PARIS, France – It was a goal made in Madrid and finished in West Bromwich that sent Wales through to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. For 75 minutes Gareth Bale’s threat had been totally snuffed out, but with one wicked cross and the outstretched boot of Northern Irish namesake McAuley, he made the decisive intervention. Again.
Bale’s overall influence in games at this tournament may have been negligible – he completed just six passes in the second-half at the Parc des Princes and none of his seven crosses found a team-mate – but in every single match he has stepped forward to make a significant contribution in Wales’ hour of need.
It had been another frustrating afternoon for Bale in Paris, Northern Ireland coach Michael O’Neill overseeing another dogged defensive masterclass from his side, who had even looked more like scoring than Wales in the first-half – Jamie Ward’s stinging shot well tipped over by Wayne Hennessey, who also denied Stuart Dallas.
Just as he had done in group games against Poland, Ukraine and Germany, O’Neill packed his midfield full of ball-winners and workhorses – Dallas, Corry Evans, Oliver Norwood and Steven Davis harrying their Welsh opponents at every opportunity and crucially denying chief creators Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen any space on the ball to dictate the tempo.
It resulted in a scruffy game that would have looked more at home in the English Championship than the European Championship, but it was a case of needs must for a limited Northern Ireland side.
“It was obviously our gameplan, to stop Bale and Ramsey playing,” Jonny Evans told Sport360 after the game. “They’re used to counter-attacking against teams and Bale’s their man for that – Ramsey is very good as well, he works hard and makes some very good runs off the ball.
Next Stop the Quarter Finals📍#TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/AvOYp6P9aq
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) June 25, 2016
“We wanted to stop that. Playing with three centre-backs gave me license to push on and I was playing almost as a midfielder at times to try and stop them turning and running at us. We did it well throughout the game. I’m sure they didn’t want to play us – they knew the type of game it was going to be. I think we could see it in their eyes. We knew at half-time that we were out-battling them and beating them to second balls and needed to keep that up right until the end.”
As the clock ticked down, Wales certainly appeared to be running out of ideas – exemplified by Ashley Williams’ Lucio-esque foray into Northern Irish territory, the captain trying to bully his way through his opponents’ backline but looking a clumsy imitation of a centre-forward.
Eventually, though, the resistance gave way. On the edge of the box, Ramsey found the space to not only receive the ball but feed it wide to Bale on the left wing. Aaron Hughes – who played when Northern Ireland faced Wales in a World Cup qualifier all the way back in 2004 – had been magnificent throughout the tournament, but he showed his 36 years as his hesitation in closing down Bale allowed the Real Madrid man to whip in a delightfully dangerous delivery.
Another defensive stalwart in McAuley felt Hal Robson-Kanu breathing down his neck and reached out his boot, only to desperately divert the ball past his own goalkeeper Michael McGovern. Three months ago McAuley’s late foul enabled Simon Church to score a penalty and salvage a draw for Wales in an international friendly. This time, the ramifications were far more serious.
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) June 25, 2016
A 0-0 draw and penalties always looked Northern Ireland’s best chance of progress, but it was not to be. O’Neill threw on two strikers in Conor Washington and Josh McGinnis but it was to no avail. Will Grigg has become a cult hero at this tournament – among fans of all nations, not just Northern Ireland due to the popularity of the chant in his honour. But he will forever be a European Championship enigma, given that he did not actually play a single second in France.
The need for a ‘Bale out’ has been a common theme for Wales at Euro 2016 but they don’t care – after all, what is a world class player there for if not to save the day. Chris Coleman has now emulated the achievement of Jimmy Murphy’s 1958 World Cup vintage in reaching the quarter-finals, and with Hungary or Belgium – who Wales beat in qualifying – the potential opponents, there is genuine reason to believe that Bale and Co can surpass their predecessors.
The people of Wales may have voted overwhelmingly in favour of Brexit in Thursday’s referendum, but should Bale continue to rise to the occasion, their football team’s love affair with Europe appears unlikely to end any time soon.
