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From Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales in Cardiff City Stadium
Gareth Bale rescued Wales out of a home draw against Azerbaijan as his goal snatched success to provide their bid to qualify for Euro 2020 a lift.
Ryan Giggs’ facet took a first-half lead to comical fashion as before rolling past a Salahat Agayev from the Azerbaijan goal the ball looped from a Bale shot that was deflected and hit on an Pavlo Pashayev.
But that just papered over the cracks of a sloppy display from Wales, who surrendered a equaliser since Neil Taylor saw Mahir Emreli score on the rally after Wayne Hennessey could only parry his first work that was weak and gave the ball away.
But with a little over five minutes ago, Wales captain and all time leading goalscorer Bale came to their rescue once more as he headed in from close range, through the crossbar, to spark wild parties which showed just how close the hosts had come to dismissing their chances of qualifying for Euro 2020.
Wales is lifted by the effect up to next in Group E – level on six points using all Slovakia – while Croatia’s beating win against Slovakia sees the World Cup finalists join leaders Hungary on nine points.
Back-to-back defeats against Hungary and Croatia in June – the first time Wales had lost qualifiers for decades – had left precious little room for mistake to Giggs’ side for the rest of this campaign.
The director himself confessed Wales would have to”win just about any game currently”, starting with victory here against a diminished Azerbaijan side who had never won a European Championship qualifier away from house.
Wales struggled to impose themselves in a first half low , despite being 85 places above their opponents in the world rankings.
It was fitting, therefore, that the opening goal ought to arrive in conditions that are farcical that are such.
Pashayev wasn’t even looking at the ball when it hit him on the side of the mind and then fell down from a wonderful height.
Wales could laugh at their good fortune, however, it was also a distraction from their worrying failure to make real chances against such opposition.
Bale looked more powerful than he had done in June however, despite supplying Tom Lawrence with a couple of sights on goal, the Derby forward’s finishing lacked the cutting edge.
So long as they headed, Wales weren’t overly concerned. A persuasive performance could have improved spirits but, provided that victory was stable, there was expectation.
But that all changed after an hour when Azerbaijan struck stun the Cardiff City Stadium into silence.
Taylor made the mistake giving away possession, and following a through-ball from Ramil Sheydaev Taylor nor Chris Mepham could capture Emreli, who capitalised on Hennessey’s inability to hold his initial shot by firing in the rally.
The floor was rippled round by A sense of foreboding. Was this a return to the bad old days for Wales?
Regardless of the palpable tension, the house fans refused to think and they roared at the closing stages on their side.
Wales poured forward in a desperate search for a goal and, together with Azerbaijan struggling to apparent following Joe Allen shot pin-balled around the box, Bale rose magnificently to head in off the bar.
It was supposed Bale will be Wales’ saviour, since he was in Andorra in 2014 a year after and in Cyprus.
He’s a legend of Welsh football who is as capable as he is dragging his team off the 26, of rising to the big occasions.
This was certainly an instance of the latter, and there was a component of personal salvation for Bale awarded his turbulent summertime for country and club.
In June, he also cut a frustrated, sometimes forlorn figure as Wales were defeated in Hungary and Croatia while speculation raged about his Real Madrid future.
Having played for six months, the lethargic body language of Bale spoke of a discontent formed in Spain, in which he was marginalised by manager Zinedine Zidane and seemed set to the Chinese Super League.
But that transfer and injuries to players like Eden Hazard’s collapse motivated a transformation in Bale’s status at the club since he began the first three league games of the year of Real and score last Saturday twice in Villarreal.
These were his first goals since March and they seemed to energise Bale from Azerbaijan. He spearheaded Wales’ assault and ran back to aid his defenders on over 1 event.
His aim was a deserved reward for his efforts, and it prompted a telling clench of their fist around the touchline by Giggs, that would have been relieved from the stadium as anyone.
Having missing seven of his 13 matches accountable for another defeat might have been terminal for Welsh hopes of qualifying for Euro 2020 – and it might have place Giggs.
For his negative and him, at Bale, Wales possess a saviour for all seasons.
Read more here: http://socceradvantage.com/?p=25785