Euro 2004 play-offs, first legs: Russia 0 Wales 0: Everything about Ryan Giggs said nyet, nyet, nyet. It was about half an hour after the final whistle and Giggs, escorted by anxious minders, hobbled out of the stadium.

His head was down and he even mumbled "No" when asked to say a few words about what may have been the most significant evening for Welsh football in decades.

Giggs had only one thought in his mind, it seemed, to get out of Moscow as quickly as possible. The reason was a brutal 68th-minute challenge on him by Vadim Evseev. The right back left him on the floor, a writhing mixture of agony and anger, and Giggs, sent off only once in his career, sought retaliation.

"I'm as annoyed about that as anything that's ever happened to me on the pitch," he was to explain at Moscow airport. "It was one of the worst tackles I've ever received."

In his fury Giggs thrust out an elbow. Evseev fell to the floor clutching his face, but the Portuguese referee missed the elbow in the way he had missed the original lunge. "All I have done is shrug him off," said Giggs, offering one interpretation.

It was now Russia's turn to be outraged and Georgi Yartsev, the manager, made straight for the UEFA delegate afterwards to plead a case for Giggs to be suspended from the second leg. "Giggs caught Evseev in the face, that was evident," said Yartsev. But the UEFA delegate, a Cypriot called Andreas Akkelides, said nyet.

So Giggs will play on Wednesday, assuming his shin recovers, and the initial diagnosis was optimistic. Giggs's captain, Gary Speed, called the challenge "a disgrace, a leg-breaker", but found consolation in it not being a tear or a pulled muscle.

"It's a kick; hopefully he'll be all right." If so, then those proclaiming it to be advantage Wales have an argument.

Giggs was the only Welsh player that the Russians had heard of beforehand and they were clearly preoccupied with his threat, so much so that Yartsev said: "Wales really surprised me with their discipline and their defending."

Russia's backline disappointed with theirs - the goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov and midfielder Alexander Mostovoi will miss Cardiff due to second yellow cards - and Yartsev's comment told of a degree of complacency. Had he done more homework he would have known that this Wales team, which included three First Division players, one from the Second, and some Premiership irregulars, is more than the sum of its parts.

For 70 minutes in Belgrade and for 60 in Milan, Wales had defended 0-0 scorelines with the resilience on display here. Danny Gabbidon was outstanding. Andy Melville was not far behind. The difference was that Russia did not have the attacking edge of Italy, or Serbia, and it became clear why they finished second to the Swiss in their group.

Dmitri Alenichev and the substitute Rolan Gusev had guile and great feet, but when the rest of the Russia side were asked to elaborate on that, they did so to distraction. The stadium groaned as positions were worked only for no one to take the responsibility for shooting.

Thus Russia could dominate territorially and yet Paul Jones made only two saves of note. The first, in the 33rd minute, came from Alexei Smertin. It was from a corner, conceded by Melville, after one of Russia's worrying, flowing breakaways.

Dmitri Bulykin followed that with a shot over Jones's crossbar, but it was an indication of Welsh resistance and Russian intricacy that Bulykin did not take aim again until four minutes from time. Typically, his shot was charged down by Mark Delaney and Gabbidon.

Burnt-out flares littered the pitch by that stage, but it had also been graced by Welsh flair. Giggs's individual performance will be remembered for its defensive aspect, but there were some swerving bursts forward too. On the other flank, Jason Koumas, 24, came of age.

There is some wayward behaviour in Koumas's past, but he has a smart football brain. Here he swayed round Russians, then back, then laid the ball off. Then he did it again, and again, a tactic that allowed his defenders, and Speed, sitting diligently in front of them, to regroup for more.

It was, and deserves to be seen as, another example of Mark Hughes's organisational nous. Collectively, his Wales team have placed themselves on the brink.

"We are back to where we need to be in the way we are playing, after a couple of recent results when we have lost our way a little," said Hughes afterwards.

"You only get so many chances at this level, we should have qualified outright but now we've another chance and we intend to take it."

The memories of past failures are still there though.

"Everyone knows it is only halfway. We have had false dawns before but we do not want any more glorious failures. It's time Welsh football qualified for something."

The moment has arrived.

RUSSIA (4-3-1-2): Ovchinnikov; Evseev, Ignashevich, Onopko, Sennikov; Alenichev, Mostovoi, Smertin (Gusev, half-time); Loskov; Sytchev (Izmailov, 59) Bulykin. Booked: Ovchinnikov, Mostovoi.

WALES (4-1-4-1) Jones (Southampton); Delaney (Aston Villa), Melville (Fulham), Gabbidon (Cardiff), Barnard (Grimsby); Speed (Newcastle); Koumas, Johnson (both West Brom), Savage (Birmingham), Giggs (Man United); Hartson (Celtic; Blake, Wolves, 82). Booked: Delaney, Koumas, Speed.

Referee: LCC Batista (Portugal).