Wales 2-0 Andorra: Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale ensure celebrations continue after Euro 2016 qualification

A rapturous rout to enhance claims Wales can go far at Euro 2016 this was not. But the sell-out crowd who came to share the experience did not really care in the end.

 

They wanted to have fun, and while the scoreline against the fifth-worst side in world football was slender, there was enough cause for merriment.

 

Aaron Ramsey’s goal early in the second half allowed the match to end with festivity rather that friction and the bouncing dance of a celebration by the touchline in tribute to Joe Ledley’s bizarre efforts in Bosnia that went viral showed the unity of this group. 

 

Gareth Bale’s continued commitment gives manifold encouragement too. The Real Madrid star played the entirety of this meaningless match and scored with five minutes left, sweeping in from a cross by Ben Davies.

 

It was his seventh goal of a campaign in which has only missed three minutes of action. Quite remarkable figures.

 

Bale said: 'We put the hard work in for years and years and now is the time to enjoy it.

'But as soon as France comes around we want to make an impact.' 

Welsh supporters have been used to dead rubbers at the end of qualifying campaigns, but never before because qualification had been secured. Pressure off, it was time to party.

 

As promised, Chris Coleman changed formation and tweaked personnel, the idea being that goals would come in a 4-3-3 system. Bale started in midfield with licence to roam.

 

But the plan failed to work. Andorra, this tiny principality of 85,000 people, once again proved more stubborn than a sulky teenager suffering adolescence.

Despite experiencing 53 consecutive losses in competitive football to earn a ranking 205 out of 209 nations by FIFA, Andorra are doggedly obdurate.

 

Wales had required an 81st minute free-kick from Bale – retaken after Gabriel Riera broke the wall on the first attempt – to win the reverse fixture at the start of this campaign and the visitors’ technique of every-man-behind-the-ball frustrated Coleman’s side hugely.

Their best first-half chance came courtesy of Andorra defender Ildefons Lima, who miscued a clearing header to send his goalkeeper Ferran Pol scampering back to save acrobatically under his crossbar.