Wales beat Georgia 1-0 at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Stadium to hold on to second place in Group D heading into the final round of fixtures.
The only goal of the game in Tbilisi arrived early in the second half as Tom Lawrence sent a long-range strike flying past Giorgi Loria.
Despite creating far more of the clear-cut chances, the Dragons had to ride their luck at the end as Giorgi Merebashvili came close to levelling up.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the World Cup qualifying clash between Georgia and Wales at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Stadium. The Dragons travel to Tbilisi with their qualifying fate still in their own hands with two rounds of fixtures left to play, but they will likely require six points from six if they are to have any hope of a playoff spot.
Top spot is still not out of the question at this stage, but for that to happen Serbia will have to slip up against Austria - possible, even if their opponents are out of the running - and home to Georgia on Monday. For now Wales and Republic of Ireland will instead look to pick up the results required over the next six hours or so to set up what should be a real thriller at the Cardiff City Stadium on Monday night when they face off.
WALES TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Hennessey; Gunter, Chester, A.Williams, Davies; King, Allen, Ledley; Ramsey, Lawrence; Vokes
SUBS: Maxwell, Ward, Ampadu, Lockyer, Taylor, Edwards, J.Williams, Brooks, Woodburn, Hedges, Robson-Kanu, Bradshaw
Starting with a look at the visiting side, boss Chris Coleman has opted to stick with a flat-back four for this tricky trip to Tbilisi. Wales have had so much joy with a back three over the past few years, leading them through Euro 2016 qualifying and to the semi-finals of the competition, but that appears to have been abandoned for good. Instead, Chris Gunter and Ben Davies start at full-back, while Ashley Williams and James Chester partner up at centre-back.
The two changes made by Coleman come further up the field, where Joe Ledley - now back to something close to full fitness after finding himself a new club last month - comes in for the injured Gareth Bale, while Sam Vokes is given the nod over Hal Robson-Kanu. The loss of Bale is huge for the Dragons, of course, with the statistics making for bad reading when the Real Madrid forward is not around.
Alongside Ledley in a central-midfield three is Joe Allen and Andy King, the latter being given the nod over the reliable presence of David Edwards. Coleman has only been able to field his 'Holy Trinity' of Bale, Allen and Aaron Ramsey a handful of times during this campaign, and he is again without one of that key trio tonight due to the untimely calf injury picked up by Bale.
Having an in-form Ramsey in the side is a big boost for the visitors, though, starting alongside Tom Lawrence in attacking midfield just off Vokes. There was a real shout for Robson-Kanu to start tonight, offering Wales far par movement in behind, but Coleman has instead decided to bring in the Burnley man for this final away game in Group D qualifying. A word of caution - seven Wales players are one caution away from an automatic one-game ban, including the likes of Williams, Ramsey and Davies.
GEORGIA TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Loria; Kakabadze, Kverkvelia, Kashia, Navalovski; Merebashvili, Kvekveskiri, Kazaishvili; Kankava, Gvilia, Kvilitaia
SUBS: Makaridze, Kvaskhvadze, Lobzhanidze, Khocholava, Kiteishvili, Dvalishvili, Chanturia, Dvali, Hufnagel, Skhirtladze, Aburjania, Jigauri
Georgia are without arguably their two key players this evening, as Krasnodar midfielder Tornike Okriashvili - superb in the reverse meeting between these two sides last year - and Jano Ananidze both miss out through injury. There is also no place in the squad for Empoli striker Levan Mchedlidze due to an injury issue of his own, so Girogi Kvilitaia of Rapid Vienna comes in to lead the hosts' frontline.
Home boss Vladimir Weiss has gone with a 4-3-3 formation on paper, as Valeriane Gvilia and Jaba Kankava link up with the aforementioned Kvilitaia in attack. Do not expect to see Georgia simply sit back and soak up pressure this evening; they enjoy getting forward and will certainly ask Wales' defenders plenty of questions, as was the case in the reverse fixture 12 months ago. More recently, Ireland were also outclassed at times here in September.
