USA 1-1 Wales LIVE! Bale rescues point - World Cup 2022 result, match stream and latest updates today

Gareth Bale converted a penalty kick in the 82nd minute to offset Tim Weah’s first-half goal and give Wales a 1-1 draw Monday in the return to the World Cup for both nations.

Weah, a son of former FIFA Player of the Year and current Liberian President George Weah, scored after a pass from Christian Pulisic in the 36th minute.

Back in the World Cup after missing the 2018 tournament, the United States appeared headed to victory. But Walker Zimmerman plowed down Bale from behind with the Welsh star’s back to the goal, and referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim of host Qatar pointed to the penalty spot.

Bale put his kick to the left of goalkeeper Matt Turner’s outstretched arm for his 41st goal in 109 international appearances, salvaging a point for Wales in its first World Cup match since 1958.

Next up for the United States is a high-profile matchup against England on Friday, the same day Wales faces Iran. England opened with a 6-2 rout of the Iranians earlier Monday.

Tim Weah, just 22, was part of a new-look American team that is the second-youngest in the tournament.

Pulisic, the top American player and one of the few holdovers from the 2017 qualifying failure, burst up the middle of the field in a move that led to the goal. Weah timed his run perfectly as Pulisic passed ahead, breaking in ahead of Neco Williams.

From near the penalty area, Weah used the side of his right foot to poke the ball over the left thigh of sliding goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey for his fourth goal in 26 international appearances.

Weah ran toward the American fans with arms extended and slid on both knees. He was mobbed by teammates, then raised both hands skyward and blew a kiss to the heavens.

George Weah, who never played in a World Cup, planned to be at the game.

Thousands of supporters in the Red Wall filled one end of the lower bowl and sang throughout.

In the 750th international match in United States history, the Americans started a record 10 players from European clubs, with only Zimmerman from Major League Soccer. DeAndre Yedlin, who entered in the 74th minute, was the only American player with previous World Cup experience.

Josh Sargent nearly put the Americans ahead in the 10th minute when he hit the post with a header from Antonee Robinson’s cross.

Ben Davies’ header in the 64th minute was pushed over the crossbar by a leaping Turner.

The match was played in the Arabian desert west of Doha at rebuilt Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, lit in brilliant colors and featuring an exterior facade meant to replicate undulating sand dunes.

The U.S. Soccer Federation sold about 3,300 tickets, and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was on hand in the crowd of 43,418.

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United States 1 - 1 Wales

Wales player ratings vs USA: Kieffer Moore an instant focal point as Gareth Bale steps up again

21:15 , Jonathan Gorrie

Gareth Bale earned Wales a point with a late penalty against the USA.

After a poor first-half, Rob Page’s side grew into a game largely dominanted by their opponents in the opening 45 minutes.

The result leaves both sides of a point and vying for second spot in Group B after England’s win over Iran.

Here’s how Rob Page’s side rated in Al Rayyan...

Full match report

21:14 , Jonathan Gorrie

On the night when Gareth Bale’s long wait to play in a World Cup finally came to an end, for a while, he and Wales looked set to be upstaged by the son of one of the greats who never got to.

But after Timothy Weah, whose father is the legendary Ballon d’Or winner George, had put the US ahead during a dominant first-half, Bale, inevitably, rode to Wales’ rescue, his late penalty earning a 1-1 draw that sets up Group B nicely - and suits England down to the ground.

Read Malik Ouzia’s full match report here!

FT: USA 1-1 Wales

21:02 , Jonathan Gorrie

A HUGE point for Wales after such a poor first-half.

USA looking nervous now

20:50 , Jonathan Gorrie

89:00 - Expecting a fair amount of added time, too.

Malik Ouzia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

20:44 , Jonathan Gorrie

Stick or twist now for Wales? Their approach tonight suggested Robert Page was looking for a point and a steady start. But against a young US side, there’s an opportunity here for the taking now.

GOAL! USA 1-1 Wales | Gareth Bale ‘80

20:42 , Jonathan Gorrie

80:00 - Bale SCORES and the Red Wall erupts!

PENALTY TO WALES

20:40 , Jonathan Gorrie

BALE WINS A PENALTY AFTER REAM BRINGS HIM DOWN!

Enter Brennan Johnson

20:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

74:00 - Page rolling the dice now, looking for that burst of speed.

