Wales are heading to the Euro 2024 play-offs after drawing 1-1 with Turkey on a dramatic night in Cardiff. Neco Williams’ seventh-minute goal – his third for Wales – offered hope they could bridge the two-point gap between them and Croatia for the second automatic qualifying spot. But Yusuf Yazici’s controversial penalty 20 minutes from time – awarded after Wales had three stronger spot-kick appeals rejected – handed Turkey a share of the spoils and the point required to top Group D. In the end, Yazici’s leveller did not matter in denying Wales qualification as Croatia kept their side of the bargain by beating Armenia 1-0 at home. Wales go into the March play-offs where a home semi-final against Finland, Iceland and Ukraine awaits. Thursday’s draw will determine who Wales will play, with Poland and Estonia contesting the other semi-final. Wales had lost control of their destiny by drawing in Armenia on Saturday, with a performance that was as poor as the result. Boss Rob Page reacted to that disappointment by making three changes, one of which was enforced with Chris Mepham suspended and Luton defender Tom Lockyer making his first competitive appearance for Wales since September 2021. Brennan Johnson and Nathan Broadhead were also introduced on the back of Wales’ makeweight attack in Yerevan. Turkey skipper Hakan Calhanoglu, the Inter Milan midfielder, was absent through illness but Vincenzo Montella had started his managerial reign with three victories – including taking the scalps of Croatia and Germany – and their travelling support was as noisy as ever. Wales showed an intensity that was missing in Yerevan as Broadhead seized on a mistake and curled wide of the far post. But Wales did not have to wait long for the breakthrough as Harry Wilson found Williams in space on the left. Williams cut inside on his favoured right foot and with perfect placement found the corner of Ugurcan Cakir’s net from 16 yards. Turkey were visibly rattled, losing Lockyer at a corner and letting discipline slip with some unnecessary shoving as tempers threatened to boil over. Wales had no fewer than three penalty appeals in a frantic nine-minute spell. Wilson went down in a tangle of legs with with Abdulkerim Bardakci and Johnson was floored by a sliding Samet Akaydin tackle when the defender did not make contact with the ball. Akaydin then flattened Johnson from behind in a crowded goalmouth, the challenge somehow escaping the notice of Slovenian referee Matej Jug and VAR. Turkey sent on Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir for the injured Cakir and fashioned their first opening three minutes before the interval when Kerem Akturkoglu fired over. Bayindir was forced into action from Johnson, who was proving far more lively than his limp second-half showing in Armenia. Johnson brought another full-stretch stop from Bayindir after the break, but Turkey should have been level after 58 minutes. Akaydin met an Akturkoglu corner from six yards but planted his header straight at Danny Ward in the Wales goal. Ethan Ampadu saw his header held by Bayindir before Turkey equalised in contentious circumstances. Ben Davies was adjudged to have fouled Kenan Yildiz, an incredibly soft decision that was capitalised on by Yazici in nonchalant fashion. It was Turkey’s first goal in four visits to Wales. Yusuf Sari skimmed the Wales crossbar and Johnson had the ball in the net from an offside position. There were heated scenes at the final whistle and a rash of yellow cards. Wales had extended their unbeaten run to six games, but that will be of scant consolation as the disappointment of missing out on automatic qualification sinks in. Read More Clubs must be punished for failure to meet diversity requirements – Kick It Out Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s deadline to respond to FA charge extended to Friday Rob Page ‘absolutely’ adamant he will lead Wales into Euro 2024 play-offs James McClean backs Republic to enjoy ‘glory days’ after calling time on career On This Day in 2017 – Everton’s Oumar Niasse hit with retrospective diving ban Performing under pressure – remembering England’s dramatic 2003 World Cup win

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As if orcas weren’t frightening enough, experts think they are getting even smarter as they have started to learn some terrifying new behaviours. The whale species, commonly known as killer whales, is an apex predator that has learned to adapt its hunting methods to a variety of different prey. In March 2019, researchers were stunned when they witnessed the first documented case of a pod of orcas working as a team to kill one of the largest animals on the planet, a blue whale. The gruesome incident took place on the coast of southwestern Australia as experts watched as a dozen orcas bit chunks out of the adult blue whale, slowly wearing it down until it finally died an hour later. While it may have been the first recorded case, it has not been the last. Additionally, a small population of orcas on the coast of Spain and Portugal have become fans of ramming and damaging boats, sometimes causing enough destruction to sink them. Elsewhere, orcas have been seen abducting baby pilot whales and tearing the livers out of sharks that later wash up on shore. Deborah Giles, an orca researcher at the University of Washington and the nonprofit Wild Orca explained to Live Science: “These are animals with an incredibly complex and highly evolved brain. They've got parts of their brain that are associated with memory and emotion that are significantly more developed than even in the human brain.” But, while the actual anatomy of the animals’ brains hasn’t changed, their ability to learn is what is making orcas smarter than ever before. They implement what is known as social learning, where younger members of the pods observe and learn hunting methods from the adults, particularly the dominant matriarch, who themselves, are always learning. Josh McInnes, a marine ecologist at the University of British Columbia, explained: “This behaviour may be being shared between individuals, and that's maybe why we're seeing an increase in some of these mortality events.” But, while experts think they are getting smarter, they also think it may be leading to the breakup of large pods of orcas. Michael Weiss, a behavioural ecologist and research director at the Center for Whale Research in Washington state, said: “Their social bonds get weaker because you can't be in a big partying killer whale group if you're all hungry and trying to search for food.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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