Wales defeated Finland handily in their play-off semi-final in Cardiff, and now they will play Poland for a spot at Euro 2024.

In the third minute, David Brooks gave the home team the ideal start when he volleyed in on the rebound after Harry Wilson’s attempt was stopped.

Teemu Pukki finished calmly just before halftime to keep the visitors in contention despite Neco Williams’ stunning curling free-kick that doubled Wales’ lead. Finland dominated huge periods of the first half.

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Ninety seconds into the second half, Brennan Johnson tapped in from Brooks’ shot to allay any lingering fears in Wales.

Robert Page’s team won easily even though they missed opportunities to extend their lead and had a goal disallowed for Ben Davies. Dan James, a replacement, added a late fourth goal on his 50th cap.

With the opportunity to earn a trip to a third consecutive European Championship, Wales will now focus on Tuesday’s play-off final against Poland, which will also be conducted over one leg at Cardiff City Stadium.

In spite of the high stakes, Page cut a fairly composed figure in the lead-up to this match, but there was always the nagging fear that a loss may expose him to further criticism.

Those ideas vanished soon, though, as Wales broke free of the traps to take the lead early on.

When Wilson broke free in the Finnish penalty area, Lukas Hradecky stopped his left-footed shot, but it merely went straight to Brooks, who volleyed in to thunderous applause at Cardiff City Stadium.

After starting Brooks and benching Kieffer Moore, who gave the front three a lack of a true centre forward, Page was instantly vindicated by that goal.

Despite taking the lead, Wales gave up early momentum as Page chose Brooks, Wilson, and Johnson in an attempt to stretch the Finns with a flexible front three.

Finland maintained possession for extended periods of time, and even if their attempts to break through the Welsh box produced few clear opportunities, the visitors were undoubtedly the superior team for the whole of the first 45 minutes.

The Finns paid a heavy price for their incapacity to put Wales through a true defensive test, as Page’s team extended their lead against the run of play.

Following a swift counterattack, Wilson was fouled on the edge of the penalty area, allowing Williams to take advantage of the free kick and score his first goal of the game, a right-footed effort that whistled into the upper far corner.