Sunday 26 June 2016 08:41, UK
Wales booked their place in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals with a narrow 1-0 win over Northern Ireland. Gareth Bale was their hero again in Paris…
"I have been told that I am joint top goal-scorer, but it is not important to me. If we win every game 1-0, we win the title and I don't score again, then I really couldn't care less. For me, it is just about winning whether it is an own goal or someone else scores in our team."
Gareth Bale's comments in the build-up to Wales' meeting with Northern Ireland were prophetic. The tournament's joint-top scorer did not add to his tally in Paris, but he still provided the moment that mattered to send Chris Coleman's men marching into the last eight.
Just 15 minutes remained when Aaron Ramsey found Bale lurking unmarked on the left-hand side of Northern Ireland's penalty area. The Real Madrid forward has developed a habit of delivering in the big games, and the red half of the Parc des Princes exploded as his wicked first-time cross was turned into Northern Ireland's net by Gareth McAuley.
It was a rare moment of class in a poor-quality encounter, and it proved decisive. Bale's goals against Slovakia, England and Russia helped Wales qualify as Group B winners, and he has now had a hand in four in four games.
The Dragons are in the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time since 1958, and they have their talisman to thank for it.
For while Euro 2016 has been a triumph for the team over the individual, Bale has starred as one of few stand-out performers. His Golden Boot odds are down from 40-1 to 4-1 after four games, and his player of the tournament odds have dropped from 50-1 to 10-1. With a relatively kind quarter-final against either Belgium or Hungary to come, he may still have some way to go.
Up until the 75th minute against Northern Ireland, however, it had not been easy. It soon became clear that Michael O'Neill had instructed his players to crowd Bale out at every opportunity, and the tactic was effective as Wales struggled to get their dangerman on the ball despite his movement across the front line.
Bale's intelligent distribution was a key feature of their group stage fixtures, but he found a team-mate with only 19 of his 32 passes as he was closely shadowed by white shirts. It gave him a success rate of just 59 per cent - the third-lowest of Wales' starters - with only one of his seven attempted long passes reaching its target.
A miss-hit cross-shot in the first half summed up his struggles, but still there were flickers of his ability. Bale jinked through a crowd of Northern Ireland defenders before digging a dangerous-looking cross to the far post shortly before the break, and a trademark free kick had to be pushed away by Michael McGovern early in the second half.
The moment of brilliance for the goal was his headline contribution, but Bale showed he is not your average superstar, too. He tracked back selflessly and offered his usual tenacity off the ball, and when Northern Ireland forced a corner in the dying seconds, it was his near post header that cleared the danger.
Wales had edged it thanks to their No 11, and Chris Coleman summed up their feelings in his post-match press conference. "It was an ugly win but who cares," he said. "Today we had a bit of good luck, Northern Ireland had a bit of bad luck. I would rather be standing here in the quarter-final, having not played our best. We hung on in there and showed a lot of courage."
They also showed the value of a world-class talent. Wales would be grateful for another match-winning moment from Bale in Lille on Friday night, but he has already made history, and he has already given them reason to dream.
