Gareth Bale is congratulated by his teammates after scoring against Austria
AS WALES supporters prepared to celebrate their 2-1 playoff semi-final victory against Austria yesterday, there was a moment of worry as Gareth Bale felt his groin on leaving the Cardiff City Stadium pitch with two minutes of added time remaining.
Wales’s greatest-ever player had just scored two world-class goals to put them another step closer to qualifying for this year’s World Cup.
Almost immediately after the twinge of concern that accompanied the twinge of a groin muscle, will have come the moment of relief, as Wales fans remembered Bale will not be playing football again until their play-off final in June.
The captain’s emotional performance in Argentina’s win over Venezuela had all the markings of a farewell. But if history is any guide, the legend may not be done just yet, writes JAMES NALTON
As football grapples with overloaded calendars and commercial pressure, the Mariners’ triumph reminds us why the game’s soul lives far from the spotlight, writes JAMES NALTON
JAMES NALTON takes a look at the German league’s move to grow its audience in Britain, and around the future of football on TV in general
