KIM Jong-un and Donald Trump may well have started World War Three by the time you read this but the only ballistic missile that matters here in Wales is the one launched from the right foot of Ben Woodburn on Saturday night.

The teenager’s stunning strike to beat Austria at the Cardiff City Stadium wasn’t quite as good as Frank Nouble’s opener for Newport County AFC against Chesterfield the week before.

But it might just be more important in the long run.

The Liverpool youngster has breathed new life into Wales’ World Cup qualifying campaign and renewed the belief that Chris Coleman’s men can still make it to Russia next summer.

And, while there are more than 800 miles between Chisinau and Moscow, Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and new hero Woodburn can take another huge step towards Russia in the Moldovan capital tonight.

With Group D leaders Serbia taking on second-placed Ireland in Dublin at the same time, if third-placed Wales can secure another victory tonight they will be in a perfect position to secure one of the top two spots with two games left to play.

Assuming Coleman’s men take maximum points at the 10,400 capacity Stadionul Zimbru, they will be hoping for a draw at the Aviva Stadium.

That would leave Wales in second place in the table, above the Irish on goal difference and two points behind the Serbs.

An Ireland win would keep Wales in third position, one point behind Serbia and two points off top spot.

And a Serbian victory would see them maintaining their four-point advantage over Wales, with Ireland a further point back in third.

The winners of each of the nine groups in the European section will automatically qualify for the World Cup, and the eight best runners-up will secure a play-off spot.

A second-place finish could see Coleman’s men up against the likes of Sweden, Holland, Portugal or Italy.

Alternative play-off opponents could be Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Denmark, Slovakia, Scotland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Greece, Ukraine or Iceland.

There are not many easy options if Wales are to reach a World Cup for the first time since 1958.

It would be foolish to take victory for granted tonight, however.

A team boasting the talents of Bale, Ramsey, Woodburn and the returning Joe Allen should have too much for the group whipping boys.

But Wales and Chris Coleman have seen their qualifying hopes ruined by defeat in Moldova before.

A team managed by Mike Smith and featuring Coleman and his current national team coach Kit Symons in defence lost 3-2 in Wales’ only previous trip to Moldova.

The Euro 96 qualifier took place in October 1994 – just three years after the country gained independence and five years before Woodburn was even born.

Gary Speed and Nathan Blake scored for the visitors but a late Valeri Pogorelov goal sealed a famous victory for the hosts and heaped humiliation on Smith’s men.

And just a month later it got worse as they were thumped 5-0 in Georgia - where Coleman's men go for their penultimate qualifier next month.

Speaking to the media last week, Coleman recalled the horrors of that Moldova trip but he’s confident that it will be a different story for his team – on and off the pitch.

“Kit and I were out there three weeks ago,” said the national manager.

“It's a new stadium, a new structure and it's really improved.

“They're working hard out there. It doesn't compare to where we stayed in 1994.

“We were sleeping in our wetsuits because the beds were so damp. It was unbelievable. We had cockroaches too. The country was in a lot of trouble at the time.

“We lost the game and they deserved to win,” he added. “They were better than we were on the night and deserved to win.

“I felt for Mike Smith on the night because he came into Welsh football and had a real tough time.

“He was a really nice guy and we let him down. We let Wales down.

“That was a tough, tough place. Now after being there recently I can see they've come on leaps and bounds. It's very small, tight and narrow, but a lovely little stadium.”

Just 78 fans made the long and arduous trip back in 1994 but around 1,500 are expected to cheer Wales on in Chisinau tonight.

With the Red Wall behind them and a team made of much sterner stuff than their mid-1990s predecessors, the nation expects another three points this evening.

But, if next month’s mouth-watering home clash with Ireland is to mean anything to Wales, nobody should be taking anything for granted.

Bale and Co must show their ruthless streak again and keep their foot on the gas all the way to Russia.