Wales came within a whisker of dragging themselves back into the race for World Cup qualification this evening, but ultimately had to settle for a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Croatia.

The hosts put in a fine first-half performance and went into the break with a deserved 1-0 lead after Gareth Bale had scored from the spot.

However, Croatia levelled things up in the 75th minute when Dejan Lovren's long range strike swerved in the air enough to beat an in-form Boaz Myhill.

The visitors then grabbed the all-important winner with four minutes of normal time left, Eduardo getting the goal that keeps Croatia level with Belgium at the top of Group A.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a thoroughly entertaining 90 minutes of action at the Liberty Stadium.

Match statistics:

Wales:
Shots 8
On target 4
Possession 46%
Corners 5
Fouls 6

Croatia:
Shots 16
On target 11
Possession 54%
Corners 11
Fouls 14

Was the result fair?

If anyone deserved to win, it was certainly Croatia. However, Wales's performance against a team over 60 places above them in the world rankings was so good that you wouldn't have been able to begrudge them a draw. Croatia dominated the second half and, ultimately, their class shone through, but Wales gave it a really good go and will feel gutted at coming away from the match with nothing.

Wales's performance

Very good. They may have lost but there are plenty of positives for coach Chris Coleman to take from this game. It was probably the best that Wales have played for a long time, particularly in the first half. They looked dangerous going forward and, perhaps most importantly, played the sort of football that excited the fans. They had fewer chances to shine offensively in the second half, but overall it was an impressive performance by Wales, certainly better than their world ranking suggests.

Croatia's performance

Croatia weren't at their best in the first half but they still played well enough to create some good chances. They were much better in the second half, however, dominating possession for large periods and piling the pressure on Wales. It is no coincidence that when Luka Modric saw more of the ball, Croatia improved, and their first goal seemed inevitable. They were given a good game by Wales but were just about good enough to come away with the win.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Jonathan Williams: There were many candidates for man of the match in this one, but young Jonathan Williams just pips the rest to the post. He was very positive and looked to take the ball past his man every time he got the ball, despite this being his first start for Wales. The likes of Myhill, Bale, Collins, and Modric all deserve a mention too.

Biggest gaffe

There were a lot of gilt-edge chances missed in tonight's match, but the worst one has to go to Gareth Bale. Bale was released by a magnificent pass and he brought it down brilliantly but, with time to pick his spot and only the keeper to beat, he put it over the bar. That would have made it 2-0 to Wales and we could have had a very different game on our hands.

Referee performance

Luca Banti had a good game tonight. He handed out quite a few cards, but none of them were harsh. The big decision was the penalty to Wales, but it was another one that he got spot on. There was definite contact and the referee had no choice but to point to the spot.

What next?

Wales: Wales are not scheduled to be in action again until August when they will face the Republic of Ireland in a friendly.

Croatia: Croatia, meanwhile, will face Scotland in their next match - a World Cup qualifier in June.

Written by
Barney Corkhill