All Walker Zimmerman and USMNT can do now is shrug off painful penalty

AL RAYYAN, Qatar — This probably wasn’t how Walker Zimmerman envisioned his World Cup debut going.

But a hard tackle by starting center back Zimmerman on Welsh star Gareth Bale in the penalty box in the 82nd minute ultimately doomed the Americans.

The referee blew his whistle and Bale, the Welsh captain who has been waiting his whole life for this very moment, drilled a penalty shot past goalkeeper Matt Turner in front of thousands of hopeful Welsh fans to tie the score 1-1.

In the 36th minute, star forward Christian Pulisic made a run through the midfield and sent a stellar through ball to Tim Weah, who finished off the play with a goal in his first World Cup match.

"The ball gets down to the end line, I see it get cut back and at that point, I’m dropping down and on the way to step out and clear the ball, I don’t see Bale coming across," Zimmerman explained.

"I think it was one of those where he probably just puts his leg, not for the ball, but to try to get in the way of me hitting the ball.

So I kind of went through him and I think I still got the ball, but it was a clever move.

"I wish I would have seen him out of the corner of my eye when trying to clear the ball, but it was instinctive.

"I mean, in an ideal world you’re slightly more open and angled, and you see him out of the corner of your eye and you probably don’t go to ground for the ball and try to sit your feet, obviously," Zimmerman said.

"But in the moment, you’re seeing the ball come across, you don’t see anyone there, and you’re going to clear it. .