Gareth Bale proved Wales’ saviour once again as his thunderous late header gave them a 1-0 win in Cyprus to put them on the brink of qualifying for Euro 2016.
Wales midfielder David Edwards had a goal disallowed and Neil Taylor wasted a fine chance as a full-blooded first half ended goalless.
Scoring opportunities were sparse in a flat second period until Bale headed Jazz Richards’s cross into the top corner to spark wild celebrations from the travelling fans.
Wales remain three points clear at the top of Group B, knowing victory against Israel on Sunday will seal qualification and end an agonising 57-year wait for an appearance at a major tournament.
Having missed out on previous tournaments in heartbreaking fashion, there was a keen sense of anticipation as Wales travelled to Nicosia as group leaders following June’s win against Belgium.
There was some trepidation too, with Wales losing on both their previous visits to Cyprus.
Those defeats came under John Toshack, who described a 1-0 defeat in 2005 as the “worst ever international performance” he had witnessed and then a 3-1 defeat two years later prompted him to accuse his players of “not caring” about playing for their country.
This Wales team have been strong in qualifying, having not lost a game, but they might have feared another frustrating evening in Cyprus when Edwards’s goal was controversially ruled out.
The Wolves midfielder headed into the bottom corner but his celebrations were quickly curtailed as referee Szymon Marciniak judged Hal Robson-Kanu to have pushed a Cypriot defender.
For much of the game they found themselves on the back foot as they struggled to contend with the searing heat and difficult pitch.
However, epitomising the slogan Wales have used throughout their qualifying campaign ‘Together, Stronger’ Chris Coleman’s stuck to their task.
As the world’s most expensive footballer and scorer of five of Wales’ eight goals in this campaign prior to this match, Bale was the inevitable centre of attention.
The Real Madrid forward was the target of brutal Cypriot tackling when Wales won the reverse fixture 2-1 in Cardiff and, although neither side shied away from contact in a confrontational rematch, Bale was quiet in Nicosia.
In a rare glimpse of his threat, Bale’s dipping free-kick was spilled by Antonis Georgallides, but the Cyprus goalkeeper redeemed himself by saving Taylor’s close-range rebound.
At one point, as frustration seemed to mount, Bale over-hit a seemingly simple pass beyond a team-mate and out of play, raising his hands apologetically.
Wales’ talisman seemed destined for an uncharacteristically disappointing evening but, with eight minutes left, he rose majestically to head in his third match-winning goal of the campaign.
Brilliant Belgium stay on course
Behind Wales in the group are Belgium, who came from behind to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 at home.
Edin Dzeko, on loan at Roma from Manchester City, headed the visitors ahead but Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini equalised from a Kevin de Bruyne corner.
De Bruyne, who joined Manchester City for a club record £55m from Wolfsburg on 30 August, then gave his side the lead with a long-range strike before Chelsea's Eden Hazard made the win safe with a penalty.
Meanwhile, Israel - third and two points behind Belgium - beat bottom side Andorra 4-0.
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