Cyprus 0-1 Wales

By Dafydd Pritchard BBC Wales Sport in Nicosia

Gareth Bale proved Wales' saviour once again as his thunderous late header gave them a 1-0 win in Cyprus to put them on the brink of qualifying for Euro 2016.

Wales midfielder David Edwards had a goal disallowed and Neil Taylor wasted a fine chance as a full-blooded first half ended goalless.

Scoring opportunities were sparse in a flat second period until Bale headed Jazz Richards's cross into the roof of the net to spark wild celebrations from the travelling fans.

Wales remain unbeaten and three points clear at the top of Group B, knowing victory against Israel on Sunday will seal qualification and end a 57-year wait for an appearance at a major tournament.

No Cyprus slip-up this time

Dave Edwards had a goal disallowed for Wales in the first half

Having missed out on previous tournaments in heartbreaking fashion, there was a keen sense of anticipation as Wales travelled to Nicosia as group leaders following June's win against Belgium.

There was some trepidation too, with Wales losing on both their previous visits to Cyprus.

Those defeats came under John Toshack, who described a 1-0 loss in 2005 as the "worst ever international performance" he had witnessed, and then a 3-1 defeat two years later prompted him to accuse his players of "not caring" about playing for their country.

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Wales coped with everything in Cyprus, says boss Chris Coleman

It looked like it might be another frustrating evening in Cyprus when Edwards's goal was controversially ruled out.

The Wolves midfielder headed into the bottom corner but his celebrations were quickly curtailed as referee Szymon Marciniak judged Hal Robson-Kanu to have pushed a Cypriot defender.

For much of the game Wales found themselves on the back foot as they struggled to contend with the searing heat and difficult pitch.

However, epitomising the slogan Wales have used throughout their qualifying campaign 'Together, Stronger' Chris Coleman's side stuck to their task.

Who dares doubt Bale?

Gareth Bale has had a role in eight of Wales' nine goals in European Championship qualification so far (six goals, two assists)

As the world's most expensive footballer and scorer of five of Wales' eight goals in this campaign prior to this match, Bale was the inevitable centre of attention.

The Real Madrid forward was the target of brutal Cypriot tackling when Wales won the reverse fixture 2-1 in Cardiff and, although neither side shied away from contact in a confrontational rematch, Bale was quiet in Nicosia.

In a rare glimpse of his threat, Bale's dipping free-kick was spilled by Antonis Georgallides, but the Cyprus goalkeeper redeemed himself by saving Taylor's close-range rebound.

At one point, as frustration seemed to mount, Bale over-hit a seemingly simple pass out of play and raised his hands apologetically.

Wales' talisman seemed destined for an uncharacteristically disappointing evening but, with eight minutes left, he rose majestically to head in his third match-winning goal of the campaign.

Brilliant Belgium stay on course

Kevin de Bruyne scored one and assisted another in Belgium's win

Behind Wales in the group are Belgium, who came from behind to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 at home.

Edin Dzeko, on loan at Roma from Manchester City, headed the visitors ahead but Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini equalised from a Kevin de Bruyne corner.

De Bruyne, who joined Manchester City for a club record £55m from Wolfsburg on 30 August, then gave his side the lead with a long-range strike before Chelsea's Eden Hazard made the win safe with a penalty.

Meanwhile, Israel - third and two points behind Belgium - beat bottom side Andorra 4-0.

What next?

The dramatic nature of the victory added to the Welsh momentum already accelerated by impressive wins against Belgium and Israel.

Bale was pivotal in both those triumphs, scoring the winner against Belgium and striking twice in a spectacular 3-0 win in Israel.

Wales now welcome Israel to Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday, knowing a fourth successive victory of the campaign will secure their passage to Euro 2016 and a first place at a tournament since the 1958 World Cup.

'Wales are united'

BBC Radio 5 live pundit Robbie Savage: "There is camaraderie and unity in this Wales team. As they were walking off the pitch there were 20 staff members lined up - and as every one of the players went past each one, they were hugging each other and patting each other on the back.

"It is a unit, and Chris Coleman deserves a massive amount of credit. There is leadership from the back with Ashley Williams."

'Team spirit' showed through

Wales boss Chris Coleman: "We weren't at our best but to come to Cyprus is always notoriously difficult.

"We didn't play our best in possession but we created the better chances and I think it would have been harsh on us if we'd lost.

"But I think our players showed their team spirit, work ethic and how much it means to them to play for their country."

The stats you need to know

Wales have kept four consecutive competitive clean sheets for the first time since 1981.
Chris Coleman's side have now gone 414 minutes of football without conceding in qualifying.
Wales have won five of their seven previous matches against Cyprus.
Wales have scored in six of their seven meetings with Cyprus; failing to score in November 2005 in Nicosia (0-1).
No side has kept more clean sheets in Euro 2016 qualifying than Wales (5).

Lineup, Bookings (0) & Substitutions (6)

Cyprus

01 Georgallidis
04 Demetriou
02 Júnior Dossa Momade
19 Laifis
15 Antoniades
10 Charalambidis (Englezou - 75' )
23 Nikolaou
07 Economides
21 Makris (Sotiriou - 84' )
13 Makridis
09 Mitidis (Kolokoudias - 65' )

Substitutes

03 Charalambous
05 Sielis
06 Angeli
08 Sotiriou
12 Negri
14 Englezou
16 Stylianou
17 Kolokoudias
18 Artymatas
20 Kastanos
22 Panayi

Wales

01 Hennessey
02 Gunter
06 Williams
18 Davies
04 Richards
08 King
07 Edwards
03 Taylor
11 Bale (Church - 90' )
10 Ramsey (MacDonald - 93' )
09 Robson-Kanu (Vokes - 68' )

Substitutes

05 Fox
12 Fon Williams
13 MacDonald
14 Church
15 Vokes
16 Ledley
17 Cotterill
19 Collins
20 Lawrence
21 Ward
22 Williams
23 Henley

Ref: Szymon Marciniak

Match Stats

Possession53 47

Shots

10 6

On target

2 5

Corners

3 3

Fouls

10 17

Live Text Commentary

Full time

Full Time Match ends, Cyprus 0, Wales 1.

90:00 +3:39 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Cyprus 0, Wales 1.

90:00 +2:27 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Wales. Shaun MacDonald replaces Aaron Ramsey.

90:00 +1:57

Attempt missed. Giorgos Economides (Cyprus) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Constantinos Makridis.

89:58 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Wales. Simon Church replaces Gareth Bale.