FOOTBALL Andorra 1 - Wales 2: Gareth Bales magic saves Wales THE road to Andorra is a rocky one through the Pyrenees, and Wales’ Euro 2016 qualifying campaign will be a bumpy ride if this is anything to go by. Gareth Bale spared the Dragons’ blushes following an almighty scare by the European minnows with a fine effort in either half to give Wales lift-off in Group B. On a dodgy 3G pitch, Chris Coleman’s side fell behind to the part-timers ranked 199th – out of 208 countries – in the FIFA standings when Ildefons Lima scored a sixth-minute penalty after a pull by Neil Taylor on Ivan Lorenzo. But then Real Madrid superstar Bale came to the rescue with a super double. He nodded home a 22nd-minute header to draw Wales level. It was Bale’s 13th goal for his country. Then he made it 14 in the 81st minute with a superb free-kick to trigger relief for all connected with Wales. The Dragons struggled on the artificial surface against a side who had never picked up a point in Euro qualifying. In fact, Andorra had not scored in a competitive outing for four years. The minnows have a population of just 85,000 – fewer than the number Bale stars in front of on a fortnightly basis at the Bernabeu – but the small crowd who witnessed this will long remember his late strike that set Wales on their way towards France. Wales’s world fell apart temporarily after a bizarre moment in the sixth minute. There did not seem to be any danger forthcoming when Lima, the Andorra centre-back, flicked on a long throw with the ball running away from goal. However, a slight pull by Taylor on marker Lorenzo saw Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic point to the spot. Yet there was confusion over the incident, which looked soft at best. The additional assistant referee, Mitja Zganec, signalled to the main official, who had not reacted to any such foul. But after a long delay and with the large following of Wales supporters behind the goal at the compact national stadium left stunned, Lima stepped up and slotted home from the penalty spot, sending Wayne Hennessey, the Crystal Palace goalkeeper, the wrong way. The 34-year-old defender is now his country’s top scorer with eight goals – four of them in competitive fixtures. Andorra’s most recent goal had come 19 games ago when Cristian Martinez, the Andorra wideman of FC Santa, scored against the Republic of Ireland. Despite falling behind, Wales simply had to cut out their early panic and regroup after the worst of beginnings.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 08:27:20 +0000
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