Gareth Bale has hinted that the pressure is off the Wales national team as they prepare for the Round of 16 at Euro2016.

The Dragons surprised all by finishing top of Group B, ahead of the highly-fancied England, and are now in the initial knockout phase of the competition which will see them meet Northern Ireland in Paris on Saturday.

Real Madrid star Bale has experienced an enormous amount of lows with the Welsh side throughout his career and says now is the time to really cherish the moment and take nothing for granted as they eye what was seen pre-tournament as an unlikely quarter-final berth.

"It's an amazing feeling we've got in the camp," he said.

"It's not just been the last two years we've been working towards, but since we all started, young boys growing into men.

"We've all been together and come through a massive journey and we've been to some bad places. We've been ranked 112 in the world and now we're in the last 16 of the Euros, so these days are to be enjoyed and we're taking it all in our stride."