It is a crying shame that Sophie Ingle was not able to take the pitch as a player last night, when Wales created history on a stunning evening in the Irish capital.

The Chelsea star has been a colossal figure for Wales for 15 years and a shining example for all those who have come after her. It's all the more credit to those Welsh heroines in Dublin that they were able to down the Republic of Ireland, to reach next year's Euros, without the giant and iconic figure of Ingle at the heart of their midfield.

The former national team captain, who donned the arm band for nine years before stepping down from the role in April, sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury while with her club back in September, ruling her out of Wales' crucial qualifiers.

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Instead, the 139-cap international was enlisted by the BBC to be a pundit for the play-off final in Ireland, tasked with providing insightful tactical analysis on the players pre- and post-match.

Wales' players, in the middle of their wild celebrations, had other ideas.

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Ingle took the microphone and when asked by presenter Catrin Heledd to sum up how the last 15 years, the span of Ingle's international career, had led to this moment, she could barely begin her answer before Angharad James, the midfielder who assumed the captaincy when Ingle stepped aside, ran in from behind before bear-hugging her and lifting her away from punditry duties.

"I've got no choice, have I?" Heledd quipped. "Just take her!" Ingle was then whisked away by her two Wales team-mates and off to celebrate in front of the travelling supporters at the Aviva Stadium.

Rhian Wilkinson will no doubt hope Ingle's recovery is a smooth one, because the Wales boss is likely to want to call on the veteran in Switzerland next summer.

Despite no doubt enjoying the celebrations, Ingle is ever the professional, though. At 3.53am, she posted a photo on her social media of her Game Ready machine — a device that aids recovery from injury — on her knee, along with the caption: "Euros to aim for."