Chris Coleman has made two changes to Wales's starting lineup on the back of last month's away win in Moldova. Sam Vokes takes over from Hal Robson-Kanu up top, while Joe Ledley is given the nod to replace Gareth Bale after building up his fitness in recent weeks. Ben Woodburn has been influential from the bench in the Dragons' last two games, while David Brooks was also in contention to start today, but both youngsters are left in reserve from the off.
Plenty of Irish fans no doubt watching on as events unfold in Tbilisi over the next few hours. It is looking increasingly likely as though Monday's clash in Cardiff will be a de facto playoff between the two sides in its own right, with second spot still left to play for. As touched upon a little earlier, Wales can still nab top spot from Serbia, though that will require a fairly big shock as the group leaders host Georgia on the final matchday after travelling to Austria - one win will do.
Georgia recently climbed up to 103 in the FIFA rankings; a position that belies their technical ability, as witnessed against Ireland, Austria and indeed Wales during this Russia 2018 campaign. The Crusaders are managed by Wladimir Weiss - the father of the former Rangers and Manchester City midfielder by the same name - who guided his native Slovakia to the 2010 World Cup finals. The experienced coach now has a challenge of a different kind on his hands.
Weiss's men are aiming to qualify for a major tournament for the first time in their history, having first competed in their own right following the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. The closest they have come to doing so was in 1995 and 2001, when finishing third in qualifying for Euro 96 and the 2002 World Cup respectively. The bad news for the Crusaders is that they have won just one of their last 30 WC qualifiers, losing 17 of those, with the solitary victory coming against Bulgaria here in September 2012.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! This is the fifth meeting between the two nations and, rather incredibly, Wales have yet to win any of those previous encounters. The Dragons lost the first three, in fact, including a 5-0 reverse at this ground in 1994 - still one of, if not the, most famous result in Georgia's competitive history. They most recently played out a 1-1 draw at the Cardiff City Stadium in October 2016.
That encounter in Cardiff a year ago was the only real disappointing result of Wales's campaign to date. Being held at home by Serbia was also far from idea, but it was the dropped points against Georgia that could well come back to haunt them come Tuesday evening when each qualifier has been played. It was hardly a snatch-and-grab result for the Crusaders, though, as they did more to win the game and were worthy of Okriashvili's goal when it arrived on the hour, cancelling out Bale's early opener.
Despite taking points from some of the heavyweight sides in the group, though, Georgia have long been out of the running to reach Russia 2018. As mentioned a little earlier, they have won one of their last 30 World Cup qualifiers - a real disappointing record on the face of it - though they have not always had luck on their side. There was also a famous 1-0 friendly win over Spain in that time, with the injured Okriashvili netting the only goal to stun the European giants right before Euro 2016.
Following their well-earned point in Cardiff, Georgia failed to truly push on and have only had similar results against Austria and Ireland to celebrate, most recently playing out a 1-1 stalemate in Vienna last month. Ireland were left hanging on at times when they travelled here not so long ago, seeing a Shane Duffy goal cancelled out by Valeri Qazaishvili and at times being overrun by their opponents. Make no mistake about it - this is not an easy fixture for the Welsh.
Georgia have drawn five of their eight qualifying fixtures so far and can still finish above Austria in fourth place if they can better their opponents' results over the next few days. That will be incredibly tough for the Crusaders, however, as they follow up this home clash against second-placed Wales with a trip to group leaders Serbia on Monday. A point from either of those could help improve their ranking ahead of the Euro 2020 draw in December.
The Crusaders head into this match on the back of three-successive draws, with their last competitive win of any sort coming 10 games back when beating Gibraltar here in October 2015. A month before that they beat Scotland, so again they should not be discredited just yet. For all the praise Coleman has given tonight's opponents, though, the stats do not lie - Georgia are among the lowest ranked European sides for a reason, having won one of their last 30 World Cup qualifiers.
