CONNOR’S SIGHTS ON KNOCKOUT
CONNOR ROBERTS has challenged Wales to target reaching the World Cup knockout stage in 2026 after exiting Qatar.
Wales’ first World Cup appearance in 64 years fell flat as Rob Page’s men picked up just a point to finish bottom of Group B.
They are heading home after losing to England and Iran following their opening draw with USA.
Some pundits have predicted it is the end of the road for the team, with Wayne Hennessey, 35, Gareth Bale, 33, Joe Allen, 32 and Aaron Ramsey, 31, all knocking on.
But Burnley defender Roberts said: “I know there are also a lot of players the right side of 30 and there’s a lot of talent in this squad. We’ve got a lot of young players who can learn from this experience and hopefully take it forward. The next achievement will be to not only get to a World Cup, but to get out of the group stage. “We might have to wait a while, or we may not have to wait too long, but that is the next goal and it’s a good thing that football moves quickly.
“The qualification for the Euros start in March and we need to take these experiences from here. The young players need to learn from this and we go again in March.” Roberts, who has scored three goals in 45 caps, came off the bench in the first half as ROBERTS: Mixed feelings after exit a substitute for the concussed Neco Williams to make his third appearance in Qatar.The right-back claimed Group B was always going to be tough for 19th-ranked Wales against England, who are fifth, USA in 16th, and Iran in 20th.
Roberts said: “We have a lot of emotions. In the dressing room, we are disappointed with our performances and where they have taken us in this competition.
“But it’s massive for us to even be here and when we look back we will realise that.
“Everyone looked at the group and thought, ‘Maybe they’ll do this or that’ but we played against three very good teams.
“I know England blew Iran away, but they are no mugs and showed that against us.
“There were patches when we did show what we are all about, but they were too few and far between.
“It’s a little bit disappointing, but for a lot of the players – myself included – I am ecstatic to be able to say that I represented my country at a World Cup.”