Gareth Bale rolled back the years with a vintage display to help Wales beat Austria 2-1 on Thursday and take a giant leap towards World Cup qualification, the Real Madrid forward scored twice at the Cardiff City Stadium to leave his country on the brink of qualifying for Qatar. They will face either Scotland or Ukraine in their final play-off.
Bale has largely been a peripheral figure at the Bernabeu this season but continues to produce for his national side, his first goal was a trademark free kick, the kind he produced in a Tottenham shirt regularly before his switch to Los Blancos in 2013. His second was another accurate finish following a clever set piece routine.
The Welshman returned to north London last season on loan from Real, and despite not being a regular starter under then boss Jose Mourinho, still registered an impressive 16 goals and three assists in 34 appearances. Bale is out of contract at the end of the season and is widely expected to leave the Spanish capital.
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