Georgia may be ranked at 103 in the world, but they have proved over the past year that they have what it takes to nab the odd point off some of the higher-ranked nations. Austria and Ireland were both held to draws last month in Group D, as were Wales almost exactly a year ago at the Cardiff City Stadium. Throw a friendly win over Spain into the mix ahead of Euro 2016 and you can see why Chris Coleman is a little concerned.
Wales, now ranked at 13th in the world, have managed to turn their campaign around to ensure that it is now in their own hands. A number of draws looked to have cost the Dragons, but they have come out of a tough run sitting second in the Group D standings, four points off leaders Serbia and one better off than Ireland - that being the key, as the two rival countries are due to face off in Cardiff three days from now.
Coleman's men, still high on emotion after reaching the last four of Euro 2016, started their campaign with a thumping 4-0 win over Moldova and a 2-2 draw in Austria - two impressive results. Then came that damaging 1-1 home draw against Georgia and a frustrating draw against Serbia the following month in Cardiff. Two more draws followed, albeit ones than supporters would have taken beforehand as they held Serbia in Belgrade and Ireland in Dublin to remain just about on course for Russia.
The caveat to those five draws was that Wales simply had to win four from their remaining four fixtures. First came Austria in Cardiff last month, a test the Dragons just about passed thanks to a dramatic winner from Liverpool youngster Ben Woodburn on his international debut. Woodburn played a key part in helping his nation overcome Moldova a few days later, too, this time coming off the bench to set up Robson-Kanu, before Ramsey added a second in a 2-0 win.
That leaves Coleman's men in second place and needing just two more wins to almost certainly guarantee a best-placed runners-up spot, thus meaning a two-legged playoff to look forward to. All talk of a shootout with Ireland on Monday can be put to one side for now, though, because three points are needed in Tbilisi right now. Wales have yet to trail in a single game this campaign, but they have been pegged back all too often which may still cost them.
These next two results will have a bearing on Wales's UEFA coefficient, too, which is pertinent as the Nations League is introduced next year for the first time. As things stand, the Dragons are on course to find themselves among Europe's elite - Spain, Germany, Portugal, etc - in Group A, opening up a backdoor entrance to Euro 2020. If they do collect six points from six, they will also be among the top seeds for the playoff draw and, should they progress further, among the top seeds for the World Cup itself, too!
To make the Dragons' task all the more difficult, they are without star man Gareth Bale. Allen may be vital to the way this side ticks, and Ramsey is also important in his own right, but the stats lay out just how much Wales miss the Real Madrid forward when he does not play. Twenty-seven defeats and 33 wins with him across 68 games; 15 and eight respectively without him. Or, in percentage terms, 48% and 24% - they win just a quarter of their matches without Bale in the side.
Wales did earn an impressive point without Bale in Belgrade recently, granted, but a point just will not cut it tonight. It will not officially kill off the Dragons' hopes, though the way things are panning out they will need six from six to finish among the eight-best runners-up. With kickoff now just a few moments away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Vladimir Weiss: "We will do our best and start to look ahead to the next qualification campaign. Every game is important for us, we play for the three points and for our supporters. We will not make it easy for Wales but they still have a chance to qualify. Maybe Serbia will reach a good result in Austria, but Wales still must win two games. Ireland also have a chance. We are also missing two good players ourselves in Okriashvili and Ananidze. We have lost a lot of our attackers and we have to play with a young team. But we will try to win against a strong team and a strong coach, and we will see what happens."
Chris Coleman: "We're used to it. It's international football so you have to get on with it. We're still strong enough to go to other countries and get points. Tomorrow night is no different. In many ways our bench is as strong as it's been. Some young talent, but in terms of potential and talent we have a really good bench. Gareth Bale missing from any team is a loss, don't get me wrong, but that's not to say what we've got is not enough, because it is good enough to compete against anybody. That's the attitude we'll have tomorrow, no doubt."
