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Gareth Bale's deflected free kick was the difference in a close match on Sunday at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Wales defeated Ukraine 1-0 on Sunday in a play-off to reach their first World Cup since 1958, and a joyous Gareth Bale said afterwards that he would likely put any possible retirement plans on hold because of the result.

Bale's first-half free kick that deflected off Andriy Yarmolenko for an own goal proved to be the difference in the match.

It was heartbreak for the Ukrainians, who have played at a time their country is under Russian military invasion.

What happened in the match?

There were scenes of euphoria at the Cardiff City Stadium after Wales secured their berth in the upcoming 2022 World Cup. This will be just their second appearance in the marquee global event after 1958.

It was against the run of play that Wales took the lead after the half-hour mark. A mistimed challenge from Vitaliy Mykolenko brought down Daniel James in a dangerous area a few yards outside the penalty box. Bale tried his luck with a free kick and Yarmolenko attempted to clear the ball only to see it deflected it into the net.