Bale spot on to get Wales off the ground
Captain fantastic comes to his country’s rescue
It had always been a leap of faith to assume that Gareth Bale, a player who had started two football matches these past six months, could power Wales to glory at this tournament, fuelled by emotional energy and patriotism alone.
For 80 long minutes last night, football didn’t work that way. the set-pieces didn’t present themselves. a cold and chastening reality came into play. and then, after a half-time strategic change that helped his side back into the match, an enormous moment presented itself.
Perhaps, Bale may reflect one day that it was the most enormous he has known in this sport. he stood astride the football to take the penalty his resurgent side had won, drove into his run-up and smashed home the kick, which leaves Wales to fight another day.
He ran in delirium along the advertising hoarding, imploring the red wall of fans to urge the team on and his name rang out through the stadium. But while he will take the headlines today, it was a more visceral and less cultivated player who Wales should thank for this lifeline.
Kieffer Moore had been kept back for 45 torturous minutes but when he ran on in his turquoise boots after half-time, Wales found a threat which brought the game back within their reach.
So is the group, now. Wales started last summer’s Euros with a 1-1 draw after an unconvincing start, another game they rescued. Now they need to beat Iran, as they did turkey last summer. they will have hope.
The nation had been waiting 64 years for the occasion and the significance of the moment was lost on no one. From dolgellau to doha, the bucket hats which the nation’s legendary Red Wall have made their signature item were worn. On the metro out here from the centre it was Jonny Williams, the League two midfielder of Swindon town, they sang about.
Page had spoken of a philosophy forged in his own Rhondda Valley. there is a collectivism. Bale, aaron Ramsey and Williams stood together and surveyed the stage which Gary Speed spoke of 12 years ago and which they’ve reached in the twilight of their careers.
Page left out Moore, having declared that he needed pace at the top of the team: ‘I want us to create space to hurt the opposition.’ he said. ‘to do that, I need quick players up top.’
But that required class and vision in the central areas and for 45 tense and frankly desperate minutes there was none of that. Ramsey was limited to a handful of touches, harry Wilson looked mesmerised and utterly lost.
This was why Page has thrown the kitchen sink at having Joe allen available to provide a cognitive central core to his team.
With no capacity to break USa’s defensive lines, Bale and Daniel James — the speed merchant — became the invisible men, with 16 touches between them just past the half-hour mark.
It would have helped if Wales could find some precision in their passing but the malaise — just not what Page had anticipated after all the talk of what this means to the nation — seemed to run through the team.
It was Christian Pulisic who delivered the exhibition of class, driving USa forward through the holes in Wales’ midfield. the threeman defence was dragged out of position. there was a scare just 10 minutes in when timothy Weah delivered a dangerous cross that Joe Rodon, on the six-yard box, diverted towards his own net. Wayne hennessey required sharp reactions to scramble it away. In the follow-up, Pulisic crossed for Josh Sargent, who angled his header against the post.
USA had enjoyed 70 per cent of possession when the goal came. Pulisic drove through the middle and bisected the troubled rearguard with a pass which Weah ran on to and clipped past hennessey.
It was nothing less than obligatory to introduce Moore after halftime and the impact, with Ramsey and Bale operating either side of him, called the decision not to start him seriously into question.
He brought anxiety to the USA defence and within minutes Matt turner, leaping with Moore and Bale, was failing to collect a cross.
Neco Williams began entering the game as a genuine threat down the right flank. Ben davies leapt
To power a header that turner pushed over before Moore himself arrived to glance a header on to the roof of the net.
The re-order of Wales put Ramsey into threatening positions and it was he who drove into the right side of the box with 10 minutes to play and laid the ball into Bale which brought a clumsy challenge from behind by tim Ream and presented Bale with his moment.
Wales threatened again when substitute Brennan Johnson burst through and shot at turner.
But the night belonged to the King of Wales once more.