The 2016 European Championships has completed its group stages with minnows Wales, Northern Ireland and Albania gaining the automatic qualification.

What do Ian Rush, Mark Hughes and Ryan Giggs have in common?

They are world class footballers who failed to play in a single major national football competition. It was a curse I was sure would afflict Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale. I’m glad to say that I was wrong.

The Welsh were assured victory despite losing their first game of the campaign away in Bosnia after Cyprus beat Israel by two goals to one over the weekend. Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a play-off place from the same group. Belgium goes through as group winners.