Game slowing down

20:33 , Jonathan Gorrie

71:00 - Wales’ tempo has dropped of late, with US looking to win fouls and break the game up.

Malik Ouzia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

20:26 , Jonathan Gorrie

It’s a different game now. Wales on the front foot and America’s youngsters have gone into hiding a bit. Brenden Aaronson is on to try and wrestle back a bit of control.

ANOTHER CHANCE FOR WALES

20:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

64:00 - From the resulting corner, Moore glances a header just over.

CHANCE FOR WALES!

20:24 , Jonathan Gorrie

63:00 - Davies heads straight at Turner, who saves well. Either side of the Arsenal stopper and Wales are back in it.

So much from Wales

20:20 , Jonathan Gorrie

59:00 - Roberts and Williams at wing-back are able to push up much higher now, allowing Bale and Moore to start winning knock-downs.

The game has changed.

Malik Ouzia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

20:16 , Jonathan Gorrie

Moore’s introduction has made a difference already. All of a sudden Tim Ream is having to go and get tight to someone and is being dragged around. He’s miles out of position and has to foul Bale.

Wales moving up the pitch

20:10 , Jonathan Gorrie

48:00 - Moore has given them a much-needed focal point, with Wales earning a corner.

Wilson’s cross isn’t dealt with by Turner, though the US win a foul in the scramble.

Back underway!

20:07 , Jonathan Gorrie

46:00 - Kieffer Moore ON for Wales.

Surely there’s more to come in the second-half?

Fury as Wales fans have LGBTQ+ rainbow bucket hats ‘confiscated’ in Qatar

20:05 , Jonathan Gorrie

Female Wales supporters wearing rainbow bucket hats had them confiscated in Qatar ahead of the World Cup clash with the USA, according to fans.

Wales’ Rainbow Wall, a group of LGBTQ+ supporters, said male supporters wearing the hats were allowed to keep them but the items were taken from women.

Read the full story here!

A Wales change in the offing?

19:58 , Jonathan Gorrie

Kieffer Moore staying out to warm-up at half-time.

The moment

19:56 , Jonathan Gorrie

HT: USA 1-0 Wales

19:52 , Jonathan Gorrie

Weah’s goal the difference so far, with Wales looking well off the pace in the first-half.

Half chance for Wales

19:46 , Jonathan Gorrie

44:00 - Slight signs of life from Wales, with Ramsey winning a corner. From the resulting cross, Davies heads just wide.

Long way back for Wales now

19:41 , Jonathan Gorrie

40:00 - They just do not look at the races today, with every pass looking laboured.

The US have all the momentum.

GOAL! USA 1-0 Wales | Timothy Weah ‘36

19:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

36:00 - Pulisic slips Weah in-behind as Wales open up for the first time.

A brilliant finish from Weah.

Lack of a striker hurting the US

19:32 , Jonathan Gorrie

31:00 - The US are dominating the ball and look strong between both boxes, though struggle to make much headway when in Wales’ defensive third.

Could Ramsey’s lack of game time be catching up?

19:29 , Jonathan Gorrie

27:00 - The midfielder, so important to Wales over the years, looks tired already. Not much convincing about his performance so far.

Malik Ouzia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

19:24 , Jonathan Gorrie

Wales are too slow to move it through the lines at the moment. Harry Wilson’s been ignored calling for it to feet in space a couple of times and once the US have chance to get back in shape, Ethan Ampadu looks a lonely figure in midfield, too easy to screen against.

Better spell from Wales

19:23 , Jonathan Gorrie

20:00 - Hardly exciting at the moment but Wales appear to have settled. This, at least, is a platform.

Lacking a focal point

19:19 , Jonathan Gorrie

18:00 - Moore surely an option in the second-half. Bale feeding off scaps at the moment as the US pile forward, with Weah causing all manner of problems down the left hand side.

Poor from Wales

19:17 , Jonathan Gorrie

15:00 - Ramsey and Bale guility of giving the ball away far too easily, allowing wave after wave of US attacks.

Malik Ouzia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

19:13 , Jonathan Gorrie

Between two teams made up entirely of World Cup debutants, it’s the US that have settled into the occasion far better. Wales yet to get a foothold.

HUGE SAVE!

