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Bale, Coleman react to uneven Wales draw: “A point is positive”

Marko Arnautovic, Gareth Bale

Austria’s Marko Arnautovic and Wales’s Gareth Bale, from left, challenge for the ball during their World Cup Group D qualifying soccer match at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

AP

Welsh star Gareth Bale is content with taking a point from Austria, and his manager is trying to meet that vibe.

Wales gave up a pair of leads in a 2-2 draw at Austria in World Cup qualifying on Thursday, with Stoke City attacker Marko Arnautovic twice beating the Welsh defense for goals.

[ MORE: World Cup qualifying roundup ]

The point could be absolutely huge for Wales in a tight and tricky group that also includes Serbia and Ireland. Winning at home is a must, and points on the road -- especially at Austria -- are a boon.

Here’s Bale:

“This is a very difficult place to come but we ground out a 2-2 draw. Austria will beat a lot of teams here, a point is positive.

“Our home form is important, we need to win there now.”


Manager Chris Coleman was a bit more forthcoming about Wales’ struggles, as the Dragons struggled for long stretches of the game. He loved his club’s effort, but didn’t enjoy the many troubling moments.
“If you can get something when you are not at your best it is a good sign. We made trouble for ourselves, that’s not like us. We can play a lot better but we can’t fight any harder than that. They never shied away from a challenge.”

Wales leads the table after two match days, but only on tiebreakers. Four teams have four points between Wales, Serbia, Ireland, and Austria. Next up is a tough visit from Serbia on Nov. 12.

Follow @NicholasMendola