Gareth Bale says Andorra surface is 'by far the worst pitch' he's ever played on as Galactico comes to Wales' rescue

Bale and Welsh manager Chris Coleman slammed the Estadi Nacional's artificial pitch after Wales beat Andorra 2-1

Bale said: I can't describe how bad, bobbly and hard the pitch was to deal with 

Coleman added: I can talk about the pitch now, if you're a passing team forget it 

World's most expensive player Bale scored both Wales goals, with a stunning late free-kick to win it

Andorra, who have lost their last 45 competitive fixtures, took the lead through a sixth-minute penalty 

Surface was only certified fit to play on by UEFA last week

Gareth Bale has slammed the artificial pitch at Andorra’s Estadi Nacional as ‘by far the worst pitch’ he has ever played on after his late free-kick gave Wales a narrow 2-1 win over the minnows in their opening Euro 2016 qualifier.

 It was the first time the 3G surface had been used for a match and the difficulties with controlling the ball were clear for all to see.

The roll would be uneven and bounces awkward, with clusters of black rubber pellets spraying into the air with each landing.

Manager Chris Coleman had tried to play down fears of the pitch’s unsuitability before kick-off but afterwards declared he felt it was not up to UEFA standards.

The surface was only certified by Europe's governing body last week after originally failing tests because of a fast roll.

‘It was by far the worst pitch I have ever played on,’ said Bale. ‘I can't describe how bad, bobbly and hard the pitch was to deal with.

‘We said at the start that the most important thing was to get three points. Other teams are going to find it difficult coming here so for us to get three points is important.

‘We want to qualify and you have to come to places like this and get victories.’

WHAT IS A 3G PITCH? 

A 3G - or 'third generation - pitch is made of artificial plastic grass 'blades' and is suitable for all weather conditions, meaning it is largely unaffected by differing seasons and temperatures.

The artificial turf is held in place by a thin base layer of sand, as well as an infill of rubber pieces which act like the soil on a normal pitch in order to allow grip.

Plastic pitches were originally banned from English football in 1995 after Queens Park Rangers, Preston North End, Oldham Atletic and Luton Town had trialled them during the 1980s, with Loftus Road the first English stadium to try it in 1981 and Preston the last Football League club to remove theirs in 1994.

However, the FA made a U-turn in March when they announced that synthetic pitches could be used in every single round of the FA Cup this season - having previously only allowed them up until the first round proper.

Maidstone United, who play in the Ryman Premier League, have had great success with their 3G pitch and have championed its cause. Artificial pitches are also used in many places on the continent, particularly in Eastern and Northern Europe.

Coleman kept his team from practising on 3G pitches through fear of its effects on joints and went through a light training session on Monday evening for the first time.

‘I can talk about the pitch now, if you're a passing team forget it,’ he said. ‘I don't want to make a protest as I want other teams to come here.

‘But when we trained on it, my heart sunk. In my opinion the pitch is not up to standard of UEFA qualifier.’

If Wales were expecting an easy ride in the principality they were stunned when Andorra took the lead after just six minutes. 

Swansea defender Neil Taylor conceded a soft penalty, referee adjudging him to have pulled the shirt of Ivan Lorenzo. Ildefons Lima made no mistake from the spot to score Andorra's first competitive goal in four years. 

But Bale rescued Wales with a classy double to get the qualifying campaign off to a winning start. 

First he headed home from Ben Davies' excellent cross. And the world's most expensive player curled in a beautiful free-kick with 10 minutes remaining to claim the victory.