Bale’s moment of quality is decisive

ON the eve of this match, Gareth Bale discussed his hopes for Euro 2016 in a manner which summed up his attitude towards this Wales team.

‘If we win every game 1-0, win the title and I don’t score again, then I really couldn’t care less,’ said the Real Madrid star. ‘For me, it is just about winning, even if it’s an own-goal.’

So it proved here as Bale finally escaped the shackles of a dogged Northern Ireland side to force Gareth McAuley to score the only goal in his own net.

Make no mistake, it was no freak goal, no aberration from the unfortunately McAuley. The whipped pace and placement of Bale’s cross between McAuley and his goalkeeper Michael McGovern left the defender with little option but to stick out his right boot as Hal Robson-Kanu hovered behind. Wales’s matchwinner in their first game against Slovakia would have scored anyway.

Bale may not have claimed his fourth goal in as many games but the cross was as good as one.

It was the most painful of reminders for Michael O’Neill and his team of just how hard it is to keep a player of his quality quiet for an entire game.

The Northern Ireland manager promised that players were ‘prepared to face Bale’ and for long periods they were. Whenever Bale got the ball, there was one man marking tight and two close at hand to crowd him out. Even three.

It was demonstrated perfectly three minutes before half-time when he got past Corry Evans and launched into one of those galloping runs forward.

Evans turned to give chase but Stuart Dallas had already overtaken him and got an arm across Bale’s shoulder. Two more quickly arrived to stop Bale in his tracks.

Dallas was later booked for an ugly challenge on the Wales No11 just before half-time, and Steven Davis followed him in the second half.

Bale looked out of sorts. Some ambitious long balls were over-hit, others fell short.

Even when he won a free kick in the 58thminute, McGovern leapt to his left to turn it away.

But then came the crucial moment when Northern Ireland gave Bale too much time and space on the left, and invited the cross. He delivered in every sense.