If their opening match was a day for unlikely warriors, then for Wales this was another occasion for the usual heroes. On one of the most memorable and stirring nights in Welsh football history, two of their greatest ever players delivered a reminder of what can be achieved with pure footballing talent and undimmed enthusiasm for your country.

Gareth Bale to Aaron Ramsey. Wales fans have seen that one before, at a previous European Championship and beyond. This is the classic pairing, the golden duo, and they combined once more for a goal of the highest order in an electrifying, uplifting and occasionally nerve-shredding victory over Turkey.

With Ramsey and Bale finding their feet in this tournament, and Connor Roberts adding a glorious late second, Wales are officially on the move. The knockout stages are within their grasp after this sweaty and battling performance in the thick Azerbaijan air. Together, as ever, they produced a result that allows a nation to dream again.

“Is it the crest on their chest that makes them raise their game? It must be,” said manager Rob Page of his team. “It is playing for Wales. It is powerful. Everybody would walk on broken glass to get into this squad.”

Bale’s first-half pass, and Ramsey’s assured finish, made for one of the finest goals this tournament will see. For Ramsey it was the high point of a thrilling showing, one full of invention and effort, and for Bale it was the first of two defining contributions on the night.

The second was his masterful assist for Roberts, after a snaking run past the Turkish defenders in stoppage time. A moment of genius from a player who remains one of the continent’s best, and an intervention that went some way towards erasing the memories of his woeful penalty miss a few minutes earlier.

Bale’s horrendous spot-kick, blazed so far over the bar that it almost struck the Wales fans around 50 yards behind the goal, brought energy to an already buoyant crowd. The Azerbaijan locals had come out in force to support Turkey, their brother nation, and in the so-called land of fire Wales were forced to withstand considerable heat.

At the end, as the Wales defence cleared and blocked everything that came their way, a desperate Turkey side lost their composure. A scuffle broke out, with Turkey desperately trying to tempt the Welsh into doing something stupid. Amid it all stood 20-year-old Ethan Ampadu, screaming at his team-mates. “Do not lose your heads!”

They did not. Not even close. As Turkey went into meltdown, Roberts went into overdrive. Charging forward from the back, he converted Bale’s cutback to prompt delirious celebrations on the pitch, the bench and in the stands. “I have never seen anybody run like it in my life,” said Page.

The few hundred Wales supporters had fought all night to make themselves noticed. When Roberts scored, they could be heard loud and clear. “The Welsh fans were incredible,” said Bale. “I know there were not many but they made it loud and they made us keep going. They are the red wall.”

Organised at the back, quick in attack. The system is simple but effective for Wales, even before one considers the boost provided by Ramsey and Bale. They were the two standout players on the pitch, showing their quality against a Turkey side that had been tipped by many to be the dark horses of the tournament.

Ramsey seemed to be everywhere, all of the time. He tackled, he dribbled, he passed, he scored. When he was substituted after 85 minutes, it was something of a surprise that he did not have to crawl off the pitch. Page said they almost had to carry him to the bench.

In the first half especially, Ramsey did more than anyone to quieten the pro-Turkey crowd. He missed two clear chances before converting the third, after controlling Bale’s clipped delivery on the chest. “It is only him that could have come in on his left foot and played that pass,” said Page of his captain.

Wheeling away in celebration after finding the corner, Ramsey sprinted towards the touchline – and towards substitute Chris Gunter. They have been inseparable for years, and Gunter was even best man at Ramsey’s wedding.

Wales were dominant in these stages, although it was not entirely one-way traffic. Turkey needed to win after losing to Italy last week and, as they pushed, they twice forced Joe Morrell into making dramatic goal-line clearances. Cengiz Under tested Danny Ward in the first half, before Burak Yilmaz fired over in the second.

The penalty followed a few minutes later, won by Bale as he charged at Zeki Celik. The stuttering run-up, the exaggerated backswing, the wild strike: it was a gruelling moment, but the anguish did not last for long.

Turkey continued to throw bodies forward. Wales continued to counter.

Daniel James was flying down the left and Bale was causing all sorts of problems. He was visibly desperate to atone for his penalty miss, and he did so by finding Roberts for the second. It was some moment on some night for Wales, a team and a country preparing for another wonderful adventure.

“We’re in a fantastic position now,” Bale said, with Wales building on their opening draw against Switzerland. “If you’d offered us four points after the first two games before the tournament started we definitely would have taken it.” (© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2021)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]