19:10 , Jonathan Gorrie

09:00 - Hennessey forced into a HUGE save from Rodon’s header back after Weah’s cross. USA looking very lively.

Malik Ouzia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

19:09 , Jonathan Gorrie

Whether by design or because America’s wingers have forced it on them, Wales have started in a 5-3-2 here, with Williams and Roberts deep as wing-backs. It is James and Bale up front as a pair, with Wilson and Ramsey either side of Ampadu in midfield.

Early corner for the US

19:06 , Jonathan Gorrie

05:00 - Lots of pressure on Wales, with the US forcing a corner.

It comes to little but Wales cannot get out of their half.

Big ask of Wales’ midfield two

19:03 , Jonathan Gorrie

02:00 - Amapadu and Ramsey have an awful lot to do to screen an energetic US midfield, probably their strongest area.

Could be a very busy night.

Malik Ouzia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

19:02 , Jonathan Gorrie

Two superb anthems but Wales have won the battle there by a mile. That Red Wall is quite a sight to behold this evening.

Here we go

18:58 , Jonathan Gorrie

The anthems have played. The confetti is cleared. WE’RE CLOSE NOW!

Malik Ouzia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

18:50 , Jonathan Gorrie

Still plenty of empty seats around but what a difference having two decent contingents of vocal, passionate and authentic fans makes to an atmosphere. Crackling in here.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter ‘just doesn’t like’ Christian Pulisic, claims pundit

18:48 , Jonathan Gorrie

Chelsea manager Graham Potter “doesn’t like” Christian Pulisic, in the view of former United States international Eric Wynalda.

The forward spoke in glowing terms of Chelsea’s decision to replace Thomas Tuchel with Potter and looked excited for what he hoped was a fresh start.

Still, and while these are early days of course, Pulisic has started only once under the former Brighton manager’s watch.

Having grown unhappy at the club during Tuchel’s tenure, Pulisic was tempted to leave over the course of the summer after attracting interest from Manchester United.

Read the full story here!

Rob Page reveals Wales stance on OneLove armband

18:39 , Jonathan Gorrie

After FIFA threatened to book respective captains, European countries reversed their plans to wear the ‘OneLove’ armband.

Wales boss Rob Page has revealed Wales’ stance on the controversial subject.

“I’m not going to risk having Gareth Bale go out onto the pitch with a booking, it’s crazy. It’s not fair to ask the players to do that,” he said.

Roy Keane wants to see more from Christian Pulisic

18:32 , Jonathan Gorrie

Christian Pulisic looks the major threat for the USA at the World Cup and it feels like a big tournament for the Chelsea forward.

Speaking to ITV, pundit Roy Keane called for the American to find more consistency.

“It’ll be interesting to see how he [Pulisic] does at the tournament,” said Keane.

“He’s obviously got a good record of scoring goals internationally but he needs to find that consistency.”

Rob Page’s ‘sleepless nights’ ahead of Wales’ World Cup return

18:25 , Jonathan Gorrie

The Wales manager has revealed “sleepless nights” in the build-up to Wales’ first World Cup game in 64 years.

One of his biggest decisions came between Wayne Hennessey and Danny Ward, both of whom have impressed for their country.

The former gets the nod despite a lack of action at Nottingham Forest.

Malik Ouzia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

18:21 , Jonathan Gorrie

It’ll be interesting to see exactly where Harry Wilson lines up in this Welsh side.

He’s the surprise inclusion at the expense of Kieffer Moore and could either make an extra body in midfield behind Gareth Bale and Dan James or else flit around between them as a false-nine.

The Welsh fans are already making themselves heard over to my right with a chorus of Don’t Take Me Home. Wouldn’t take much for them to drink all the beer around here, to be fair.

Malik Ouzia’s pre-match preview

18:14 , Jonathan Gorrie

Malik Ouzia arrives at the ground

18:05 , Jonathan Gorrie

Confirmed USA lineup

17:59 , Jonathan Gorrie

Confirmed Wales lineup

17:56 , Jonathan Gorrie

Sixty-four years in the making

17:35 , Jonathan Gorrie

Eight years in the making

17:28 , Jonathan Gorrie

Gareth Bale: Playing in a World Cup is the biggest honour of my career

17:08 , Jonathan Gorrie

“It’s probably the biggest honour we could have for our country, qualifying for a World Cup, something we haven’t done in 64 years,” said Bale.

