BALE (WHO ELSE?) THE HERO AGAIN!
GARETH BALE was the hero for Wales again as his late penalty earned them a draw on their World Cup return.
Bale won and then converted the spotkick that gave Rob Page’s side a point in their first World Cup game for 64 years.
Page said: “Once again it’s all about Gareth Bale.” And Bale added: “We have to dig deep for our country.”
MICHAEL SHEEN was right when he said a red storm was coming to the gates of Qatar.
After a 64-year wait, last night was the realisation of a long-held dream for Wales fans as a generation finally watched their nation in World Cup finals action.
In his rousing speech to Rob Page’s squad, Welsh actor Sheen gave the players all the motivation they needed ahead of this historic campaign.
“They’ve always said we’re too small, we’re too slow, we’re too weak, too full of fear,” bellowed Sheen.
“But Yma o Hyd (Still Here, the title of a famous Welsh folk song), you sons of Speed, and they fall around us.”
And in the Ahmad Bin
Ali Stadium, Wales supporters created the red storm Sheen envisioned in his impassioned address, decades of frustration and failure finally released, as they took their rightful place on football’s biggest stage.
For 80 minutes, it looked as though Sheen’s speech and the fervent support of the travelling Welsh fans was in vain, as they trailed to a hungrier, sharper US side.
But star player Gareth Bale came to his country’s rescue, winning and converting the penalty to bring Wales level eight minutes from time.
On the Metro to the stadium, Wales fans took over carriages with stirring renditions of their national anthem, as well as a lusty version of Delilah, outnumbering and, once inside the newly-built arena, out-singing their US counterparts.
The red wall, built on the success of Chris Coleman’s side’s momentous run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, lacked its formidable strength at Euro 2020, when Wales were forced to play in the Azerbaijan capital Baku, which limited the number of fans who could travel.
But Wales supporters made up for that missed opportunity by descending en masse to Doha, their full 3,000-strong ticket allocation taken, their support emboldened by a fervent national pride and the indomitable spirit of their squad, which has enabled it to punch above its weight so impressively in recent years.
Page (below) and his players needed that support in a testing opening period, in which they chased the ball and were pegged back in their own half, as the US controlled possession and dictated the tempo of the game. When the US deservedly went ahead in the 36th minute, through a superbly-taken goal by Timothy Weah, there seemed no way back for Wales, whose best hope was to score from the rare setpieces they managed to conjure.
The emergence of 6ft 5in striker Kieffer Moore for the second half gave Wales more balance and their fans finally something to cheer about, his physical presence and clever movement causing the US problems for the first time.
Although Wales lacked the energy, enterprise and ebullience of their younger opponents, there is always a chance with Bale on the pitch, the forward drawing a foul from US defender Walker Zimmerman and making no mistake from the spot.
Bale’s penalty sent the Wales fans behind the goal into delirium (top), their loyal support rewarded by a point secured by sheer force of collective will as much as anything else.