Barney Ronay on Gareth Bale
Ben Fisher was in Cardiff to witness another Gareth Bale masterclass. His report has landed, and here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
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Sky also asked Bale if his celebrations sent a message to those in the Spanish media who have recently branded him a “parasite”. “No. I don’t need to send a message. It’s a waste of my time. It’s disgusting and they should be ashamed of themselves. I’m not fussed.”
The two-goal hero Gareth Bale speaks to Sky. “It was a massive game. We knew how big the game was, and we had to perform. It’s a perfect scenario! It was nice to see the free kick go in, to get some momentum. The second one was nice as well. I had some cramp at the end but I’ll run into the ground for this country.”
Aaron Ramsey adds: “It means everything. We’re one game away from the World Cup, which is everything. This is what we want. We’ve come a very long way, and this would be the icing on the cake. There’s still work to be done, but we can enjoy tonight. It’s a pleasure to play in front of these fans. They gave everything, and we gave everything.”
What sort of noise reverberates around the Cardiff City Stadium? You know what sort of noise reverberates around the Cardiff City Stadium! The roof is currently coptoring over Swansea. Big celebrations, Gareth Bale right in the middle of them. He’s hugging everyone, anyone, with delirious delight. He deserves all the cuddles, and all the plaudits, after scoring a couple of superstar goals. Wales will now host either Scotland or Ukraine, depending on events of course, in June for a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Austria trudge off having given it a good go, but they were deservedly beaten by Rob Page’s wonderteam.
FULL TIME: Wales 2-1 Austria
Gareth Bale’s wunderdouble has won it for Wales, who are now 90 minutes away from their first appearance at a World Cup finals since 1958!
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90 min +5: Alaba crosses into the mixer. Rodon clears. The whistles are deafening. Johnson breaks into space down the right and flashes a shot across Lindner and out for a goal kick. Should he have taken that to the corner? No matter, though, because ...
90 min +4: Then Ramsey wins a free kick in Austrian territory. More goal-like celebrations! Wales are so, so, so, so, so close.
90 min +3: Allen blooters a clearance upfield. It’s celebrated like a goal.
90 min +2: Bale, who had been holding is groin, is replaced by Mepham.
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90 min +1: Hinteregger’s clever backflick nearly releases Sabitzer into the box. Rodon blocks brilliantly. Gregoritsch tries to steer the rebound into the bottom right, but he can’t beat Hennessey. The Cardiff City Stadium collectively held its breath there.
90 min: The board goes up. There will be four added minutes. Wales so close to that play-off against either Scotland or Ukraine!
89 min: Austria have the ball, but it’s all in the midfield. Wales are holding their shape nicely.
88 min: Before the free kick can be taken, James is replaced by Johnson, while Lainer makes way for Gregoritsch. Ramsey then wastes the free kick by flaying it deep into the stand.
87 min: Some Welsh possession now. Williams has a dig from the edge of the box. Blocked. Wilson then bursts down the left and is taken down by Lainer, who deservedly goes into the book. Free kick just to the left of the Austrian box, and the clock ticks on.
86 min: Austria pass and probe. Wales sit back and soak up the pressure. The crowd do their bit with a glorious rendition of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. All emotions turned up to 11.
84 min: Wilson is good to continue.
83 min: Wilson is down now. On come the physios. On ticks the clock.
82 min: Sabitzer, quarterbacking from deep, rakes a pass towards Lainer, to the right of the Wales six-yard box. Lainer heads back for Weimann, who looks for the top-left corner but, falling backwards, is always hooking over the bar.
80 min: Both Bale and James suddenly look extremely knackered. This could be a long ten minutes for Wales. No, scrub that: this will be a long ten minutes for Wales. Buckle in.
79 min: Lazaro is quickly into the thick of it, crossing into the Welsh box from the left. Arnautovic and Weimann get in each other’s way, six yards from goal, and Wales escape. The tension really is palpable now, with Wales pushed back and clinging on.
77 min: Rodon is good to continue. Meanwhile it’s a double change for Austria, Weimann and Lazaro replacing Baumgartner and Schlager.
76 min: Rodon goes down with cramp. Time for everyone to take a drink.
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74 min: Nope. Bale drives the free kick straight into the wall. He claims handball, Sabitzer blocking with the top of his right arm. VAR has a look, and though he leaned into the ball, it hit above the sleeve. No penalty.
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73 min: Bale relieves some pressure by dribbling down the inside-right channel. He’s brought down by Hinteregger, just to the right of the D. He couldn’t, could he?
