USA and Wales play to the best game of the 2022 World Cup so far

Gareth Bale (Llywodraeth Cymru, Wikimedia Commons)

The second day of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place in Qatar on Monday. The most fascinating game was the last contest of the day in Al Rayyan. That is when the United States, ranked 16th in the world, played Wales, ranked 19th in the world, to an intriguing 1-1 deadlock.

The United States’ lone goal came from Timothy Weah in the 36th minute. The 22-year-old winger from Brooklyn who ironically wears 22 for Lille in France’s Ligue 1, scored the only goal in the first half. The game was looking great for the Stars and Stripes until the final 10 minutes of the game. That is when Wales superstar Gareth Bale scored the game-tying goal in the 82nd minute on a penalty kick.

The United States and Wales are two points back of England in Group B. In the first game of the day, England got a full three points thanks to a 6-2 win over Iran. The English got two goals from Bukayo Saka, a 21-year-old from Ealing, who plays for Arsenal. England’s other goal scorers were Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, and Jack Grealish.

Offense was not the problem for England. However, the fact that England gave up two goals to Iran, a nation without rich football history, will be considered a significant disappointment.

Meanwhile, there was one other game in Group A play. The Netherlands came through with a 2-0 win over Senegal on goals from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen. This game looked like it might be a 0-0 result when the Dutch scored twice in the last six minutes.