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Thursday 22nd March 2018
By Dominic Booth
Ryan Giggs' career in international management began in style as a Gareth Bale hat-trick helped Wales thrash China.
The Real Madrid superstar tore through the China Cup hosts in Nanning, with further goals from Sam Vokes (2) and Harry Wilson ensuring the Giggs era got under way without a hitch.
Bale surpassed Ian Rush's record Wales goal tally during the rout, which secures Wales' place in the China Cup final on Monday. They will meet either Uruguay or Czech Republic.
Two Bale goals inside the first 21 minutes gave Giggs the start he was craving as China's defending left plenty to be desired.
It was 3-0 soon after as Andy King headed across goal to find Vokes, who turned home beyond hosts' keeper Yan Junling.
Wilson then scored his first Wales goal — on his 21st birthday — to give Wales a 4-0 half-time lead.
Vokes doubled his tally with a smart finish just after the interval to stretch the visitors' lead.
And it was a moment of history for Bale, whose drilled left-footed finish made it 6-0 and put the former Spurs and Southampton star ahead of Ian Rush in the list of record Welsh goal scorers.
The latter stages allowed Giggs to blood Brentford debutant Chris Mepham and introduce the likes of Tom Lockyer and Ben Woodburn and Wales finished the game untroubled.
Wales: Hennessey; Gunter, Williams, Chester (Mepham, 71), Davies (Lockyer, 71), John; Allen (Evans, 63), King; Wilson (Watkins, 71), Bale (Woodburn, 63), Vokes (Bradshaw, 63)
Subs not used: Maxwell, Crowe, Matthews, Roberts, Hedges, Bodin
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