72 min: Austrian tails are up. A corner is won down the right. Baumgartner meets the delivery, flicking into the side netting from a tight angle at the near stick. Wales are proper worried now.
71 min: Alaba wins a corner down the left and takes it himself. He pulls it back to Sabitzer, who can’t get the ball into the mixer. Wales clear, and suddenly James is pinged clear into the Austrian half! One on one with Lindner, he takes a heavy touch, then allows Seiwald to toe-poke the ball back to the keeper. Yet another huge chance passes by!
69 min: With everything up for grabs, this game is getting stretched. Wilson buys a cheap free kick from an overly eager Kalajdzic. A chance to calm things down. Ramsey doesn’t take it, attempting a quick free kick but only raking the ball deep into Austrian territory, no Welsh player anywhere near. A sense that Wales are slipping into panic mode.
67 min: James gets ahead of Dragovic down the middle, racing onto Ramsey’s pass from the left. He fires towards the bottom left. Lindner does well to block. Another big chance for Wales goes begging.
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66 min: VAR had a quick check for offside against Arnautovic earlier in the move, but there’s no lifeline for Wales. That Bale chance suddenly has the worrying air of a pivotal moment.
GOAL! Wales 2-1 Austria (Sabitzer 64)
Sabitzer drops a shoulder to come in from the right. He lines up a low drive from the edge of the box. Davies hangs out a leg and deflects the ball up and over the diving Hennessey. The ball bounces apologetically into the net, and the visitors are back in this.
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63 min: Bale, on a hat-trick now, rolls back the years and romps down the right. He opens his body and aims for the top left. He gets it all wrong, and he had James free in the middle. Hey, nobody’s perfect.
62 min: A bit of Austrian possession. The home fans indulge themselves with some pantomime booing. It’s party time at the Cardiff City Stadium right now, albeit cut through with palpable tension.
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60 min: Alaba blooters the resulting free kick witlessly into the wall.
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59 min: Wilson is booked for a late lunge on Schlager, just inside the Wales D. That’s not a good challenge, studs coming down on the Austrian’s ankle. He’s booked. Another referee might have seen that as a red. Wilson wisely doesn’t push his luck by arguing.
58 min: A bit of space for Arnautovic down the right. His cross balloons over Kalajdzic in the middle. Wales escape, but it’s a reminder that this is far from over.
57 min: Austria have to shake it up now, so replace midfielder Laimer with striker Kalajdzic. “I flipping love Gareth Bale,” writes Matt Dony. “That is all.”
55 min: James is sent scampering down the inside-right channel. He’s got Wilson free in the middle, but opts to take the shot on himself. Under pressure from Hinteregger just behind, he slams his shot straight at Lindner. The flag then pops up for offside, which if nothing else means James won’t have to explain himself to Wilson after the match.
53 min: Austria had been the better team since the restart, and now look! That’s a huge bodyblow for the visitors, and what a boost for Wales! Bale is in the process of delivering a performance for the ages!
WUNDERGOAL II! Wales 2-0 Austria (Bale 51)
This is another sensational effort! The corner is worked short between Ramsey and James, the latter swinging in from the left towards Davies on the penalty spot. Davies, his back to goal, takes one touch. Bale takes it off his toe, running right to left, away from goal, then spins and slots a rising shot across Lindner and into the top right! What a goal!
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50 min: Seiwald’s hospital pass in the centre circle leaves Hinteregger in all sorts. He’s dispossessed by Wilson, who feeds James down the left. James wins the first Welsh corner of the second half. And from that ...
49 min: Another weak Arnautovic header sails into the arms of Hennessey. Austria have started this half well, though.
48 min: Lainer crosses from the right. It’s a bit of a floater, so Arnautovic has to generate all the power in his header. He can’t get the job done. A weak effort sails wide left. He may have been better leaving that for Baumgartner, who was haring in from the other flank.
46 min: Austria are on the front foot immediately, Alaba winning a corner down the left. They work the set piece short, but the training-ground routine between Alaba and Baumgartner doesn’t come off. Wales clear.
Austria return to boos, having kept their hosts waiting to start the second half. Wales eventually get the ball rolling again. No changes at the break.
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HALF TIME: Wales 1-0 Austria
Austria have hit the woodwork, but Gareth Bale has demonstrated the value of pinpoint accuracy. Wales are 45 minutes away from a World Cup qualification play-off final against either Scotland or Ukraine!
45 min: Bale sends Roberts into space down the right with a spin followed by a cute flick. Roberts reaches the byline and cuts back. Ramsey and James haplessly run into each other, and the chance to shoot from six yards is gone.
