Serbia 1-1 Wales

"I expected that - unless we won every game in this campaign or we were top".

As Wales looked to sit on their lead heading into the second half, Joe Allen's booking resulted in another potentially crucial suspension and Aleksandar Kolarov sent the subsequent free-kick fizzing just past the top-right corner.

"You've seen it time and again, football is odd, and we might be soon talking about one of the best Wales performances in years".

"It's a game we can't lose and we are up against the strongest team in the group".

"We are going to miss him, there is no point hiding from that fact", Allen was quoted as saying by the BBC.

It is a fifth successive draw for Wales in Group D and the fifth time that they have let a lead slip as the road to Russian Federation continues to be a bumpy one.

"Maybe it's because what's happened to us and these players have served us very well, but I'm optimistic about what's ahead".

Wales are still unbeaten in the group but this was a fifth straight draw and they are third, four points behind both Serbia and the Republic of Ireland, and level on points with Austria in fourth.

A four-point deficit is not insurmountable at the halfway stage, but Wales can surely not afford another defeat if they are to win Group D. So does Coleman park a rather large Belgrade bus in the hope that a draw and winning the final four group games will be enough? Vladimir Stojkovic, the Serbia goalkeeper, made a pig's ear of dealing with Ben Davies's long ball and ended up bringing down Ramsey just outside the area when he realised that he was unable to shepherd the ball out of play.

"We knew it would be a tough match and that Wales would be a hard proposition even without Bale", said Serbia coach Slavoljub Muslin.

"There is a lot of quality in it", Ramsey said.

"But I don't think that would have been in Aaron's thinking". "We've not seen the job through for 90 minutes".

Substitute Aleksandar Prijovic broke behind the Wales defence and his pass allowed Newcastle striker Mitrovic to skip past Williams and finish clinically, just like he had done in November's 1-1 draw in Cardiff. It was a huge call from the official and one that Ramsey was determined to make the most of in style as he stepped forward and casually dinked the ball into the corner of the net, leaving Stojkovic looking on in despair as he dived in the opposite direction.

"When the national anthem started, that's what I'll always remember", the Wales manager said. Anything less probably leaves them with too much to do.

"There is disappointment with the draw, but we kept first place in the group thanks to the draw between Ireland and Austria".