HARD LUCK BALE
Gareth hits post then Wales suffer as Serbia snatch late equaliser via the woodwork
LESS than 60 seconds separated two moments that will come to define this game, an agonising result inevitably reopening old wounds for Wales.
Five minutes from the finish, and just as Welsh fans reached a crescendo of their traditional late chorus of the national anthem, Gareth Bale sped into the Serbia area on to Aaron Ramsey’s through ball. His low shot was true but ultimately came back off the post.
Serbia advanced up the other end, Antonio Rukavina crossed and Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic beat James Chester in the air with a glancing header. The ball bounced against an upright and spun back, but Wayne Hennessey was unable to get a firm enough hand to palm it away and it soon nestled in the net.
In a flash the vital victory that had seemed destined for Chris Coleman’s side evaporated; the balm to past wounds inflicted by Serbia turned to caustic salt. Cole- man’s lowest moments in charge of Wales had been caused by these opponents in the last World Cup qualifying campaign; a 6-1 humbling that forced him to the brink of quitting, a 3-0 home defeat to cause utter deflation.
Here is another bad memory that could lead to a high cost. Wales needed to gain three points on their quest to reach Russia 2018. The draw keeps them third, four points behind Republic of Ireland, having played three of their five home games.
Their next game is in Dublin a week after St Patrick’s Day and the wait until then will be an uncomfortable one for Coleman. For the third game in a row his team let a lead slip. They even held it twice in Austria before drawing. The lost two points against Georgia here last month had already dented their campaign and now this dramatic conclusion will cut deeper.
With the Republic’s 1-0 win in Austria confirmed shortly before the teams warmed up, the importance of this game was cranked up for Wales. The absence of injured Ben Davies meant a change was inevitable but Coleman gave Hal Robson-Kanu his first Wales start since July’s Euro 2016 semi-final against Portugal. It meant switching from a back-three to a flat back four and reuniting Robson-Kanu with Sam Vokes up front for the first time in 14 games.
The early signs were positive, though Serbia came closest when James Chester denied Filip Kostic with a fine block. When the Aston Villa defender was then outjumped by Branislav Ivanovic at Dusan Tadic’s corner, Neil Taylor blocked the header on the line.
Wales took the lead on the half hour when Robson-Kanu nicked possession off Matija Nastasic near the touchline and headed for goal. He fed Bale at the edge of the area and a split-second later a low drive rippled the net. The Real Madrid star had taken his shot early, before Vladimir Stojkovic could set his feet, and rifled in a low drive through Ivanovic’s legs. In the stands,
Ian Rush cheered, even if the goal brought Bale within two of his all-time Wales scoring record of 28.
If only Bale could have found another. Taylor’s high kick left Southampton winger Tadic with a bloody nose and Bale was booked for protesting that a similar offence had gone unpunished moments later the other way. The night ended with Wales feeling bruised.