44 min: Williams goes racing down the left again and is cynically brought down by Schlager. The full back is fortunate not to go into the referee’s notebook, yet still chunters on in the official’s face. Full marks for chutzpah, though he’s really testing his luck.
43 min: Baumgartner looks Austria’s most likely at the moment. He meets a cross sailed into the Welsh box from the right, flicking a header towards the top left. Easy for Hennessey, whose goal hasn’t been seriously troubled since Baumgartner rattled the frame during the early exchanges.
41 min: Nothing comes of the corner. That was a huge chance for Ramsey, who was denied spectacularly by Lindner. Austria go up the other end, Sabitzer sending a frustrated long-distance shot well wide left.
40 min: Alaba hoicks in. Bale crashes a header clear. Wilson and James chase the ball upfield, forcing Austria into conceding possession. Suddenly it’s two on one! Wilson slips a pass down the right channel for Ramsey, who reaches the edge of the box before aiming for Bale’s Corner. Lindner is behind it all the way and tips round for a corner.
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39 min: Alaba whips the free kick into the mixer. Hennessey races off his line to punch clear, but only succeeds in sending the ball pinging off Davies and out for a corner. Alaba will take this as well.
38 min: Baumgartner drops a shoulder to move infield from the right. He buys a cheap free kick from Williams. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Wales box. Alaba to take.
37 min: All a bit scrappy again. With the scoreline as it is, Wales won’t mind this at all.
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35 min: Wilson and Roberts run into each other and play is stopped. Nothing serious, but everyone takes the opportunity to catch their breath. This game has bumped along at a fair old lick.
33 min: Seiwald flicks a header down the Austrian inside-right channel. Arnautovic is free! Easy as that. But he takes a heavy touch, allowing Rodon to get in the road and help shepherd the ball back to Hennessey. Wales may have the lead, but they’ve already given up a couple of huge chances. On another day, etc.
31 min: The Cardiff City Stadium is bouncing. Hymns and arias.
30 min: Williams clears the corner, Ramsey, Bale and James combining to break up the other end and win a corner of Wales’ own! Nothing comes of it, but that goal has understandably given the hosts extra belief. They’re playing with some panache now.
29 min: A cross into the Welsh box from the right. Arnautovic goes up with Davies, who is forced to head over for a corner. From which ...
27 min: No pyro, no party, and the Welsh fans celebrate their hero’s latest act of sublime genius by flinging a red flare pitchward. That was one heck of a free kick, completely unstoppable, on an irrevocable path from the moment it left Bale’s boot. Lindner on his knees! The crowd holler accordingly.
WUNDERGOAL! Wales 1-0 Austria (Bale 25)
Bale’s eyes light up. He fancies this free kick. A couple of steps. He sends a glorious power-curler over the wall and into the top right corner. Right on the postage stamp! Lindner had no chance! Another magical moment from one of the Welsh greats!
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24 min: Wales ping it around the face of the Austrian box. Wilson races in from the right and begins the process of a one-two with James. Baumgartner checks him cynically. A yellow card, and a free kick just to the right of the D. From which ...
23 min: Wales are beginning to settle now. Wilson, out on the right, switches play to Williams on the left. Williams floats a cross in for Ramsey, who can’t power a header goalwards from ten yards. Goal kick.
21 min: Williams, buoyed by that previous dribble, goes on another tear down the left. He cuts infield and rolls a weak shot straight at Lindner. It could be a busy night for young Austrian right-back Seiwald.
19 min: Williams decides to take on a couple of men down the left flank. His sheer audacity gets him past both. He skitters along the byline, but having lost his balance, clipped along the way, can’t find anyone in the centre. Fine run though.
17 min: Baumgartner tries to release Laimer free down the inside-right channel with a long rake. Laimer has the jump on Williams, but the pass is overhit. Goal kick.
16 min: Alaba clatters into Bale, a cynical shove in the back as the pair contest a high ball. A free kick for Wales and a quiet word from the referee for the Austrian captain. There’s no hard feelings, though. Plenty of friendly grinning instead, as Alaba helps his Real Madrid team-mate back to his feet.
14 min: Roberts clips a ball down the right for Ramsey, who looks for James in the middle. A game of pinball breaks out, and Austria eventually clear. Roberts has another go down the right, but his cross is easy meat for Lindner. That’s better from Wales, though, and it’s got the crowd going again.
12 min: See 10 min. The stadium has fallen a little quiet as a result. Austria will be pretty pleased with their start.
