The nation's World Cup qualification hopes suffered a blow after their star was booked for a nasty challenge on John O'Shea, but he feels it was harsh
Gareth Bale felt he was hard done by after receiving a yellow card that rules him out of Wales' next World Cup qualifier against Serbia.
Friday's 0-0 stalemate with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin was Wales' fourth Group D draw in a row, leaving them four points shy of their hosts and Serbia, where they head in June.
Bale's suspension is arguably a bigger hurdle for Chris Coleman's side to overcome, but the Real Madrid star insists he did no wrong after being cautioned following what referee Nicola Rizzoli deemed was a foul on John O'Shea.
"I didn't even go for a tackle, I went to try and slide to tap the ball in and he's kind of kicked me, we've collided," Bale told Sky Sports. "I didn't think it was a yellow to be honest, but the referee's done it so what can I do?"
An otherwise uneventful game was marked by an unwanted talking point just a minute after Bale's booking, when Neil Taylor's poor challenge on Seamus Coleman earned him a red card and left the Everton full-back with a broken leg.
Bale added: "Obviously we never wish that on anybody. I don't know how bad it is, but all of us wish him a speedy recovery."
Speaking about the uninspiring contest at the Aviva Stadium, Bale was pleased with Wales' work rate and felt a point may not be a bad result.
"First half they definitely did that, second half I thought we controlled the game very well. We created some good chances, I thought we were unlucky not to get a goal, but I suppose if you look at the last 20 minutes playing with 10 men, and we're 0-0, a point is not the worst result. But obviously we're disappointed not to get the win.
"We all worked hard out there and that's all we can do."
