HID International: Bale urges Wales to keep fighting

That win came at a pivotal stage of the campaign and Williams feels there are echoes of that contest in Serbia’s trip to Cardiff, with the Group D leaders now two points clear of third-placed Wales.

Bale shifted it on to his favoured left foot and drilled it low past Vladimir Stojkovic, with the Serbia stopper feeling he might have done more to keep the effort out.

Spain take on Macedonia in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Granada on Friday before facing England in a friendly on Tuesday at Wembley.

“Our job is just to concentrate on the game and I’m sure the FAW will make the right decision”. It was early days under Chris and we were just getting used to his tactics. It is not all doom and gloom. If we had beaten Georgia then a point tonight is OK, we would be on track. They were before, but now the more it goes on, they turn into must-wins.

But Mitrovic didn’t read the script, bullying James Chester to create room to head in off an upright. The Welsh impressed football fans around the world this summer, reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016, but they have yet to impress in this qualifying campaign and, with a poor result against Serbia, could see themselves drop further out of contention.

They have also played three away games and four of their next five qualifiers are in Dublin. Wales had gone ahead on the half-hour mark through a Gareth Bale laserbeam, and it was also the Real Madrid star who nearly doubled their lead in the 85th minute.

Wales will have a long time between now and then to mull over the opening four qualification matches and in particular the dramatic chain of events that saw this match swing one way and then the other in the closing stages.

“We’ve got to play Ireland home and away and the good thing for us is we can affect our own destiny”.

As the full-time whistle went in Cardiff, a distraught Coleman looked up to the heavens, knowing Wales had possibly blown their World Cup chance. “So to give up two points late on was a bitter pill to swallow”.

“He’s not played too much football for Arsenal”, Coleman said.

“He’s hurting the same as we are and everyone else concerned with Wales. It’s important that we get what we want”.

“He reminded us that we can still qualify, that teams will take points off everyone in this group, so it is still wide open”.

Wales instead nearly secured the three points as Bale ran through and poked against the upright from Aaron Ramsey’s pass, before Mitrovic struck.

With Rush an interested spectator, Bale should have made it 2-0 in the 85th minute but his shot rebounded off the woodwork after he was put through by Aaron Ramsey.