Bale converted late penalty for WalesSecured 1-1 draw against USMNTWales boss Page had full faith in him
WHAT HAPPENED? Trailing 1-0 against USMNT with less than 10 minutes to go, Wales were given a penalty when Bale was chopped down in the box. The Los Angeles FC star stepped up to fire the spot kick beyond goalkeeper Matt Turner to snatch a 1-1 draw in the group stage match.
WHAT THEY SAID: Bale says he did not consider giving the ball to a team-mate before stepping up, as he told ITV: “Yeah, [it was] always [going to be] me. No doubts in my head. I feel like I have to step up and I’m happy to do so.”
Wales boss Rob Page was full of praise for his nation’s talisman, saying: “Once again it’s all about Bale.” Adding when he was asked if Bale was always going to be the man to take the spot kick: “A million percent. He’s never let us down… We showed character and determination to come back. It was important not to lose the first game. Credit to the lads for the shift they put in.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The result leaves Group B finely poised after England thumped Iran 6-2 earlier on Monday.
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DID YOU KNOW? Bale is Wales’ top scorer of all time and 85 percent of his international goals have come in competitive matches – 35 out of a total of 41 goals. Furthermore, he is the fourth player to score a World Cup goal for Wales, following John Charles, Ivor Allchurch and Terry Medwin, who all did so in 1958.
WHAT NEXT FOR WALES? Bale will be hoping his side can build on Monday’s result when they take on Iran in their second game on November 25.
