On their return to the World Cup stage after 64 years, veteran Gareth Bale saved the Welsh a point against a long-superior USA team.
Wales returned to the big football stage with a 1-1 draw against the favored Americans. 64 years after his country’s only appearance at the World Cup so far, captain Gareth Bale converted a penalty kick on Monday evening (November 21, 2022) at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan to win a point against the Americans who had been dominant for a long time. The first World Cup goal for the 33-year-old star, who now plays for US champions Los Angeles FC – hard to believe! In Group B, the USA and Wales rank behind England. The co-favorite had previously dealt with Iran 6-2.
On Friday (November 25, 2022) the supposed group favorites England and USA (8 p.m. CET) will duel, Wales will meet Iran (11 a.m. CET).
Ex-Bremer Sargent in the US starting XI
Somewhat surprisingly, US coach Gregg Berhalter included former Bremen player Josh Sargent in his starting lineup, which averaged just 25.3 years of age. The professional who plays in England stormed alongside former Dortmund player Christian Pulisic. In Joe Scally (Mönchengladbach), Giovanni Reyna (Dortmund) and Jordan (Union Berlin), the three current Bundesliga players in the squad initially had to make do with a bench seat.
Double chance for USA – Sargent hits the post
In the first World Cup duel between the two nations, Sargent could have gilded a double chance for the Americans with a 1-0 early on. But the Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, in his 107th international match, was initially perplexed when his team-mate Joe Rodon headed a ball hard on his chest from a Timothy Weah cross. Immediately afterwards, he closed the short corner when Sargent rushed into a cross from the left, but only hit the outside of the post (10′).
Weah cracks the Welsh defensive bar
For a long time, the Americans had a lot more of the game than the 2016 European Championship semi-finalists, who had aligned their 3-4-3 system to “safety first”. This is how Bale & Co. made it through the US team’s storm and urge phase for a good half hour. But then his three fast forwards played cat and mouse with the Welsh. Sargent got the ball in midfield, sent Pulisic, who tore a huge hole in Rodon’s defense with his attack and played a cream pass to Weah, who crossed into the center from the right. The son of former world footballer George Weah, now President of Liberia, shot the ball past Hennessey with his outside instep (36′). The 1-0 at the break was well deserved.
Davies misses a chance to equalize
However, the US team’s intense play in the first half left its mark. After the break, the Americans retreated a little further and Wales took more risks. Ben Davies had the best chance to equalize in the 64th minute. When the USA failed to clear a free-kick situation, Tottenham Hotspur’s left-back dived into a ball in the middle of the goal, which USA keeper Matt Turner deflected over the crossbar in dire need. Shortly before, the Qatari referee team had denied Pulisic a penalty – rightly so, because Connor Roberts had hit the ball with the toe of his shoe first when he tackled it (62′).
Bale converts penalties to 1: 1
At the other end, Abdulrahman Al Jassim had no hesitation in pointing the spot as Walker Zimmermann jumped impetuously into Bales’ legs. The veteran star of the “Red Dragons” stepped up himself and chased the ball into the net to make it 1-1 (82′). The draw was happy for the Welsh side in the end, but their fans didn’t care – they celebrated with passion the first point at a World Cup since 1958.