Gareth Bale was unable to guide Wales to victory against Israel.

There was a sense of inevitability that it was never going to be straightforward with Wales, given all those hard-luck stories over the years, and so it proved on an evening when frustration was the overriding emotion for Chris Coleman’s players as Israel spoiled the party and Belgium, a few hours later, picked up the win that put any plans for belated celebrations in Cardiff on hold.

Needing a victory to be sure of qualifying for Euro 2016, Wales were held to a disappointing draw by an Israel side who suffocated the life out of a game that Gareth Bale, for once in this campaign, was unable to bring alive.

Wales could still have secured their place in France if Belgium had failed to win in Cyprus later in the day but Eden Hazard scored five minutes from time.

All of which means that Wales, who have not qualified for a major tournament since 1958, will have to wait for 34 days, when they take on Bosnia-Herzegovina away, to have another bite at the cherry. Their final group game is three days later, against Andorra in Cardiff. With only one point needed to guarantee their place in next summer’s finals, realistically the only doubt surrounds when and not if Wales create history.

While the trip to Bosnia may not be straightforward, Andorra at home represents just about the closest thing there is in international football to a nailed-on three points. The team ranked joint-202nd in the world, with Mongolia and Somalia, have just suffered their 52nd consecutive competitive defeat.

There is, in short, no reason for any Wales supporter to lose any sleep about their predicament or fear another depressing entry in that long list of near misses that includes everything from floodlight failure to missed penalties and controversial refereeing decisions.

At the same time it was impossible to escape the feeling of anticlimax at the final whistle here after the stage had been set for such a memorable occasion. The sun was shining, there was a sell-out crowd, Zombie Nation’s Kernkraft 400 track, which has developed into a cult anthem for the Wales fans during this campaign, was played just before kick-off and the rendition of Land of My Fathers that followed provided one of those spine-tingling moments.

Wales started like a house on fire but the blaze did not last long. Once Israel recovered from the opening 15 minutes, when Aaron Ramsey had a great chance to score and alter the course of the way the game panned out, the visitors looked relatively comfortable as Wales huffed and puffed without much success.

Good fortune, however, was smiling on Israel in the 67th minute. Eytan Tibi stuck out his right arm to prevent Bale’s diagonal centre from reaching Hal Robson-Kanu but Ivan Bebek, the Croatian referee, signalled for a corner and not a penalty kick. The decision was more mystifying because one of the additional assistant referees, stationed behind the goal, could not have had a better view of the incident.

In many ways this was a performance and result that highlighted the extent to which Wales depend on Bale, who has scored six and set up two of their nine goals during the qualifying campaign. While the defence has been outstanding – Wales have now gone 504 minutes without conceding – and Coleman has fostered a strong team spirit among the squad, there is no getting away from the fact that it is difficult to see where the goals will come from if Bale fails to score.

For all their possession against Israel, Wales struggled to break down a side that often had 11 men behind the ball and were set up with the sole intention of coming away with a point.

That Eli Gutman’s team succeeded in executing their plan to perfection is both a compliment to Israel’s defensive discipline and an indictment of the lack of creativity in a Wales side that never possessed the craft or guile to open their opponents up.

Coleman interpreted Israel’s negative tactics as a sign of respect to Wales, which was probably true. The Wales manager also admitted that his players would need to learn to cope with teams coming to Cardiff and shutting up shop. It was certainly not a problem that Wales had when they were ranked 117th in the world four years ago.

Ramsey’s golden opportunity came from an Israel mistake, after Ashley Richards nicked possession deep inside the visitors’ half. Robson-Kanu turned sharply and released a reverse pass that set Andy King free and one on one with Ofir Marciano, the Israel goalkeeper. King struck a low right-footed shot that the goalkeeper saved with his legs, with the ball spinning up into the air and towards Ramsey. Eight yards out and with the goal yawning invitingly in front of him, Ramsey headed high and wide.

After that Wales seemed to lose their way a little. Their build-up play was slow and prosaic and it was not until the 54th minute, when Bale blazed over from a free-kick on the edge of the area, that they seriously threatened again. Moments later King saw his point-blank header from Ramsey’s corner saved and then came that Tibi handball appeal. From the corner that followed Dave Edwards swept a first-time shot that Marciano saved at his near post.

Israel had been non-existent as an attacking force but there was nearly a sting in the tail for Wales when Tomer Hamed escaped on the left and managed to dig out a cross that Tal Ben Haim, a second-half substitute, met with a diving header, forcing Wayne Hennessey into a fingertip save.

At the other end Bale was denied by Marciano, with no Wales player able to turn in the rebound as the ball ran loose. Then Church, heading home Bale’s flick-on, had his vision of having snatched a dramatic late winner shattered by the raised flag – he was two clear yards offside - that nobody on the Wales bench had seen apart from Coleman. It was that sort of day for Wales.