Wales vs Austria LIVE: World Cup play-off result and reaction as Bale double has Wales one game from World Cup

60 mins: Xaver Schlager is clipped by Harry Wilson just outside the Welsh penalty area. He gets a yellow card and David Alaba has the chance to score with a free kick inside of the ‘D’

He goes for goal but he can’t get it over the wall and Wales hoof it away. 30 minutes to play, everything’s looking great for Wales. Can they see it through?

57 mins: That second goal was a killer blow for Austria. They’d started the second half as the better, more attacking side but since it’s gone in Wales aren’t playing as deep. They seeing more of the ball in midfield and are passing it around with confidence.

54 mins: Chance! Bale gets the ball on the right wing and flicks it over the top with the outside of his left foot. He’s playing very confidently now. The ball drops for Dan James who sweeps into the box and hits Lindner with his shot at goal. The keeper makes the save and the offside flag gets raised against James. It was a close one though.

51 mins: GARETH BALE! Dan James knocks the corner short and gets it back off Neco Williams. He cross the ball into the box and picks up Ben Davies who’s first touch knocks the ball into the path of his captain. He moves the ball to the left before firing his shot back across the box, beating Heinz Lindner on his left and picking out the bottom corner!

50 mins: Gareth Bale calmly clears his lines and Wales kick start a counter-attack through Harry Wilson’s aggressive press. He sends the ball to Dan James who carries it into the box and wins a corner for the home side.

48 mins: Laimer runs into space on the right side and collects a diagonal pass just outside the box. He gives it to Schlager and comes inside before getting it back. Laimer lifts the ball over to Arnautovic who misses the ball with an attempted header and Roberts marshalls it out for a goal kick.

Kick off: No changes at half-time from either team as Wales resume the match. They are 45 minutes away from a place in the World Cup play-off final. Can they get there?

Gareth Bale has been directly involved in more Wales goals than any other player in 2022 World Cup qualifying (four goals, three assists).

Across the last three World Cup qualifying campaigns, Bale has been involved in 16 of Wales’ 37 goals (12 goals, four assists).

How important will this moment prove to be later tonight?

45+1 mins: A great first half from Wales who are one small step closer to the World Cup. They need to manage the game now, keep their shape tight and compact when defending and utilise the pace of Dan James on the counter.

A big 45 minutes coming up for Rob Page’s men.