We and our partners utilize technology, like biscuits, and collect browsing data to personalise the information and advertising and to provide you with the ideal internet experience.
Please let us know if you agree.
By Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales in Cardiff City Stadium
Wales was saved by gareth Bale from a home draw against Azerbaijan because his late goal snatched victory to present their bid to qualify for Euro 2020 a much-needed lift.
Ryan Giggs’ unwanted shot a lead to funny fashion as the ball looped from a preoccupied Bale shot and hit an unsuspecting Pavlo Pashayev.
But that just papered over the cracks of a display that was sloppy from Wales, who surrendered a equaliser since Neil Taylor watched Mahir Emreli dent on the rebound after Wayne Hennessey could only parry his weak initial effort and gave the ball away.
However, with a little over five minutes ago, Wales captain and all-time leading goalscorer Bale came to their rescue after again as he headed in from close variety, through the crossbar, to spark wild parties which showed how near the hosts had come to dismissing their chances of qualifying for Euro 2020.
Wales is lifted by the result up to third in Group E – degree on six points with fourth-placed Slovakia – while Croatia’s beating win from Slovakia sees the World Cup finalists join leaders Hungary on two points.
Back-to-back defeats in June against Hungary and Croatia – the first time Wales had lost qualifiers for six years – had left precious little room for mistake to Giggs’ side for the remainder of this effort.
The manager himself admitted Wales would have to”win just about any game today”, beginning with success here against a diminished Azerbaijan facet that had never won a European Championship qualifier from house.
Wales struggled to impose themselves in a first half low , despite being 85 areas above their opponents in the world ranks.
It was fitting that the opening goal needs to arrive in circumstances that are farcical that are these.
Pashayev wasn’t even looking at the ball as it fell down from a great height and struck him across the side of his mind.
Wales could laugh at their good luck, however, it was a distraction from their failure to make real scoring opportunities against opposition.
Bale looked livelier than he had done in June but, the Derby completing lacked the necessary cutting edge, despite supplying a couple of sights on target to Tom Lawrence.
So long as they headed, Wales were not too worried. Provided that success was stable, there was hope A persuasive performance could have lifted spirits but.
But that all changed after one hour after Azerbaijan struck to stun the Cardiff City Stadium.
Taylor made the initial error giving away possession, and after a through-ball from Ramil Sheydaev, neither Taylor nor Chris Mepham could grab Emreli, who capitalised on the inability of Hennessey.
A sense of foreboding rippled around the ground. Was this a return to the bad old days for Wales?
Regardless of the real strain, the home fans refused to think and they roared at the final stages on their side.
Wales hauled in a desperate search for a target and, together with Azerbaijan struggling to clean afterwards Joe Allen’s deflected 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 had been in Andorra at 2014 and in Cyprus a year later.
He is a legend of Welsh football who is capable of climbing to the occasions as he is dragging his group.
This was an instance of the latterand there was an element of salvation for Bale awarded his turbulent summertime for country and club.
In Junehe also cut a sometimes forlorn figure while speculation whined about his Real Madrid future as Wales were beaten in Hungary and Croatia.
Having not played for six weeks, Bale body language spoke of a discontent formed in Spain, where he was marginalised by manager Zinedine Zidane and appeared set for a transfer into the Super League.
However, the transfer and injuries to players like Eden Hazard’s collapse motivated a transformation at Bale’s standing at the club since he began the first three league matches of this year of Real and score last Saturday double at Villarreal.
These were his first goals since March and they seemed to energise Bale from Azerbaijan. He spearheaded Wales’ assault and hurried back to aid his defenders on more than one event.
His target has been a deserved reward for his efforts, and it prompted a telling clench of the fist around the touchline from Giggs, who will have been relieved in the stadium.
Having lost seven of the first 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, in Bale, Wales have a saviour for several seasons.
Read more here: http://socceradvantage.com/?p=25785