“It’s history in our country. Schools are going to stop to watch our games. Kids are going to miss school, fortunately for them.

“It’s a massive piece of history in our country and something we have all wanted for a long time.

“We have the support of the nation back home, no matter what happens, as long as we give 100% our country will love us for that.”

Arsenal sending support

17:05 , Jonathan Gorrie

Christian Pulisic looking to make a World Cup statement

17:00 , Jonathan Gorrie

”I think being American, it means something … and that’s why every time I put on that jersey, I hope that I can inspire people back home,” said the Chelsea forward.

Kieffer Moore sends message to England

16:54 , Jonathan Gorrie

The Wales striker is dreaming about knocking England out of the World Cup.

“It would be amazing,” said the Bournemouth forward, who was once capped by England C.

Bale finally gets deserved chance to perform on biggest stage

16:46 , Jonathan Gorrie

The best player of his generation never to play at a World Cup will shake off that unwanted mantle this evening, when Wales meet the USA in Al Rayyan.

For several generations of Welsh fans, the wait to watch their team on football’s biggest stage will finally end, too.

Gareth Bale made his international debut at 16, in May 2006, in a pre-tournament friendly against a Trinidad & Tobago side about to head off to a World Cup that would put the Caribbean nation’s tally of World Cup appearances on a par with Cuba, Haiti, Kuwait, Indonesia — and Wales, whose own qualifying campaign had been another disaster. Between the 2002 and 2006 editions, Wales won just three out of 20 matches, against Belarus, Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan.

A second World Cup, and first since 1958, had seldom seemed further away, but with Bale’s gradual evolution, from full-back to forward, Tottenham jinx to Real Galactico, came Wales’s at first steady and then, in France in 2016, accelerated rise as a genuine footballing force.

Read Malik Ouzia’s full analysis here!

Wales World Cup 2022 guide: Star player, fixtures, squad, one to watch, odds to win

16:41 , Jonathan Gorrie

Back at a World Cup for the first time since 1958, there is plenty of excitement in Wales going into Qatar.

They have enjoyed some memorable tournaments recently, particularly at Euro 2016 when they reached the semi-finals, and are dreaming of more history.

The stage feels set for Gareth Bale to be a hero.

Here’s all you need to know about Wales...

USA World Cup 2022 guide: Star player, fixtures, squad, one to watch, odds to win

16:37 , Jonathan Gorrie

After failing to qualify for the last World Cup, the United States will be keen to make an impact this time around in Qatar.

The USA will host the next tournament in 2026 with Canada and Mexico and, as a result, investment and interest in the sport is growing.

Coach Gregg Berhalter is under pressure to succeed.

Here’s everything you need to know about the United States…

Prediction: 1-1 draw

16:32 , Jonathan Gorrie

The United States are one of the teams heading into the tournament without a huge amount of positive energy, something which the Welsh team can tend to almost exclusively trade on.

Still, a nervy and edgy affair is most likely to start both teams’ campaign.

A 1-1 draw.

Wales team news: Joe Allen ruled out

16:31 , Jonathan Gorrie

Joe Allen has been ruled out of the game with a hamstring injury. Allen was a major doubt having not played since September and the midfielder has lost his battle to be fit to face the US.

Wales will look to provide energy and pace around the focal figure of Gareth Bale.

USA team news: McKennie and Dest fit

16:31 , Jonathan Gorrie

The US will rely heavily on Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna to create from the wide positions but come to Qatar without a recognised, top-level striker.

FC Dallas forward Jesus Ferreira could be entrusted to lead the line in a 4-3-3 setup.

Where to watch USA vs Wales

16:30 , Jonathan Gorrie

TV channel: In the UK, the match will be televised free-to-air and live on ITV1, with coverage beginning at 6pm. S4C will be showing Welsh language coverage of every Wales match during the tournament.

Live stream: The ITV Hub will show the match live online.

Live blog: You can follow all the action via Standard Sport’s live blog.

Welcome

16:18 , Jonathan Gorrie

Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Wales’ first World Cup game since 1958.

First up for Rob Page’s men is a meeting with the USA in Group B. Given the manner of Iran’s loss to England earlier today, that second spot looks wide open if the Three Lions can’t be caught.

Kick-off inside the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium is at 7pm GMT.