The USA may have let Wales off the hook, but there was no questioning England’s form. Recapping the latest and looking ahead at the World Cup.
World Cup’s first multi-game day was a doozy from start to finish. England handled business against Iran, Netherlands pulled away late against Senegal, and the United States settled for a hard-fought draw with Wales.
The action doesn’t stop there — Tuesday’s matches will see global superstar Lionel Messi start his quest to lead Argentina to a coveted third title, and Mexico looking to stifle Robert Lewandowski and an intriguing Poland side.
Be sure to check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring the latest from Qatar. Here’s what you may have missed from Monday’s World Cup happenings.
– World Cup news, features, previews, and more
– Stream FC Daily and Futbol Americas on ESPN+
The United States were minutes from holding to a win over Wales, but a late penalty by Gareth Bale ensured the game finished thrilling 1-1 draw (yes, they exist) in Monday’s Group B clash.
Tim Weah, who scored the United States‘ goal in the first half, was both dynamic in the attack and in defense. Just when it looked like the US might survive, Wales was handed a lifeline when Walker Zimmerman’s clumsy challenge on Bale was rightly whistled as a penalty. Bale slammed home the ensuing spot kick, giving Wales a priceless point, one that looked unlikely for much of the evening.
As ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle writes, the 1-1 draw is a result that will stick in the U.S. team’s craw. It was minutes away from claiming all three points, and putting it in a position in which it could control its own destiny in Group B ahead of a big game against England.
Speaking of the Three Lions, they kicked off their 2022 World Cup campaign in style as they beat Iran in a 6-2 thrashing thanks to a brace from Bukayo Saka and efforts from Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish.
Take your pick of who impressed the most for Gareth Southgate’s squad but according to ESPN’s James Olley, it was Bellingham who stood out the most. At just 19 years old, Bellingham has been able to add dynamism and ingenuity in an area of the pitch England have lacked for years. He still has a ways to go in terms of developing but this was a hugely promising start — and no doubt caught the eye of the top clubs eyeing up a move for the Borussia Dortmund star, including Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
And while the England players were making a football statement, the Iranian squad made a political one when the starters decided not to sing the country’s national anthem prior to kick off in a perceived show of support for protesters in Iran. Amid boos from the fans in the stands, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said after the game that fans should „stay at home“ if they cannot support the players‘ decision.
Gab Marcotti says England can only take positives after an impressive attacking display in their 6-2 win vs. Iran.
FIFA wants the World Cup to be about many things, but love is apparently not one of them. FIFA has told Belgium that they must remove the word „love“ from their jerseys, even though the word is on the inside and not visible on the players. Sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens that FIFA was not even willing to negotiate and the word must be removed ahead of Belgium’s match on Wednesday against Canada.
In similar anti-love news, in a separate matter England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands have abandoned plans to wear OneLove anti-discrimination armbands under pressure from FIFA. A joint statement from the nations read: „FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play. As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.“ The armbands are a symbol of diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination.
The World Cup in Qatar has clearly been off to a rocky start, and there’s one more lowlight from Monday: Thousands of U.
