Bale finds his magic boots
Cardiff – Wales boss Robert Page hailed Gareth Bale’s first goal as the best free-kick he has ever seen as a double from the Real Madrid man beat Austria 2-1 to carry his country into a World Cup play-off final.
Page’s men will face Scotland or Ukraine in June for the chance to end a 64-year wait to reach the World Cup after Bale rolled back the years to again produce his best form for his country.
After his stunning free-kick, Bale (above) drilled into the top corner early in the second half to give the home side a two-goal advantage.
A Ben Davies own goal halved Austria’s arrears, but Wales saw out a tense final quarter to move one match away the biggest stage in football.
“It hasn’t sunk in properly yet,” said Page. “What a game, what an occasion. “That’s the best freekick I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Bale has been nearly a non-existent figure during the final year of his contract at Real Madrid.
The 32-year-old has played just 77 minutes at club level since the last international break in November and irked his critics in the Spanish capital by declaring himself unfit for Madrid’s 4-0 defeat to Barcelona last weekend.
“It’s a waste of my time,” said Bale on responding to his critics. “It’s disgusting and they should all be ashamed of themselves.”
There was never any doubt about Bale making himself available for possibly his last shot at leading his country to a World Cup.
Once again the four-time Champions League winner stood up to produce the moments of quality his nation needed.
“I’ll run myself into the ground for this country,” added Bale. “We all did tonight.”
Wales were lucky just to be on level terms by the time Bale took aim to open the scoring midway through the first half.
Austria finished fourth in a disappointing qualifying campaign, but made it into the playoffs via the Nations League.
A lack of club football for both Bale and Wales’ other star name Aaron Ramsey looked to be taking its toll in the opening quarter as they struggled to gain a foothold in the game.
But one swipe of Bale’s wand of a left foot transformed the game and set the home side on course for a famous night.
Bale had not scored a free-kick at international level since doing so twice at Euro 2016, but he chose the perfect time to find his range again. –