Bale: Bosnia defeat 'best loss of my life'

Gareth Bale has labelled Wales' 2-0 defeat at Bosnia-Herzegovina as the "best loss" of his career after Euro 2016 qualification was sealed, despite the result.

Although Chris Coleman's men suffered the first reverse of their qualifying campaign, Israel's 2-1 defeat to Cyprus ensured they could not be caught in second position in Group B.

Subsequently, Wales' place at a first major international tournament since 1958 was secured.

"This is probably the best loss of my life. It was a difficult game but at the end of the day all that matters is qualifying," Bale told Sky Sports.

"This ranks right up there in terms of my career, it's something I've always wanted to do and every young boy dreams of playing at a major tournament. Now we want to go over there and do something in France.

Bale had been a doubt for the match after struggling with injury, but the Real Madrid man eventually started the crucial clash and praised his team-mates.

"We're like brothers out the pitch and there's so much togetherness in this squad. It will nice to be able to test ourselves in the best tournament of the world, and we can't wait," he affirmed.