DID YOU KNOW? Wales have won just one of their last seven away games, drawing three and losing three. They are unbeaten in five on their travels, though, picking up the solitary victory last time out when beating Moldova 2-0 in Chisinau. Overall, it is just one defeat in 20 qualifiers stretching back to a narrow defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in October 2015.
Anthems time in Tbilisi! Rather bizarrely, the Wales anthem cut out midway through and the Georgian one began. Hopefully not an omen of what is to come from a Welsh perspective, as they go in search of the three points needed to remain on course for Russia. A reminder of the team news for you - two changes made by the hosts, with goalkeeper Loria among those to return, while the Dragons also bring in two news faces.
KICKOFF! Georgia get us up and running at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Stadium in this Group D qualifier on the road to Russia.. The ball is instantly worked forward but Gvilia could not get on the end of it around the back.
Good play from Ramsey to help get the ball into the opposition box for the first time. A little too close to returning Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Loria, though, who was able to punch the ball to safety. Positive start by the visitors.
SHOT! Not far wide at all from Ramsey, who was slotted through by Lawrence. The Arsenal midfielder was under pressure and could only drag it wide, though he will perhaps feel that he could have tested Giorgi Loria.
The game panning out as expected so far in Tbilisi - Wales seeing more of the ball, but Georgia looking lively when getting the ball forward. The Crusaders without a couple of their more influential players this evening, though.
The big positive for the visitors is that Ramsey is already picking up the ball in some space 20 yards from goal. No Bale in the side, of course, but Allen and Ramsey - equally as important, some would argue - are both present.
Wales seeing plenty of the ball at the moment, making the most of their midfield three in Ledley, King and Allen. The onus is on Ramsey and Lawrence to then work the ball into Vokes's path up top, which so far they have not quite managed.
The hosts getting bodies forward whenever they can, earning themselves their first corner of the evening when a near-post cross was cut out. It came to little, though a cross from the right soon after had to be dealt with by Williams.
Coleman's men have spent the past few minutes defending, with a number of crosses coming into the box. Nothing to trouble the visitors' backline thus far, though, and it is Wales who have looked the brighter of the two sides in attack.
A nice, high press from Wales forces the Georgian players back. Around 2,000 travelling supporters in attendance this evening, incidentally - roughly 2,000 more than arrived here for that infamous 5-0 qualifying defeat in 1994!
SAVE! Another good chance for Wales to open the scoring, as the ball finds its way to King 12 yards from goal. The ball fell awkwardly and the connection was rather poor in the end, with Loria flying to punch the goalbound shot clear.
King played into some space down the right, sending a dangerous cross a little too close to Giorgi Loria. Wales have created a couple of decent chances in the opening quarter of the match, missed by Ramsey and King.
Brilliant run from midfielder Kvekveskiri, who started deep and very nearly got on Kankava's pass over the top. Williams stuck out a leg to block the ball, ending what was a rare but promising move for the home side.
Ledley, one of seven players a booking away from being suspended for the Ireland match, flies into a challenge but is given just a little talking to. No further punishment, either, as the free kick comes to little in the end.
All very balanced at the moment, although Wales have been the brighter on the whole after creating a couple of promising chances. Coleman will be hoping for a goal before the break, but the Dragons have often had to bide their time this campaign.
Ledley with a chance to whip a deep free kick into the box, only to swing it into a perfect position for the opposition defence to head clear. The Dragons aiming to build up some momentum once again after losing their flow over the past 10 minutes.
CLOSE! Make that three chances for the visitors, the latest falling to Vokes who crept in at the front post to meet Ramsey's right-sided cross. Good movement from the lone forward, but he could only help the ball wide of the target.
Over a third of the way into the game and Wales have performed well on the whole. They were never going to completely dominate possession, but they have made the most of their time on the ball by creating a few decent openings so far.
Georgia enjoying the odd patch in this first half, largely being made to sit back but also getting forward on occasion. Gvilia's eyes lit up when the ball fell to his 22 yards from goal, but he scuffed it horribly wide of the target.
