Wales are a penalty kick from their first World Cup finals in 35 years. Up steps Paul Bodin ...

17 November 1993, Cardiff Arms Park

Wales needed to beat Romania at home to reach their first World Cup finals since 1958. It was 1-1 when they were awarded a penalty after 63 minutes. But Paul Bodin smashed the spot-kick against the crossbar and was substituted six minutes later. Romania went on to win 2-1.

Paul Bodin: When the penalty was awarded, their goalkeeper, Florin Prunea, grabbed the ball and gave it a good-luck kiss. I wiped it away, put the ball on the spot, and decided to put it in the top left-hand corner as powerfully as I could. I ran up and struck it cleanly. I watched it all the way and it looked good until it seemed to change trajectory at the last second. It crashed against the bar. Just two inches lower and we would have been winning.

As it was, there were still 30 minutes to find a winner but it never happened. Romania had class players like Gheorghe Hagi and Ilie Dumitrescu and once they scored a second it was all over. I was devastated. The whole team were. All of the boys told me it wasn't my fault. Our keeper Neville Southall, normally so reliable, was at fault for both goals, but people were obviously going to blame me because of the miss. I got some stick for it, but things were put into perspective when we found out a fan had been killed by a flare. He came to watch a football match and never went home.

I probably won't be allowed to forget my miss until Wales qualify for a major tournament.