The fact that Bale was there was a statement in itself. He had played in an intense Madrid derby just three days earlier but, contrary to expectations of a brief cameo in this friendly, he started.
“It was said that Ryan Giggs was really good for Manchester United and that in the Wales shirt he didn’t turn up, he missed friendlies and stuff, but that never happened with Gaz,” says Gabbidon.
“He was very motivated and focused, not only for the club but also for the country. At that time he was just directing the games on his own.”
Bale created the first goal in the 12th minute with a free kick from the right, which curved perfectly into the path of James Collins to look in.
“I think we were all lining up for that snap. I was standing next to James Collins ready to take advantage if he didn’t make it,” says Vokes, who didn’t have to wait long for his chance.
Iceland equalized later in the first half when Williams turned Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s shot into his net, but Wales were back in front after the break. Bale, of course, was at the center of all this.
Bale picked up the ball on the right, pretended to turn inside, beat Ari Skulason and accelerated before shooting with the outside of his left foot.
Only an excellent block on the line by Kari Arnason denied Bale a magnificent solo goal, but the ball simply bounced back for Vokes to head in.
“I just had to finish it from three feet away,” Vokes recalls with a smile. “I don’t know what you do as a defender. There was nothing that could stop him at that moment.”
As a centre-back, Gabbidon had a clearer idea of what the Icelandic defenders had to deal with.
“I felt sorry for some of the teams that were facing him because he was just unplayable,” he says.
“He also had that hunger. Sometimes you see that players love to play for their clubs and, for their countries, maybe they play at a lower pace.
“But Gaz wasn’t like that. It was the same with the Wales shirt, and there were quite a few games at that time, not just the Iceland one. We were almost like a one-man team.”
