LONDON — Sports do not get more surreal than this. Wales is defeated on a soggy Saturday night in Bosnia, and its players are on their knees when news comes that Israel has lost to Cyprus in Jerusalem.
Suddenly, despair turns to joy for the few. The stadium at Zenica has rapidly emptied, apart from 650 Wales fans who made the 3,000-mile round trip to watch their team — their country — qualify for a major tournament for the first time in 57 years.
“Probably the best loss of my life, to be honest,” said Gareth Bale, the one superstar in a nation that aspires to rugby success more readily than it dares hope for any crumbs from soccer.