A GARETH McAuley own goal 15 minutes from time rescued a below par Wales and ensured Chris Coleman’s men fought on to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016.
The Northern Ireland defender stabbed Gareth Bale’s cross into his own net to get Wales off the hook after a disappointing display at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
The final whistle was greeted more with relief than elation but, ultimately, the players and their fans will not care one bit as they have made history all the same.
As expected, Wales were unchanged from the 3-0 win over Russia but they were a shadow of the side that had ripped apart the Russians.
They enjoyed the majority of possession but failed to create anything of note until well into the second half.
Star men Bale and Aaron Ramsey dropped too deep to influence the game in the attacking third and the whole team looked nervy in a poor first 45 minutes.
Northern Ireland, who kept former Newport County AFC striker Conor Washington on the bench from the start, did not give Wales the space that the Russians had.
And some of their robust challenges, notably on Joe Allen, really should have been punished more harshly.
English referee Martin Atkinson waited until the final minute of the half before producing a card – for a late Stuart Dallas tackle on Bale.
But, despite their physical approach and their lack of possession, Northern Ireland looked far more threatening in the early stages.
Dallas forced Wayne Hennessey into a fine save in the 10th minute after a rapid counter-attack that began when Joe Ledley lost possession on the edge of the Northern Irish box.
Midway through the first half Hennessey was again called upon to tip over a 25-yard drive from Jamie Ward.
Kyle Lafferty, who replaced Washington in the starting XI, headed over shortly afterwards and in the closing minutes of the half both Chris Gunter and Ben Davies had to win vital defensive headers at the far post as Wales clung on until the interval.
In attack there was little to shout about with Sam Vokes isolated and making little impact and Bale and Ramsey surrounded whenever the ball went near them.
Ramsey did have the ball in the net from a Vokes knockdown but the offside flag was correctly raised.
It was the first time in this tournament that Wales had failed to find the net in the first half.
Things had to improve in the second half but it began very much as the first had ended with Northern Ireland on the front foot and Wales sluggish.
Davies again won another important header at the back and James Chester produced a superb tackle to halt Lafferty in his tracks.
Coleman gave it 10 minutes before replacing Vokes with Hal Robson-Kanu – just after the Burnley striker had spurned Wales’ best chance.
Ramsey produced the first real moment of quality from the men in red with a perfect cross curled in beyond the last man but Vokes’ header was way off target and he was hooked straight away.
Soon afterwards Bale won a free-kick on the edge of the area and, though his shot was on target, Michael McGovern got down well to his left to save comfortably enough.
Jonathan Williams then replaced a tiring Ledley in midfield, leaving Wales with little natural cover in front of the defence.
But the change did at last give the side some attacking impetus with Williams running at the Northern Ireland defence with the ball at his feet.
And Ramsey, Bale and Joe Allen started to string some passes together as Wales improved slightly.
That prompted Michael O’Neill to introduce Washington midway through the second half in an attempt to readdress the balance.
But the pressure at the other end from Wales finally told on 75 minutes.
Inevitably Bale played a big part.
The Real Madrid star whipped in a cross from the left and, in an attempt to stop it reaching Robson-Kanu in the middle, McAuley diverted the ball into his own net from three yards out.
It was fortunate for Wales and tough on a dogged Northern Ireland side, especially McAuley.
Wales will know that they have to up their game considerably but the dream lives on and the Red Wall moves on to Lille and the last-eight.
Wales: Hennessey, Taylor, Davies, A. Williams, Chester, Gunter, Ledley (J. Williams, 63), Allen, Ramsey, Bale, Vokes (Robson-Kanu, 55)
Booked: Taylor, Ramsey
Northern Ireland: McGovern, J. Evans, Cathcart, McAuley (McGennis, 84), Hughes, Dallas, Norwood (Niall McGinn, 79), C. Evans, Davis, Ward (Washington, 68), Lafferty
Booked: Dallas, Davis
Referee: Martin Atkinson (England)
Argus star man: Davies
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