Leeds United man responds to lighters being thrown at him during Wales' draw with Turkey

Karl Darlow braved projectiles and a cacophony of "white noise" at Turkey's raucous Kadir Has Stadium to anchor a resilient Welsh side to a goalless Nations League stalemate. Facing an onslaught for much of the match, the Leeds United goalkeeper's assured presence between the sticks ensured that the scoreline remained untroubled.

Turkey had their moment to snatch the win — along with promotion to League A — when they stepped up for a penalty in the dying moments. However, Kerem Akturkoglu's 89th-minute attempt ricocheted off the post, whisking wide.

Reflecting on the intense environment, Whites shot-stopper Darlow remarked: "As soon as we walked out you could hear the whistle and the boos." The crowd's hostile reception further intensified as supporters hurled lighters onto the pitch, but despite these distractions, he proudly stated: "Lighters were being thrown into the six-yard box and to come out with a 0-0 and a point from that game is something we can all be proud of."

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Touching more on the atmosphere, Darlow added: "Now and again you get one (atmosphere) like that. But I’ve never experienced the sheer whistling and noise like that. The sheer noise that was coming out. It was turning into white noise by the end because it was the whole game."

In front of Darlow, skipper Ben Davies and Joe Rodon excelled, forming a formidable defensive duo to shut out the Euro 2024 quarter-finalists. Centre-back Rodon, particularly impressive, soldiered on after an injury incident involving teammate Mark Harris left him requiring a headband from the 42nd minute onward to manage several gashes above his eyes.

When questioned about communication on the field given the uproarious backdrop, Darlow conceded: "Not really. I shouted as loud as I could when I was coming for a ball or coming for a cross. There was one incident when I ended up punching it off Joe’s head because he simply couldn’t hear me.

"But we managed to communicate (enough) and defend solidly, and the effort from front to back was incredible. We knew what what to expect, we knew it was going to be hostile. They were going to press and run hard and they did all of that. We had to show real guts and determination to come away with a 0-0 and a clean sheet."

Darlow, who made his debut for Wales at an older age than any other player since World War II, celebrated his 34th birthday last month. This marked his third cap, as manager Craig Bellamy has been rotating him and Danny Ward throughout this Nations League campaign.

His second clean sheet and stellar performances have quickly endeared him to Welsh fans. The Northampton-born goalie, whose grandfather Ken Leek was part of the 1958 Wales World Cup squad, said: "I’ve come in late and I know they wanted me here," and added, "But you don’t know until you get here whether they’re going to have the faith in you."

"Thankfully he has and hopefully I’ve repaid him so far. Nights like this are why you do it, it was fantastic.

"You’re testing yourself to see if you can deal with the game in such a hostile atmosphere and I’m pleased what what I’ve done."

"We’ll look to get another positive result (on Tuesday), finish this group off as best we can and see what Turkey do in their last game.

Wales' path to group victory requires a win against Iceland in Cardiff and a Turkish defeat in Montenegro. If that doesn't happen, and provided they don't lose to Iceland, Wales will be looking at a Nations League promotion play-off come March.