Record-breaking Bale nets hat-trick in Giggs’ debut
>> NANNING: Wales midfielder Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick to become the country’s top goalscorer in a 6-0 victory over China on Thursday night that gave Ryan Giggs a winning start to life as an international manager.
Bale, who took his international tally to 29 goals and ahead of former striker Ian Rush, struck in the second minute of the China Cup opener against the hosts in Nanning and added a second on 21 minutes. He sealed his hat-trick after the hour mark.
The Real Madrid player’s maiden international hat-trick was also the first by a Wales player since striker Robert Earnshaw’s effort against Scotland in 2004 and the country’s first away from home since winger Cliff Jones’ feat in 1963 in Belfast against Northern Ireland.
“I suppose when I was a little boy I never dreamed of being a recordbreaker for Wales. It is a massive honour,” Bale said.
“I was not thinking about it, but now it has come it’s an incredible honour and one of the best things I’ve achieved in my career... on a personal note it’s great to break the record, but I could not have done it without my teammates.”
Striker Sam Vokes added two goals while winger Harry Wilson also got on the scoresheet to complete the rout in Giggs’ first game since he was appointed in January.
Meanwhile, the arrival of former Wales forward Mark Hughes as manager at Southampton has had an immediate impact on the team’s attitude, Saints striker Charlie Austin said.
Hughes, who replaced Mauricio Pellegrino earlier this month, got off to a winning start in a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup quarterfinals last Sunday.
However, the Welshman’s main target is to keep the side in the Premier League, where they lie 18th, two points adrift of safety, with eight games left to play.
“When the gaffer came in he said, ‘Look, we’re here for eight weeks. There’s no getting away from it, we’ve all got to put all our energies and efforts into these eight weeks to get ourselves into a cup final and stay in the Premier League,’” Austin told the Southampton website southamptonfc.com.
“Everyone knows that is the ultimate goal for us now. There has been a change in everyone around the training ground — a change in attitude.”