Bale eclipses Charles, Giggs and Rush as highest achiever in a Wales shirt

It was about Gareth Bale. If it was about Wales, it was always going to be about Bale. He may only have played 22 minutes of football in the 10 weeks since the playoff semi-final win over Austria, he may not be able to last anything like a full game, he may effectively have become a former player as far as Real Madrid are concerned, but he is still the player who makes Wales more than just another mid‑ranking side.

There will be those who have their subjective preferences for John Charles or Ryan Giggs, Ivor Allchurch or Ian Rush, but what can be said now is that nobody has ever achieved more in a Wales shirt. It’s not just that he inspired them to reach the semi-finals of the European Championship and to secure a first qualification for a World Cup in 64 years, it’s that he achieved those feats six years apart. Remnants remain, but this is an obviously different side to Chris Coleman’s and Bale has been key to both of them.

When Bale lined up a free-kick 11 minutes before half-time, minds inevitably went back to the free-kick he had swept into the same goal against Austria in March. This time, on the other side of the pitch, Bale stood on the tee and assessed the conditions: 25 yards, slight left to right breeze, heavy rain. He selected his club, glanced at the target and the wall that stood in the way, went through his pre-shot routine, took his swing and then celebrated as a plunging Andriy Yarmolenko diverted the ball past his own goalkeeper – which admittedly seldom happens in golf.

Bale is a player these days who plays in snippets. He does not dominate matches as he once did. He is 32 and, while his dearth of regular football may perhaps prolong his career – if he wants it to – it also means a lack of basic match