Gareth Bale: It wasn’t the prettiest of goals – in fact it was downright scrappy – but Bale’s 80th minute winner against Azerbaijan kept Wales in the qualifying hunt. It’s been a bizarre year for Bale, but there’s no doubt he’s a big stage performer (note: home v Azerbaijan may or may not be a ‘big stage’ but I stand by my assertion).
Russia: A 2-1 win over Scotland in Glasgow and a 1-0 home win over Kazakhstan has all but locked up second place in Group I and gives them a slight shot at winning it.