SHOT! Good play by the visitors once again, culminating in Vokes laying the ball off for Lawrence on the edge of the box. It has to go down as a little more than half-a-chance, but the Derby man sent his shot high over the bar.
CLOSE! By far Georgia's best moment of the match so far, as the ball comes in from the right for Giorgi Kvilitaia to get on the end of. After outjumping Chester the ball looked destined for the back of the net, but it ended narrowly wide.
Lawrence is taken out 25 yards from goal, giving Ramsey a chance to stand over the ball for a well-positioned free kick. The angle was slightly against him, which told in the end as the ball was struck straight into the Georgian wall.
Play has been stopped for a couple of minutes as Giorgi Kvilitaia took the ball clean to his head when blocking Ramsey's free kick, leading to some extensive treatment. The big forward will likely return to the field before half time.
The game has gone very flat due to the stoppage in play for Kvilitaia and Lawrence before him. Wales have had chances to open the scoring but we are heading towards a goalless conclusion to this first half in Tbilisi.
HALF TIME: GEORGIA 0-0 WALES
The half-time whistle sounds at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Stadium. Wales have been the better side so far, creating three good chances and coming close from a shot 18 yards out, but Georgia have managed to keep their opponents out to leave the match delicately poised.
Wales, missing star man Gareth Bale for their final two qualifying fixtures, dominated the first-half chances and came close to an opener five minutes in when Tom Lawrence slipped the ball through for Aaron Ramsey. The Arsenal midfielder got in-between two opposition defenders but could only drag the ball wide of goal, before Andy King went one better by testing Giorgi Loria with a miscued volley from inside the box.
The visitors' next chance fell the way of Sam Vokes, preferred to Hal Robson-Kanu in attack as one of two changes from last time out, as he showed good movement to turn Ramsey's cross narrowly wide. Vokes turned provider soon after, laying the ball off for Tom Lawrence to send over the bar from the edge of the opposition box. Giorgi Kvilitaia squandered Georgia's only opportunity of the first half, outjumping James Chester but failing to test Wayne Hennessey.
Wales have 45 minutes to find a way through and, on the basis of what we have seen so far, Chris Coleman will no doubt be confident that his side can do so. The visitors have a number of players to turn to, including Hal Robson-Kanu and youngster Ben Woodburn, who has a goal and assist to his name from two senior international outings.
GEORGIA SUBS: Makaridze, Kvaskhvadze, Lobzhanidze, Khocholava, Kiteishvili, Dvalishvili, Chanturia, Dvali, Hufnagel, Skhirtladze, Aburjania, Jigauri
WALES SUBS: Maxwell, Ward, Ampadu, Lockyer, Taylor, Edwards, J.Williams, Brooks, Woodburn, Hedges, Robson-Kanu, Bradshaw
RESTART! Wales get proceedings back under way at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Stadium, where neither manager has made a half-time change. Coleman clearly happy enough with what he has seen, but changes can be expected if it remains goalless come the hour.
A Wales free kick disappointingly comes to little. Allen kept the attack alive once it was cleared by picking out Ramsey, but the Arsenal midfielder overhit his delivery and it was a comfortable catch for Loria under his crossbar.
GOAL! GEORGIA 0-1 WALES (TOM LAWRENCE)
An absolute belter from Lawrence to give Wales a deserved lead in Tbilisi. The Derby forward set himself up for the shot with a couple of nice touches, before blasting past Loria from distance to open his international scoring account.
A question over whether Loria could have done more to keep out the shot, but there was so much power behind it that helping it into the net appeared all that he could do in that situation. Will Wales now push on or sit back on their goal advantage?
SHOT! Lawrence has a taste for it now, trying his luck from a similar distance with a more caressed finished that ends narrowly wide. Wales still yet to trail this campaign, but they have thrown away countless leads.
