Chris Coleman marked what could be his final game as Wales manager with a 1-1 draw against World Cup finalists Panama.
Tom Lawrence’s 75th-minute wonderful solo strike – his second Wales goal – looked like settling a hard-fought friendly in Cardiff.
But Wales, who saw Sam Vokes fail to convert a first-half penalty, were pegged back in the third minute of stoppage time when Armando Cooper rifled past Danny Ward.
Wales forward Tom Lawrence
What they said
Wales manager Chris Coleman: “The players are an incredible bunch and they’ll keep achieving because they are all at a good age. I think there’s still a little hangover because we never got to the play-offs and we’re not going to Russia. That will burn for a while that.”
Tweet of the match
Star man – Tom Lawrence
The 23-year-old scored the only goal for the hosts – and his second for Wales – after a sparkling individual run from the left before dinking inside and beating three players then firing a low shot into the far corner. The Derby forward threatened in the first half after another lively run into the box and, with young trio Ethan Ampadu, David Brooks and Ben Woodburn, gave Wales fans reasons to be cheerful for the future.
Moment of the match
Vokes’ missed penalty. Wales were on top for most of the half and Vokes was handed a golden 42nd-minute chance to press home that dominace after Luis Ovalle upended David Edwards. However, the Burnley striker’s effort was poor and Jaime Penado clawed it to safety as the hosts failed to convert the pressure.
Data point
Defender Chris Gunter captained Wales for the first time against Panama and in doing so joined Gary Speed as the country’s second-most capped player with 85 appearances. His tackle on Gabriel Torres to stop him from putting Panama ahead was as good as a goal, although the stoppage-time equaliser by Cooper stopped him from claiming a clean sheet.
Player ratings
Wales: Danny Ward 6 (out of 10), Chris Gunter 7, James Chester 7, Ben Davies 7, Neil Taylor 6, Ethan Ampadu 7, David Edwards 7, David Brooks 8, Tom Lawrence 8, Ben Woodburn 7, Sam Vokes 6. Subs: Tom Lockyer (for Davies, 46) 7, Tom Bradshaw (for Vokes, 46) 6, Lee Evans (for Edwards, 62) 6, Andrew Crofts (for Ampadu, 67) 7, Marley Watkins (for Brooks, 71) 6, Ryan Hedges (for Woodburn, 71) 6.
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