Bale netted his second penalty before coming up with the goods in stoppage time
Gareth Bale completed a match-winning hat-trick deep in injury time to spare Wales from embarrassment against Belarus in Russia and keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
Wales made the ideal start as the first of two Bale penalties gave them an early lead, but they unravelled in two calamitous first-half minutes as goals from Vitali Lisakovich and Pavel Sedko put Belarus in front.
Lisakovich scored from the spot after Chris Gunter was penalised for a raised foot, before an unmarked Sedko punished shambolic defending from Wales, who were fortunate not to be further behind at half-time.
Bale scored his second spot-kick to bring Wales level midway through the second half and, in the third of four minutes of injury time, the captain came to his country’s rescue with a low shot that squirmed under Belarus goalkeeper Sergei Chernik and into the net.
After losing their opening match of the campaign to group leaders Belgium, Wales could ill afford to draw this game, never mind lose it.
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