It was never going to be easy putting out Will Grigg's fire. Fifteen minutes from the end, though, a little bit of quality from Gareth Bale on the left did the trick, the Real Madrid talisman's teasing cross going in off the outstretched leg of McAuley.
Bale spoke during the week about matching, then surpassing, that distant Welsh achievement of reaching the quarter-finals at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden and leaving a legacy for the game in his home country.
Now they have a new reference point: Lille 2016, with Wales facing the winners of Hungary v Belgium in next Friday's last-eight tie. For Northern Ireland, 34 years to the day since they defeated Spain at the World Cup, the journey has come to a close.
This corner of Paris had turned British long before kick-off, flags from Swansea and the village of Scarva fluttering beside the Seine. It was predictably tight during the first half, the combative Stuart Dallas and Jamie Ward both having efforts saved by Wayne Hennessey in the Welsh goal.
Wales had most of the ball but lacked the fluidity of their 3-0 win against Russia. Aaron Ramsey had one strike ruled out for a clear offside while Sam Vokes might have done better with a header after the break.
Bale, well shackled by Jonny Evans, tested Michael McGovern with a trademark free-kick from distance and it was perhaps no surprise that he would play a key part in the outcome. But McAuley, a goalscoring hero against Ukraine, deserved better.
Man of the match: Gareth Bale (Wales)
Credit: UEFA.com
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