Bale’s big day won’t be the same without a Wales win
GARETH Bale wants to make becoming the most capped men’s player in Welsh football history “even more special” by leading Wales to World Cup victory over Iran.
Bale is set to overtake Chris Gunter, who will be among the substitutes for today’s encounter, and win his 110th cap at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha.
Wales have been boosted by the return to fitness of key Swansea midfielder Joe Allen, out since mid-September with a hamstring injury, as they enter must-win territory following Monday’s 1-1 draw with the United States.
Bale, who made his Wales debut in 2006 and is his country’s record scorer with 41 goals, said: “I haven’t really been focusing on the cap thing to be honest, just trying to focus on the game.
“On a personal level it’s an amazing achievement, it’s an honour to represent my country so many times.
“But it’s more important that we try and get the victory.
“Hopefully we can and it’ll make it even more special.”
Bale played the entire game against the USA which, like so many in this tournament, went well beyond 100 minutes due to stoppages and substitutions.
The 33-year-old said in the month leading up to the World Cup that he had been dealing with a “few little issues” and he had only played 30 minutes of football before the USA opener.
But Wales manager Robert Page, asked at his own pre-match press conference about the possibility of resting Bale against Iran, said: “Good luck not picking him.”
Page insisted Bale was ready for Wales’ second group game, even if the player himself admitted such an energy-sapping match to open with was not ideal due to the quick turnaround in fixtures.
Bale said: “I’m feeling OK, obviously it took a few days before I could feel my legs again.
“But we are professionals, we try to recover and do the best we can.
“Playing 104 minutes, or whatever it was, isn’t ideal when you’ve got a game four days later.
“Everyone is doing all they can to recover for the next game.
“I’ve not played loads before I came here, but I’ve dealt with it before and I’m sure it won’t be a problem for me.”
AMID all the World Cup excitement and passion it’s semi-final time in the Nathaniel Cars M.G. Cup in Welsh domestic football and two South Wales teams face difficult tasks in tomorrow’s last four.
Taffs Well from the Cymru South are the only team from outside the Cymru Premier and they face a tough encounter in Deeside against the current holders of the cup Connahs Quay Nomads.
Craig Sampson has once again taken the Wellmen on a marvellous cup run following excellent progress to last season’s Welsh Cup quarter final when they were just beaten by Penybont 3-2.
In Taffs Wells’ run to the semi they have defeated Ynyshir Albions 4-1, Trefelin 0-5, Haverfordwest 1-1 (5-4 on pens) and Afan Lido 2-1 in the quarter finals.
Ethan Cann, David Lyon, Jan Maertins and Josh Allen have all been among the goals in getting to this stage and they will all have to be at the top of their game against a very miserly Connahs Quay defence.
Scott Hillman, the Wellmen’s first choice centre back, is available again after a lengthy lay off and his presence and experience will be key if Sampson’s team are to make the final.
The Nomads will be odds-on favourites to make their second final in two years and their team is full of players who have won trophies at this level so a Taffs Well victory on away soil would be one of the biggest shocks for a long while in this competition.
Cardiff Met University secured a smart 1-0 victory last Saturday at Cyncoed when they defeated Bala Town with an Elliot Evans penalty in the Cymru Premier.
Tomorrow, Ryan Jenkins’ students will hope to do it all over again in their Nathaniel M.G. semifinal against Bala in North Wales.
The semi final draw was tough on the South Wales clubs as the Met and Taffs Well were both dealt tough away fixtures.
The Met have a decent record in this competition though, having won it at Jenner Park in 2018 when they defeated Cambrian and Clydach 2-0 with an Adam Roscrow brace.
Roscrow could be scoring against the Met tomorrow at Maes Tegid as he is currently in Bala’s squad after a couple of seasons playing for A.F.C. Wimbledon and TNS since his departure from Cyncoed.
The Met eased through their quarter final with a 3-0 victory over Ammanford where Sam Jones (2) and Harry Owen were on target. Before that Ryan Jenkins team had defeated Newtown and Aberystwyth in earlier rounds.
A tough contest between two top six clubs is hard to call.
In the Cymru South top of the table Barry Town host Carmarthen Town at Jenner Park tomorrow (2:30pm).
Lee Kendall’s team will hope to play as well as they did last Friday at Cambrian and Clydach where a wonder goal by Liam Warmen was the highlight in Barry’s 2-1 win.
GRAEME Souness has questioned Gareth Bale’s hunger to play at the highest level, and claims the Wales captain ‘prioritises golf’ over his own playing career.
Bale was on hand to score his side’s first goal at a World Cup since 1958 during his side’s Group B opener with the USA, which proved enough to earn Rob Page’s men a potentially precious point ahead of Friday’s clash with Iran.
The 33-year-old is poised to pull on the red shirt for the 110th time for that clash, which would see him overtake Chris Gunter to become his country’s most-capped men’s player.
He is still very much at the heart of Welsh hopes this winter, although he clearly still has plenty of critics.
Bale recently brought a trophyladen yet turbulent spell at Real Madrid to an end last summer, joining American side LAFC, whom he recently helped to MLS Cup victory over Philadelphia Union.
