The United States men’s football team played 1-1 with Wales in the opening game of the 2022 World Cup. Gregg Berhalter’s boys showed two faces today, and a completely different quality of play, being a far superior team in the opening 45 minutes but sinking later on.
Timothy Weah scored the goal for the American side, while LAFC’s Gareth Bale leveled the result in the finish from the penalty spot. But to start from the beginning.
The US team was excellent since the kick-off pressuring the rivals who couldn’t get the ball out of their half. In the meantime, the Yanks slowly developed their actions, squeezing the opponents focused solely on defense, not even trying to get closer to Matt Turner’s net.
PULISIC TO WEAH TO PUT THE USMNT UP 1-0!!!!! pic.twitter.com/0nGsFRjqIz
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 21, 2022
The US team could have gotten the lead in the 10th minute following a deflection in Wales’ box, which, fortunately for the Dragons, ended up hitting their goalkeeper. Still, after 36 minutes of play, Weah ran into open space, getting the ball from one of his teammates and routinely placing it into the net for delirium at the stadium.
Berhalter’s boys continued to push at the same pace, but there was no chance of the result until halftime.
But then came the downfall of the American team. It seemed that a completely different team came out after the halftime break. Wales was more than dominant, seizing control right away, and the Yanks couldn’t respond. We aren’t quite sure what happened, whether it was due to a lack of energy or something else, but the Dragons took over the command.
They began pressuring the American unit immediately in front of their own box, which led to a collapse in the organization. It was the 82nd minute when Zimmerman took down Bale inside the box, and the referee had no doubt about the decision. LAFC’s superstar took the ball and smashed it into Turner’s net, despite the US goalkeeper’s solid reaction.
Gareth Bale.https://t.co/ZYtUmpFn9D
— Sudanalytics (@sudanalytics_) November 21, 2022
We can say that one point from this event suits everyone but that the Americans have more to regret for. They had the chance to knock out the rivals, and for some reason, they allowed Wales to change the swing and shift the momentum.
Up next for the Yanks comes the big derby, with them facing England, who was more than confident today against Iran. The Three Lions beat the rivals 6-2, displaying a magnificent performance.
Saka netted a brace for the English unit, and Bellingham, Rashford, Grealish, and Sterling all added one goal. On the other side, Mehdi Taremi scored two goals, somewhat saving Iran’s honor.
The contest between England and the USA will be one of the central games of the entire round, and everyone expects to see a massive battle. Meanwhile, Wales meets with wounded Iran, and the Dragons have a superb opportunity to take all three points and move one step closer to the knockout stage.
The third game of the day was from Group A, where the Netherlands managed to beat Senegal 2-0, following a big battle and two goals in the second half. They and Ecuador share the top two spots in that assembly, while Senegal and Qatar sit third and fourth.
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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