Leeds United Skipper Ethan Ampadu Proud Despite Wales’ Failure | OneFootball

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Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu has insisted Wales should hold their heads up high despite getting knocked out in the FIFA World Cup playoff round by Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ampadu currently captains Wales and led his nation in an all-important FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bosnia on Thursday night.

Wales finished second with 16 points, just two points behind group winners Belgium in the European qualifiers Group J and made it to the playoffs against Bosnia.

The Dragons were defeated by Bosnia 4-2 on penalties after the game ended in a 1-1 draw in extra time with goals from Daniel James and Edin Dzeko, respectively.

In 2022, Wales qualified for the World Cup after a 64-year absence from the competition, as the last time they qualified for the World Cup was in 1958.

Ampadu was optimistic before the playoff clash and talked up the influence of Harry Wilson.

They will not be at the tournament in North America, and Ampadu believes that Wales could have managed the playoff game better at the end and should have stayed on the attacking foot.

Despite a disappointing final result, Ampadu believes the team can hold their heads up high with the way they fought for everything until the end however.

Ampadu said to Match of the Day: “We can hold our heads up high because we fought for everything, sometimes in life things don’t go your way.

“We’re always going to look back at what we could have done better, maybe we could have managed the last 10 minutes better to make sure we stayed on the attacking foot.

“That’s something we can look at in the future, but for now it’s a lot of disappointment.”

Now Leeds will hope that Ampadu can quickly shrug off the appointment before he heads back to Elland Road.

Under Daniel Farke, Ampadu has put up strong defensive performances in 28 appearances in the league and also chipped in with one goal and provided one assist.

Leeds are currently 15th in the Premier League table and sit just four points above the relegation zone.

The Whites are now on a six-game winless run in the Premier League despite having secured encouraging draws against Aston Villa and Chelsea.