Wales vs Northern Ireland: 'Special talent' Gareth Bale draws the plaudits as Chris Coleman admits Wales got lucky

Bale's low cross was turned into his own net by Gareth McAuley to send Wales through to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016

Gareth Bale celebrates with Aaron Ramsey after Gareth McAuley's own goal (Getty)

Chris Coleman hailed the ‘brilliance’ of Gareth Bale after the Real Madrid forward produced the decisive moment of class in Paris to enable Wales to overcome Northern Ireland seal a place in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals.

Wales will face either Belgium or Hungary in Lille on Friday after Gareth McAuley’s own-goal late in the second-half settled a tense Battle of Britain clash at the Parc des Princes.

Bale’s cross led to McAuley’s unfortunate contribution, with the Northern Irish defender forced to dive in to prevent Hal Robson-Kanu from scoring.

And Wales manager Coleman admitted that Bale, who had scored three goals in three games prior to this second round tie, was the man of the moment once again.

“There was so much riding on this game, it was really going to take a bit of luck and we had that with the goal,” Coleman said. “But it was unfortunate for Gareth McAuley.

“We had to stay in the game because we could have lost our way or lost our shape, but we did our jobs and we know what Gareth can do, a little bit of brilliance that can change your life.

“Gareth is clearly a special player. For us he is special, not just because of his talent but what he represents when he plays for Wales.

“He appreciates what he has around him and they appreciate they have a super talent, so it is a good blend.”

McAuley’s own goal secured a 1-0 win for Wales, but Coleman conceded that his team were fortunate to overcome Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland.

“It was an ugly win for us, but who cares?” Coleman said. “Team spirit came through today. We weren’t playing well, but we dug in and that is a strength.

“It’s about giving more when you have nothing else to give, but I wasn’t looking forward to this game because I knew it would be a tough one.

“At times we were hanging on, but I'd rather be standing here in the quarter-final not playing at our best.

“We have to give credit to Northern Ireland – Michael O’Neill has got them very organised and they are a dangerous team to play. They made it very difficult to play against and they were the better team.

“But we hung in there, showed some courage and got there. Northern Ireland were the underdogs today, but they were the better team and that is football.”


 Bale and Aaron Ramsey celebrate after McAuley's own goal gives Wales the lead 
 (Getty)

Northern Ireland’s defeat was harsh on O’Neill’s team and the manager admitted he and his players were struggling to cope with the blow of elimination.

"It's devastating,” O’Neill said. “We were the better team on the day, but the nature of that goal we conceded was just one of those things.

“Gareth McAuley knows he has to make one of those decisions on the cross - he had to judge whether there was someone behind him or not.

“But I couldn't ask anything more of the players throughout the tournament.”


 McAuley turned the ball into his own net after Bale's cross 
 (Getty)

Wales must now wait on the fitness of captain Ashley Williams, who suffered a shoulder injury during the second-half, with Coleman admitting it will take ’24-48 hours’ for the injury to settle down before it can be properly assessed.

But having guided to the quarter-finals in their first major tournament since 1958, Coleman insisted the team’s supporters had every right to dream of further success.

“Get carried away, keep dreaming,” Coleman said. “There is nothing wrong with that. The fans had to be patient today, but they stayed with us.

“They were fantastic today, as were the Northern Ireland fans. But for our fans, yes, keep dreaming, they deserve to.”