10 min: Austria are winning most of the challenges in the midfield. Wales look happy enough to sit back in the hope of hitting the visitors on the break, with James the main target for their long balls.
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8 min: Alaba rolls a cute pass down the middle in the hope of releasing Arnautovic into the Wales box. He’s inches away from finding his man. Hennessey gathers, and the flag goes up for offside anyway, but that was a clever ball, threaded through a crowd on the edge of the box. Wales look worryingly open.
7 min: Some space for James down the left. He can’t be caught. He curls a delightful ball across the face of the Austrian goal, Ramsey inches away from connecting with a lunge at the far post. Anything on that, and Ramsey was toe-poking it in. So close!
5 min: Wales are cut open down the middle with absurd ease, Sabitzer rolling a pass between Roden and Davies to release Baumgartner. He’s clear on goal and should score, but in curling towards the top right, allows Williams to get a nick on his shot. The ball rebounds off the crossbar and away. A huge let-off for Wales, though that’s a superb last-ditch slide from the Fulham/Liverpool man.
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4 min: Austria are buzzing around as well, resulting in a somewhat scrappy game during these very early stages. A lot on the line tonight, to be fair.
2 min: Austria struggle with the Welsh press. Ramsey forces Alaba into shipping possession. James cuts in from the right and shapes for the top left, but doesn’t get a good contact and his shot sails harmlessly into the arms of Lindner in the Austria goal. That’s got the crowd going, not that they needed much encouragement.
Before kick-off, there’s a moment of silence in memory of former FAW president Brian Fear. Perfectly observed. Then a huge roar as Austria, forced into second-choice black with Wales wearing red, get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes the knee to warm applause. There’s no room for racism.
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The teams are out! Rave music blasts out of the Cardiff City Stadium PA system as a man called Schlager takes to the pitch. Then the anthems. All the musical genres. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
Some pre-match entertainment ... and it’s all related.
Wales caretaker Rob Page speaks to Sky Sports. “When you’ve got players the quality of Bale and Ramsey it is foolish not to start them. They’ve shown in training that they’re up for this. The opposition manager will take note when he sees them on the team sheet. We’ve found a different type of role for Gareth, while Aaron will give him what he always gives us. He’ll press from the first to the last minute. We can’t let the emotion get the better of us. The players will be ready, they’ll be fired up, but in a cool and calm way.”
A reminder that we could be in for the long haul this evening. If the scores are level after 90 minutes, the match will go to extra time and, if required, penalties. The winner gets the right to host either Scotland or Ukraine, whose match has been postponed until June.
Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey both start for the hosts. Bale is one of four changes made by Rob Page from their November draw against Belgium, with Wayne Hennessey, Ethan Ampadu and Harry Wilson also returning.
Austria name a strong side too. Das Team features Bale’s Real Madrid colleague David Alaba, one-time West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic, and Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.
The teams
Wales: Hennessey, Ampadu, Rodon, Ben Davies, Roberts, Wilson, Allen, Ramsey, Neco Williams, James, Bale.
Subs: Levitt, King, Johnson, Harris, Matondo, Thomas, Norrington-Davies, Colwill, Jonathan Williams, Adam Davies, Gunter, Mepham.
Austria: Lindner, Seiwald, Hinteregger, Dragovic, Alaba, Schlager, Laimer, Lainer, Baumgartner, Sabitzer, Arnautovic.
Subs: Gregoritsch, Ulmer, Schaub, Pentz, Ilsanker, Kalajdzic, Posch, Weimann, Lazaro, Schopf, Bachmann, Grull.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
Preamble
June 1958. It’s an awfully long time ago. In a parallel universe, John Charles wasn’t kicked out of the only World Cup finals Wales have ever qualified for, outscored Pele and Brazil in the quarters, and went on to bag a decisive hat-trick against hosts Sweden in the final. Un ddraig ar y crys, Jules Rimet yn dal i ddisgleirio.
Ah well, Wales will always have that Ivor Allchurch heat-seeker against Hungary. That game was played 24 hours after the execution of 1956 Hungarian Uprising leader Imre Nagy, fans chanting in memory of their fallen leader, and today’s match is also under a dark political cloud. The winner of tonight’s big match will play off for a spot in Qatar this November against either Scotland or Ukraine ... but who knows the next step there? All Wales can do is try their best to take one step closer to the 2022 World Cup, hoping for the chance to make some more precious Allchurchian memories. Kick off is at 7.45pm in Cardiff. Mae ymlaen!
