Gareth Bale has dragged Wales through thick and thin. He’s almost single-handedly taken them to two European Championships and the World Cup in Qatar. And he was always the shining light for this country. Until today.Warriors of Iran did not give up and got their reward! Fully deserved late win over the anemic WelshIn the 2-0 defeat to Iran, the former Real Madrid man was the player with the fewest touches of the ball. He had just one attempt at goal and was nowhere near his best. And when Bale doesn’t play – neither do the Welsh Dragons.”We fought till the end, but it’s difficult when you go down to 10 men in the World Cup against good teams. We have to keep going, and we have to pick ourselves up straight away. It will be difficult now, but we must try to beat England – it’s as simple as that.”##NAJAVA_MECA_6843421##The 33-year-old veteran moved to Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC in June but has only started two games in the United States. And even though he scored a penalty to salvage a point in the first match against the USA, he didn’t look the larger-than-life figure the Wales fans have gotten used to watching.Bale’s former teammate, now a TV pundit, James Collins, said that Wales could no longer afford to put all the burden on the former Tottenham winger.”We can’t keep relying on Bale to dig us out of trouble by doing something magic or scoring a golazo. He knows he has not performed to the levels we’re used to, and we expect more.”Three years ago today: 🏴On Monday, Gareth Bale’s top priority plays its first World Cup match since 1958 🌍 pic.twitter.com/1zkfbYrBQX— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 19, 2022 National team coach Rob Page urged his players not to feel sorry for themselves and give a better performance in their final group stage game against neighbours England.”We can’t sit and cry about it. We want to give our supporters something to cheer about. They have shown massive commitment to come over to Qatar, and it really disappoints me that we’ve given them that. We’ll bounce back. We’ll pick them up and go again.”“WHERE IS BALE?!” 😳🤣This Iranian fan looks for Gareth Bale after his side beat Wales 2-0! 🇮🇷#FIFAWorldCup #TSWorldCup pic.twitter.com/zFFtMGfPfb— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 25, 2022 The match against England could well be Bale’s last match at any World Cup. Knowing his dedication to the national team and the tension that exists between Welsh and English fans, he will reach deep into his bag of tricks and try to pull out something special. One last time.
