The big news: Wales held 1-1 by Serbia

Wales were held to a 1-1 draw against Serbia in their 2018 World Cup qualifiers clash at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday. Wales’s hopes of qualifying for the mega event were hit by a severe blow as Aleksandar Mitrovic’s late equaliser for Serbia denied them a win. Gareth Bale fired Wales ahead 30 minutes into the game. However, Mitrovic scored in the 85th minute to draw the game.

With the Republic of Ireland’s win against Austria helping them to the top the group, Serbia and Wales stay second and third. Having drawn their previous two matches, Wales needed a win. Although they remain unbeaten, the four-point gap between them and the Republic of Ireland is a significant one with only one team able to qualify automatically from the group. It also sets up a mouthwatering clash between the two sides in Dublin on 24 March.

Other top stories:

  1. Spain beat Macedonia 4-0 to top their group and stay ahead of Italy. Darko Velkoski’s own goal along with goals from Vitolo, Nacho Monreal and Aritz Aduriz secured Spain’s win. Elsewhere in Group G, Israel beat Albania 3-0 to move to third spot.
  2. Kerala Blasters beat Chennaiyin FC 3-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Saturday. Chennai took the lead in the first half to stun the capacity crowd with Bernard Mendy on target. However, the second half saw Didier Kadio score the equaliser for Kerala, before Vineeth scored two goals in the space of four minutes to help his side to a 3-1 win.
  3. Southampton forward Dusan Tadic has reportedly broken his nose during Serbia’s 1-1 draw against Wales. Defender Neil Taylor accidentally kicked the Serbian while both were fighting for the ball. Tadic, who has been in fine form for both Serbia and Southampton this season, may need surgery.
  4. Italy earned a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win against Liechtenstein. The Italians were in sublime form as they scored all their goals before the first half. A brace from Andrea Belotti with Ciro Immobile and Antonio Candreva scoring one goal apiece ensured the win.