Former Scotland and Liverpool hero Souness, on punditry duty for ITV, believes Bale will likely hold the key to Welsh hopes of success in Qatar, but says he’s disappointed with how the skipper’s career has panned out, labelling the end of the forward’s time in Madrid ‘a joke’.
“For Wales to do well. Gareth Bale has to have moments of real quality,” Souness said.
“He’s a mystery to me, Gareth Bale. I think at 33, OK, maybe he shouldn’t still be at Real Madrid.
“But he should still be, we talk about players having longevity because of the science and keeping players fit, he should still be a big player at a big club.
“A complete mystery.
“From what you read. What you see on the television, it’s as if he prioritises golf nowadays.
“Your career goes in a flash. It goes so quickly and he should still be at the highest level.
“His last couple of years at Real Madrid were a joke for someone of that quality.
“What a player he’s been. “He’s still capable of those great moments, but you won’t see many of those great moments.
“But you won’t see so many of them. Like Messi, like Ronaldo, he’s still capable, but they’re not going to happen on a regular occurrence.”
Meanwhile in contrast, Carlos Queiroz described Gareth Bale as “one of the best” ahead of Iran’s crucial World Cup showdown with Wales.
Bale is set to become the most capped men’s Welsh international of all time when he leads his side out against the Iranians. He will surpass Chris Gunter’s tally of 109 caps for the Red Dragons and goes into the fixture as one of only four Welshmen to score at a World Cup.
And Queiroz - who was assistant coach to Sir Alex Ferguson when Manchester United were eager to sign Bale - says the Welshman’s career achievements speak for themselves.
“He is one of the best,” said the 69-year-old. “In this moment, he is not only the top player of the team, but also the character.
“He is the leader of everything inside the pitch in terms of conducting the stability of the team, managing the tempo of the game. He’s a very intelligent player.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to work with him, despite the fact he was one of the players in those days we tried to bring him in. His career speaks for itself.”
Both sides realistically need all three points in today’s meeting at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium if they are to stand any chance of reaching the last-16 of the World Cup.
Nevertheless, despite the pressure on his side, Queiroz took the chance to praise Wales for reaching the grandest stage of world football for the first time in 64 years when facing the media in his pre-match press conference.
“Welcome to the big show for Wales after 64 years. It is incredible to see the Red Wall in the stadium,” he said.
“It’s a team full of character and a spirit. They have working ethics. We need to be careful with that because they’re really dangerous in terms of enthusiasm, intensity and continuity.
“Teams like Wales, first minute or minute 90, they play the game in the same way.
“We need to be ready for that. I hope tomorrow we’ll be able to express our football better.”
JOE Allen is in contention to feature for Wales in their World Cup clash with Iran - with skipper Gareth Bale urging teachers back home to allow kids to watch the historic game.
Midfielder Allen has been sidelined for more than two months since sustaining a hamstring injury during Swansea City’s Championship win over Hull City in September. Since arriving in Qatar with his international team-mates, Allen trained separately from the remainder of the Wales squad as he continued his recovery. However, having missed the 1-1 draw with the USA, the 32-year-old has since returned to full training.
And Page says Allen is now in a position to play a part against Carlos Queiroz’s outfit after Wales opted against taking a gamble to thrust the 72-cap international into the limelight in side’s tournament opener.
“We’ve got a few tired bodies,” said Page. “We had a few go down with cramp late on (v USA).
“Joe Allen got through his fitness test, so that’s good news. He’s fit and raring to go. We’ve got a decision to make on that, what’s best for him and the team as well.
“The medical team have been exceptional with him. They’re the reason he’s now in a position to be fit and raring to go. We were all concerned about him because of the extent of the injury.
“He kept breaking down. We had to meet targets along the way and they’ve met every target. Last week they pushed him to 100 per cent. It was a gamble.
“If he’d have broken down he would have been completely out of the tournament. We could have done it sooner to push for the USA game but I decided against that because, when we look at the group and the confidence we have to get out of the group, then I want him for the long term. Everybody else is fighting fit.” Captain Bale netted a key goal on Monday night to ensure Wales claimed a share of the spoils against the USA. By his own admission though, the 33-year-old did not produce his best display in the 1-1 draw in what was only his second appearance for either club or country since the September international break.
But Page says he has every faith in Bale’s fitness levels ahead of Wales’ second group stage fixture at Qatar 2022. “Good luck not picking him. He’ll be ready come the time of that game,” said Page.
Bale will become the most-capped men’s Welsh international of all time against Iran, with the Los Angeles ace set to reach 110 caps - one more than Chris Gunter’s current tally.
And Bale - who urged teachers to let children in Wales watch the clash with Iran in school could not hide his pride as he stands on the brink of making even more history for his country.
“On a personal level it’s an amazing achievement, it’s an honour to represent my country so many times, but it’s more important that we try and get the victory tomorrow,” he said. “Hopefully we can and it’ll make it even more special.
“Being a 10am kick-off in Wales, if I was one of the teachers, I’d let them watch the game. I hope they do. It’s a historical moment in Wales, for us to be at a World Cup.
“Some of the parents of kids I know all want to watch the game but don’t want to take them off school, so I think a lot of schools will put the game on for them to cheers us on and get behind us. It’s a mini-history lesson, and hopefully it’ll be a great occasion for all of them.”