Republic of Ireland 0 Wales 0: Neil Taylor sent off for breaking Seamus Coleman’s leg in bad tempered draw in Dublin
Neil Taylor sent off for horror tackle on Seamus Coleman that broke the Everton star's leg
IRELAND held 10-man Wales to a 0-0 draw to leave the Dragons' World Cup dreams in tatters.
Needing a win to keep themselves in touch, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey struggled to make an impression.
And minutes after Bale was lucky not to see red, Neil Taylor was dismissed for a horror tackle on Seamus Coleman.
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The Everton man suffered a broken leg and was taken off on a stretcher with his team-mates looking concerned.
Bale - who was booked for a foul on John O'Shea - and Taylor will both miss the trip to Serbia in a huge blow to Chris Coleman's side.
The Real Madrid flier was inches away from sealing a famous win five minutes from time as his fierce long-range effort drifted wide.
FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS
- Wales last played at the Aviva Stadium in May 2011 - in front of 529 fans against Northern Ireland in the Nations Cup.
- Chris Gunter won his 78th international cap to move alongside Craig Bellamy as Wales’ third highest appearance holder.
- This was the first time Wales boss Chris Coleman was able to name the same side which beat Belgium 3-1 in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals last summer.
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- West Brom winger James McClean wore the number five shirt for Ireland to pay his respects to ex-Derry City team-mate Ryan McBride. Both sides also wore black armbands.
- There was a minute’s applause before kick-off - and in the fifth minute - for McBride while there was a nice touch by the Football Association of Wales who presented Ireland president Michael D Higgins with a shirt and his name and number on the back.
- James McCarthy pulled out at the 11th hour through injury. The Everton midfielder had been carrying a hamstring problem. Hull’s David Meyler was drafted in.
- Everton team-mates Seamus Coleman and Ashley Williams - the respective captains of Ireland and Wales - did not shake hands in the tunnel as they went about business
- Bale was booed by the Aviva Stadium crowd...because he’s good.
- Stoke training next week should be interesting after Glenn Whelan left his mark on club team-mate Joe Allen with an elbow to the face. Lucky boy.
- It took 48 minutes for the first shot of the game. Bale’s free-kick was straight at Darren Randolph.
SOCIAL SAYS
BIG PICTURE
WHAT THEY SAID
Gareth Bale: "I don't know how bad [Seamus Coleman's injury] is but we all wish him a speedy recovery.
"We knew they were going to make it difficult. We created some good chances and were unlucky not to get a goal.
"If you look at the last 20 minutes with 10 men a draw maybe isn't the worst result."
Martin O'Neill: "Seamus has gone to hospital. It has been confirmed by the doctor that he has broken his leg. It's a real blow to him."