Wales and Bale had to dig deep to earn a crucial point in their world cup opener against the USA. The Americans dominated the first half from the first whistle. In the first half, Berhalter, the manager of the USA, had the better of his counterpart. The attacking US trio of Pulisic, Weah, and Sergent, pressed the Wales backline to the core. As a result, Wales surrendered possession and played on the break. The young and energetic midfield three of Adams, McKennie, and Musah outran and dominated the Wales midfield. Robinson turned out to be  Berhalter's ace of spades. The young fullback adopted a high starting role and suffocated Wales' left-hand side for the entire game. With his speed and trickery, Robinson made a mockery of Wales' defense but still lacked the final product.

For the entirety of the first half, the US looked the more likely to break the deadlock. And their hunger and desire to win the second balls and the '50-'50s bore fruit. Timothy Weah, with the sharpest of finishes, gave the US the lead. Kudos to Pulicis' sheer determination.

The second half was a different story altogether. The Wales manager tweaked his tactics and introduced Moore in place of James. The Fulham winger was a mere spectator in the first half and did not affect the game in any way. Substituting Moore for James was the move that saw Wales dominate the second half. The Bournemouth striker played as a target man and was influential in Wales's good moments. Wales's press and organization were superb in the second half. As a result, ironically, the US was now gasping for air and pegged back.

The lack of depth played a significant part in the USA's second-half calamity. Gareth Bale, the man for big occasions, again stepped up and earned a crucial penalty at the 80th- minute mark. With the whole world watching, Bale slotted the penalty home with the calmness of an assassin.

The 1-1 scoreline is a fair reflection of a match of two halves. As things stand, England and Ecuador are the forerunners in groups A and B.