Gareth Bale is STILL one of the world’s very best and he showed that for Wales against Turkey, dropping a masterclass in their crucial European Championship clash.
Bale starred as Wales beat Turkey 2-0 on Wednesday to go a long way towards booking their place in the next round of the tournament.
🏴🏴🏴
What a performance! Unreal boys! pic.twitter.com/60B4pvGLHy
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) June 16, 2021
The 31-year-old performed heroically in Azerbaijan as he set up a goal in sensational style in each half.
Bale’s first moment of magic happened just before the break when he picked out Aaron Ramsey with an outrageous, pin-point swerving cross
Ramsey cushioned Bale’s exquisite pass before slotting home to give his side the lead.
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| Image: PA |
The Real Madrid man then missed a penalty, blazing over the bar from the spot. Though he redeemed himself moments before the final whistle.
He brilliantly created an opening out of nothing, teeing up Connor Roberts in stoppage time.
A spectacular performance by Bale who proved he’s the ultimate big-match player and still at the top of his game despite his patchy club form.
Gareth Bale vs Turkey pic.twitter.com/PLlw408ykI
— Hugo ✞ (@HugoFilmsHD) June 16, 2021
His outing at Euro 2020 sent social media wild.
🏴 Wales captain Gareth Bale takes home the Star of the Match award 👏👏👏@Heineken | #EUROSOTM | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/aRPbCaDEcY
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 16, 2021
Gareth Bale vs Turkey:
– 2 assists
– 7 chances created
– 5 big chances created
– 1 penalty won
– 9.9 sofascore ratingIconic performance. pic.twitter.com/AkxBEGsiI7
— G 🇮🇹 (@arrywinks) June 16, 2021
Absolutely brilliant performance and deserved victory for @Cymru. Great displays all round. Fabulous stuff. To a man they were great and spirited, with class provided by @GarethBale11 in particular & @aaronramsey. Well played.
— Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) June 16, 2021
Gareth Bale is brilliant. He’s a big game player.
— ＭＵＳＢＥＹ (@Mus6ey) June 16, 2021
Bale is the second best big game player after Ronaldo. Don’t @ me
— Roy 😴 #PortugalForEuros🇵🇹 (@royinnit) June 16, 2021
Wales boss Robert Page hailed his captain’s performance following the huge result.
“Without his two assists we don’t win that game, it’s as simple as that,” he said of Bale.
“He showed an enormous amount of courage to react in a positive way from the penalty miss, and that speaks a lot about him as a man.
“I think it’s unfair to put that pressure of: ‘Oh, he hasn’t scored.’ Only he could have come in on his left foot and played that ball to Aaron [for the opening goal].
“And it is only him at the end that would have thought and had the pace and power to get past the defender from a short corner and do what he did for Connor to finish. It’s not just about scoring goals, it’s about being a team player and setting goals up. He’s certainly done that.”
Wales resume their campaign on Sunday when they face Group A leaders Italy.
Featured Image Credit: PA/UEFA