Tears among 73,000 fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

A crowd of over 73,000 fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff saw Wales beaten 1-0 by Russia in the second leg of a play-off to qualify for next summer's European Championship in Portugal.

It was another bitter disappointment for players and fans, 45 years after Wales last made it through to a big tournament, when they were beaten by a goal from a 17-year-old Pele in the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup.

But there will be no repeat next year of such an adventure with football's major names.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan and Sports Minister Alun Pugh praised Mark Hughes and the Wales team for their efforts against Russia.

All of Wales should be proud that our football team has gone so close Sports Minister Alun Pugh

Speaking after the game, the First Minister said: "Wales should be proud of the efforts of Mark Hughes and his team for their hard work and dedication throughout qualification. Well done to them all!

"Despite the disappointing 1-0 result, the Team, along with our Rugby Team in Australia, have raised the profile of Wales across the world and have proved that our teams are no push over."

Sports Minister Alun Pugh added: "Many people thought that our rugby team would face a humiliating early exist from the World Cup.

"That didn't happen. All of Wales should now be proud that our football team has gone so close."

Will Mark Hughes be tempted away from Wales?

But the defeat will raise questions over manager Mark Hughes' future as team manager.

Rumours have consistently linked him with jobs at Premiership clubs, and Welsh fans fear that he will now be tempted away from the national side he graced as a player.

It could also be the last chance for many of the Welsh team to play on the major stage for their country.

There will be greatest disappointment for Ryan Giggs, who turns 30 in a couple of weeks.

He is the only world-class player in the Welsh team, and this was his greatest opportunity to appear in a major championship in a Welsh shirt.

Wales had got off to a flying start in their qualifying group, winning their first four games, including an historic 2-1 victory in the Millennium Stadium against three-times former world champions Italy.

But familiar Welsh problems re-emerged in the final four games, and the team managed only one point from their last four games in the group.

That left them in the play-offs, which paired Wales - population three million - with the giants of Russia.