Bale counters goal from George Weah’s son
President’s son scores for USA, Bale prevents Wales’ false start – the highlights in the video
The USA and Wales ensure the first draw of the World Cup. Timothy Weah, son of Liberia’s president and former world soccer player George Weah, puts the USA ahead. Bale saves the Welsh in the closing stages. The highlights in the video.
The World Cup has its first draw. Wales vs USA is undefeated as Gareth Bale hammers a penalty into the top corner to level. With his historic goal, he countered the goal of a world footballer’s son.
Mith a late penalty goal, captain Gareth Bale got Wales in the party mood in their first World Cup appearance in 64 years. The star striker helped his national team to a 1-1 (0-1) draw against the USA. The long-superior Americans took a 36th-minute lead at Al-Rajjan’s Ahmad bin Ali Stadium through Timothy Weah, son of former Liberian world footballer George Weah. Bale equalized from the point in the 82nd minute.
43,418 spectators watched an intense but not top-class game in Group B of the World Cup in Qatar. With a moved expression, Bale listened to his country’s national anthem before the kick-off, loudly sung by the fans in red. The Welsh were in the 2016 European Championship semi-finals, but last played a World Cup tournament in 1958 when they failed in the quarter-finals at eventual title winners Brazil. The 33-year-old striker and former Real Madrid professional knew his opponents only too well: he recently won the US championship with his new club Los Angeles FC.
As a rather lonely attacker, Bale saw his back line get into trouble. Keeper Wayne Hennessy first had to fend off a header from his own frontman Joe Rodon, then ex-Bremen Josh Sargent hit the outside of the post. The Norwich City professional stormed together with Weah and ex-Dortmunder Christian Pulisic from Chelsea.
Timothy Weah (right) puts the USA in the lead
Source: AFP/JEWEL SAMAD
The team of US coach Gregg Beerhalter, once captain at Energie Cottbus and 1860 Munich, was more energetic in its search for the way forward. Ex-Schalke player Weston McKennie not only attracted attention because of the American national colors in his hair, but also because of his hard approach.
Again there is ten minutes of stoppage time
Welsh coach Rob Page called up six defensive players – Bale and Co. hardly played anything on offense in the first half. On the other side, the ever more revving up Pulisic put Weah in position with a wonderful through ball: The 22-year-old son of the former world footballer George Weah shot the ball past Hennessy to take the lead.
The US selection, this time led by former Leipzig player Tyler Adams as captain, missed the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On their return to the international stage with 25 World Cup debuts, the Americans simply looked more agile and lively than their opponents, but rarely found gaps in Wales’ five-man chain. Giovanni Reyna from Borussia Dortmund hoped in vain to get a chance as a substitute.
The Bale team then increasingly shifted the game into the opposing half: After Ben Davies and Kieffer Moore’s headers after a good hour, the Wales supporters behind the US goal had already raised their arms to celebrate, but the ball only went in when Bale converted the penalty he was guilty of. As seems to be the norm at this World Cup, there was an extremely long stoppage time of ten minutes in this game as well.
