Humm’s last-gasp strike in extra time ends Wales’ World Cup dream

Wales’ hopes of reaching the World Cup and a first major tournament ended in heartbreak, as Switzerland prevailed from this barmy playoff tie after the wily substitute Fabienne Humm flicked in a cute winner deep in extra time.

A topsy-turvy contest was heading for a penalty shootout after Ramona Bachmann, who was forced off late on through injury, cancelled out Rhiannon Roberts’s opener. Switzerland missed a penalty and Bachmann saw a winner disallowed in normal time for offside but there would be no final reprieve as Humm struck to floor Wales.

Switzerland put 15 goals past Moldova in their previous game and are nine places above Wales in the Fifa rankings but Gemma Grainger’s side had come too far – this was their 12th game of the qualifying campaign – to show any signs of an inferiority complex.

Wales seemed to relish their status as underdogs and rocked the hosts when Roberts side-footed in on the turn with 19 minutes on the clock. Kayleigh Green kept Angharad James’s corner alive in the box, towering above two Switzerland defenders to win a header after Gemma Evans won the first contact and Roberts reacted quickest to squeeze a shot into the corner of the Switzerland goal.

Switzerland qualified for the past two European Championships and were in no mood to miss out on reaching another major tournament. By that point the closest they had come to finding the net was when Viola Calligaris lashed a shot wide from 25 yards. When Green received treatment on the half-hour for a groin injury the Swiss players convened for an impromptu team-talk to remedy a solution.

Hayley Ladd made a superb challenge on halfway to halt a counterattack spearheaded by Svenja Fölmli and Roberts made a smart interception to cut out a cross as