan Yildiz went down in the penalty area following a meeting with Wales defender Ben Davies
Yusuf Yazici made no mistake in scoring the penalty and earned his point per team that evening
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Former Wales striker Robert Earnshaw told Sky Sports: ‘I’m stunned. To me this is weak. He’s done quite a lot of diving.
‘The three that Wales had denied looked like a lot more penalties than this one.’
‘Unbelievable. He literally gave him a push, a weak, weak punishment. A devastating bow as Wales looked solid, this is a very poor decision, very weak. That’s very, very bad.”
Meanwhile, Nathan Blake said on BBC Radio 5 Live Wales: ‘They can feel extremely affected, you have to say.
“The striker, you could see it in his reaction, stood up and shouted as if he had just scored the winner in the 90th minute.”
Rob Page’s team had taken an early lead against Turkey through Neco Williams and while Croatia were still drawing 0-0 at home to Armenia, Wales were in second place and on course for a place at next summer’s European Championship .
But when the crowd in Cardiff heard that Ante Budimir had given Croatia the lead in the 43rd minute, the bubble burst.
It meant they no longer qualified automatically and now face the Euro 2024 play-offs, with Turkey and Croatia finishing in first and second place respectively.
The first of their play-off matches will be at home against Iceland, Finland or Ukraine, with the winner facing Poland or Estonia at a location to be determined.
Sky Sports pundit Robert Earnshaw was quick to question the referees’ decision
Ben Davies fights with the referee after being penalized for a challenge in the penalty area
The Wales players were outraged by the referee’s decision, which ultimately cost them a lot of money
Wales took the lead on the evening after a clever combination between Jordan James and Harry Wilson, before Neco Williams drove past Ferdi Kadioglu’s feeble challenge and guided his effort into the far corner.
Brennan Johnson was shown a yellow card for obstructing Abdulkerim Bardakci’s free-kick, with the Tottenham man extremely unhappy not to be awarded at least one penalty.
Page already pointed out that his team had not been awarded a penalty in the first half and he reached boiling point when Turkey earned one after a much milder challenge from Ben Davies on substitute Kenan Yildiz.
Yazici sent Ward the wrong way from the spot and Wales had to settle for the play-offs.