YELLOW CARD! Lawrence goes in a little strong and becomes the first player to see a yellow card. Approaching the hour mark now, which could well see Coleman bring on Robson-Kanu for Vokes up top in his standard switch.
Best passing move of the match so far, which Vokes was at the heart of. The ball finally appeared to fall kindly enough to hit, but the angle was against him and Kakabadze did very well to get across and block the shot.
Over an hour played at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Stadium, where Wales have a deserved one-goal lead. Will that be enough to see them through? Ireland were pegged back after taking the lead last month and Austria had to settle for a 1-1 draw, too.
Dangerous move from the home side, with the right-hand side proving to be their best route through to goal. Chester did well to cut the cross out before it could reach a player in white, as Wales begin to hold on a little.
Coleman still yet to turn to his bench, which is a little surprising because Georgia are enjoying their best spell of the half. Robson-Kanu for Vokes appears the obvious chance to alter the complexion of the Dragons' attack.
Half a chance for Wales as Ramsey flicks the ball into the path of Davies, who forayed forward but saw his shot blocked before it could reach the target. Wales starting to turn the game back in their favour after sitting back for the best part of six or seven minutes.
Georgia may be seeing a lot of the ball but they are doing very little with it. Without two of their star attacking players, they have failed to show the same type of performance witnesses against Ireland and Wales earlier in the campaign.
CHANCE! Ramsey with a decent attempt down the middle, which Loria horribly parries into the path of Vokes. The keeper did recover somewhat by knocking the ball into the shin of Vokes before he could shoot, with the ball ricocheting over the bar.
Chester charges forward but is unable to get a shot away at the end of the attack. Wales able to capitalise on some gaps at the back now, which could present a good time for Robson-Kanu - and possibly Woodburn - to be introduced.
WALES SUB! A little later than expected, here is that Wales change as Robson-Kanu comes on for cap number 43. Vokes, who has performed well up top this evening, makes way for a well-deserved rest ahead of the Ireland clash.
Coleman will not be able to rest comfortably unless his side find the net for a second time. Great cross from Ramsey, chipping the ball into a central position. Robson-Kanu looked favourite to direct it home, but he failed to make any contact and it went right through the box.
SAVE! Georgia made a double change prior to that dangerous Ramsey cross, with Kvilitaia among those to make way. Wales doing all that is required of them at the moment, but Hennessey has been called into action to keep out Giorgi Merebashvili down low.
Worryingly for Wales, the hosts have managed to move through the gears all of a sudden. This is looking more like to Georgia side we have seen on a few occasions this campaign; a side that has caused a nuisance for the so-called big boys.
WALES SUB! Ledley lasted 83 minutes of the game, perhaps a little longer than anticipated, before being replaced by Edwards in a like-for-like alteration. Smart switch by Coleman, whose side just need to see things through now.
Another rendition of the national anthem goes up in the away section, with those 2,000 travelling supporters sensing that another big result is now close to being secured. Still, while it remains 1-0 anything can happen in the remaining minutes.
All a little desperate for Wales now, as they scramble the ball away. It looked like being a fairly straightforward finish, but Williams cleared the danger. Davies then needed to head the ball wide after a couple of his teammates were dragged out of position.
GEORGIA SUB! Wales need to keep hold of the ball, which they are unable to do at the moment. Khocholava is on for Gvilia in the hosts' final change of the evening, while Wales boss Coleman still has one more player to bring on should he wish.
WALES SUB! Ben Woodburn, a candidate to start tonight after a couple of impressive displays from the bench last month, comes on for goalscorer Lawrence. Georgia completely in control at the moment, with two minutes to play.
FULL TIME: GEORGIA 0-1 WALES
The full-time whistle is blown at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Stadium in Tbilisi, meaning that Wales have got the job done! It was a slender victory in the end, but all that matters is the three points that ensures they will remain second heading into the final round of Group D fixtures.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events in Georgia. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from the other Group D clash between Republic of Ireland and Moldova in Dublin can be found here. Thanks for joining!
