As the Wales squad celebrated victory over Northern Ireland in Paris, Bale emerged onto the pitch with his daughter, three-year-old Alba Violet, Wales Online reports.
Advertisement
It was a relatively low-key first half, with both sides creating half chances at best.
Chris Coleman’s men played their usual style of football, playing to their strengths and utilised their star player Gareth Bale when the opening arose.
Asked to consider Northern Ireland’s tournament as a whole, O’Neill replied: “At this minute it’s hard to reflect”.
The event will take place at the Belsonic Fan Zone site in the Titanic Quarter, where Northern Ireland supporters flocked to watch the team in their opening three matches.
Their Quarter Final will be played on Friday 1st of July against either Hungary or Belgium in Lille. They look to seal a semi-final spot at an worldwide competition for the first time in the nation’s history. We have had a hell of a progression in the last couple of years.
The deadlock is broken 15 minutes before the end when Bale whips a menacing delivery in the area and McAuley sends into his own net.
“Our fans have been unbelievable, I think there’s a special feeling between the players and the fans”.
McAuley turned in ex-Saint Gareth Bale’s excellent cross from the left to give Wales the only goal of the last-16 clash in Paris.
“A few people didn’t give us a chance of getting a point when the draw was made”, said defender Gareth McAuley. “He had to judge whether there was someone behind him or not”, said the coach.
“It was going to take a little bit of luck and we got it with the goal we scored”.
It was a cagey start between the two sides, with neither causing too much of a threat when on the frontfoot in the first half, but Michael O’Neill would have been the happier manager from a tactical standpoint after the opening exchanges. “You never know (what could happen) if you get a result there”.
“We knew it was going to be an ugly match”, Bale said.
“I don’t think you can lay any blame on [McAuley]”. It probably would have been better if we had met France and they had have outclassed us; it just makes it even more disappointing.
Northern Ireland looked to lone striker Kyle Lafferty as a target, who was used to hold the ball up and use his strength.
Advertisement
“Gareth’s been absolutely brilliant all tournament and been a real rock for us”.
