In the searing midday heat Bale, the greatest ever Dragon, ran out of fire
WITH 15 minutes left, Gareth Bale waved his arms up and down in front of the Red Wall, imploring them to give more.
In fairness, the Wales fans would have been entitled to make the same gesture towards their skipper, such was the peripheral role he played for his country.
Four days earlier, at the same Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Bale was his nation’s hero once again, winning and converting a late penalty to earn a 1-1 draw with the USA.
Superlatives were lavished on him, from his ability to manage his energy levels throughout 90 minutes, to the cool head he kept in dispatching such a high-pressure spot-kick.
But here, in the searing lunchtime heat of Doha, the 33-year-old was found wanting, unable to influence the outcome with his individual brilliance, as he has done on so many big occasions in the past, for club and country. Two starts for Los Angeles FC this season was not sufficient preparation for a World Cup and all the valid questions about Bale’s match fitness and stamina were vindicated with his plodding performance.
On the eve of the game, Bale called for school children in Wales to be given the morning off to watch the action on another historic day for the nation.
But if some schools did grant that wish, Bale and his teammates did not keep their side of the bargain, toiling throughout and conceding two goals in added time to all-but seal their exit from the World Cup after a wait of 64 years to grace the biggest stage of all.
Tuesday’s game against England, in the same venue, could turn out to be the last in a Wales shirt for Bale, despite his refusal to give a definitive answer whenever the subject of his potential international retirement is raised.
Yet Bale’s anonymous showing provided compelling evidence as to why that would be the correct choice, after such distinguished service for Wales.
Time waits for no man and Bale, who has already taken a major step down at club level with LAFC, must concede his time with the Dragons has now run its course.
The same, too, for Aaron Ramsey, another member of the tireless Wales side that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016 but someone who, like Bale, has passed his international sell-by date and whose limitations were exposed by Iran.
With 110 caps and 41 goals, Bale’s status as a Wales legend is assured. But with a new generation having emerged - the likes of Dan James, Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson - the time has come to pass on the baton and allow them to write history afresh.
Bale was the hero but he was found wanting here
Tuesday may be last in a Wales shirt for the skipper