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11th Jun 2016

Gareth Bale gives Wales the perfect start with beauty of a free-kick

Who else?

Simon Lloyd

It was all so predictable wasn’t it?

10 minutes played in Bordeaux and after surviving a rather hairy moment with Marek Hamšík at the other end, Wales get themselves a free-kick not far away from the Slovakia box.

There was never any doubt who was going to take it.

Gareth Bale, fresh from securing his second Champions League title with Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago, put the ball down.

Up he stepped, guiding the ball over the Slovakian wall with his left foot and beyond the wrong-footed goalkeeper.

Wales v Slovakia - Group B: UEFA Euro 2016

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Weirdly enough, Gareth Bale’s first goal for his country came from a direct free-kick almost a decade ago in Ocotber 2006. The opponents? Slovakia.

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After so, so long without major tournament football, this is the perfect start for the Welsh.

Just look what it meant to the Wales team…

Wales v Slovakia - Group B: UEFA Euro 2016

And just look what it meant to the Welsh fans in the stadium…

https://twitter.com/talkingbaws/status/741668025234030592

Unsurprisngly, Twitter errupted:

https://twitter.com/LeKingOfBanter/status/741670479174459392

https://twitter.com/welcomebrand/status/741664623280181248

The BBC Wales Twitter account changed its name in tribute:

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For others, it was an excuse to bring back the fact that one of the greatest attacking players in world football was once used in a defensive role.

And then there was the ones that were more concerned with moaning about the terrible goalkeeping by the Slovakian goalkeeper.