#gareth-bale

#gareth-bale

Real Madrid will be hoping to record their 115th win against city rivals Atletico Madrid when they meet in the Copa del Rey on Thursday.Los Rojiblancos make the short crosstown trip to the Santiago Bernabeu looking to reach the last four in the backyard of their greatest rivals.Carlo Ancelotti was still in his first spell as Real Madrid boss the last time they won this competition, with the now-retired Gareth Bale scoring the memorable clincher.

4:21 PM ET



James OlleySenior Writer, ESPN FC



AL RAYYAN, Qatar -- England defeated Wales 3-0 at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday to top Group B, setting up a round of 16 tie next Sunday against Group A runners-up Senegal.Gareth Southgate's side scored twice in two minutes after a goalless first half as Marcus Rashford fired in a superb 50th-minute free-kick before Phil Foden slotted home from Harry Kane's pass.

12:00 PM ET



Chris WrightToe Poke writer



We are now one full week into the 2022 World Cup and heading into the final set of group-stage games.We've also had the chance to witness an astounding array of traditional costumes and fancy dress worn by fans of each national team, with some truly sensational outfits spotted at the tournament's eight stadiums.

Gareth Bale acknowledged he seems to have a knack for scoring in finals after he became the first player to score in Champions League and MLS Cup finals when helping LAFC to win Major League Soccer's championship for the first time on Saturday.Bale headed in a dramatic equalizer in the 128th minute of thrilling final at Los Angeles' Banc of California Stadium before LAFC went on to defeat the Philadelphia Union 3-0 in a penalty shootout.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have said there is seriousness to the offer they broadcast on Twitter for footballer Gareth Bale to come out of retirement and play at the Hollywood stars' club Wrexham.Former Wales captain Bale was offered the opportunity to play for the Welsh club following their promotion to the English Football League in April.

Former Wales captain Bale was offered the opportunity to play for the Welsh club following their promotion to the English Football League in April.The five-time Champions League winner announced his retirement at the age of 33 in January after leading Wales to their first World Cup finals appearance since 1958.

Joe Allen believes Wales need the performance of their lives to beat England and make World Cup progress.Wales must beat England for the first time in 38 years on Tuesday to be in with a chance of making the knockout stage.Even then, unless England are beaten by a four-goal margin, Wales will need Iran and the United States to draw their final match to make the round of 16 in Qatar.

Wales feel the legacy left by Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and others at Euro 2016 has been integral to them qualifying for a first major youth tournament for over 40 years.Later this month Wales will join the likes of England, France and Germany at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals in Hungary.

Gareth Bale is set to achieve probably the biggest honour of his celebrated career when Wales end their 64-year wait to play at the World Cup on Monday.Wales will start their campaign against the United States at Doha's Ahmad bin Ali Stadium without the injured Joe Allen.But Bale, a five-time Champions League winner at former club Real Madrid, is set to grace the stage his ability has so richly deserved and that he has craved on a personal level for so long.

A group of Welsh football fans are making the 5,000-mile journey to the Qatar World Cup in an electric car.Former Cardiff City footballer Scott Young will be joined by Nick Smith, Huw Talfryn Walters and Walter Pennell, all from south Wales, on the cross-continent adventure dubbed Electric Car To Qatar.

Wrexham FC fans have said what Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have done for their club means everything as they celebrated promotion to the English Football League.There were jubilant scenes in the Welsh city on Tuesday as the team returned for an open top bus parade, which the Hollywood stars attended.

World Cup stars have been kept looking trim in Qatar thanks to a barber from Brighton.Rebin Rob, 28, has been cutting the hair of Brighton and Hove Albion players since 2015, with some of the club's current and former footballers in Qatar for the World Cup.Recommendations about his work have led to Mr Rob cutting the hair of many other players, including Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and the rest of the Wales squad.

England powered to their first World Cup 2022 win and Wales secured a valuable point as the home nations got their campaigns under way in Qatar.The Three Lions comfortably overcame Iran 6-2 to head straight to the top of group B before Wales battled back after a disappointing first half to draw 1-1 against the USA.

Fifa has given a platform to hatred after fears there would be sanctions on players wearing anti-discrimination armbands during the World Cup, LGBT groups have said.A joint statement from seven European nations who had signed up to the One Love campaign  which included England and Wales  confirmed the armbands will no longer be worn due to fear of a yellow card being issued.

He once celebrated in front of a banner that read 'Wales.Golf.Madrid.In that order'.But now he has called time on his professional football career, golf looks to be the undisputed number one for Gareth Bale - just ask world number three Jon Rahm.The 2021 US Open champion played alongside the former Wales and Real Madrid forward in the Pro-Am before this week's Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour.

12:00 PM ET



Mark OgdenSenior Writer, ESPN FC



Loris Karius has said there is no "bad blood" between him and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp as he attempts to relaunch his career in English football with Newcastle United -- more than four years after playing his last game for Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid.

1:11 PM ET



Jeff CarlisleU.S. soccer correspondent

CloseJeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.AL-RAYYAN, Qatar -- United States goalkeeper Matt Turner said the Americans will need to be wary of Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka when the US and England square off on Friday.Saka scored twice in the Three Lions' 6-2 victory over Iran on Monday and will be aiming to add to his tally as England looks to take full control of Group B.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) "I think it's pretty clear.

5:00 AM ET



Austin LindbergSenior Editor



LOS ANGELES -- How do you come back from heartbreak like that?The Philadelphia Union fought back from 1-0 down, then 2-1 down, to draw level with LAFC in Saturday's MLS Cup final.The visitors even scored a go-ahead goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the second half of extra time, only to concede in the game's dying breaths.

Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk has dropped several hints in recent months that he is keen on a move to the Emirates.The Ukraine star is a top target for the Gunners ahead of the January transfer window.A winger is high on the agenda for Mikel Arteta.Nicolas Pepe was allowed to leave on loan in the summer but a replacement was not sourced in the final few weeks of the window.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has condemned the removal of fans' rainbow bucket hats before their opening World Cup match against the United States, saying it was "extremely disappointed" by the reports.Supporter group The Red Wall created the hats in partnership with the FAW to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community during the tournament in Qatar.

United States manager Gregg Berhalter elected to start Matt Turner in goal and striker Josh Sargent up top for his team's opening Group B match against Wales at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Monday.Norwich City frontman Sargent was picked over FC Dallas' Jesus Ferreira and Haji Wright, who plays for Antalyaspor in Turkey, while Arsenal keeper Turner got the nod ahead of New York City FC's Sean Johnson and Luton Town's Ethan Horvath.

By Phil McNulty Chief football writer at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan


Last updated on .From the section World Cup  
Marcus Rashford inspired England to the victory required to top Group B and ensure it was despair for Wales as they went out of the tournament after a bitterly disappointing World Cup campaign.

Former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel would love Cody Gakpo to join his old club but believes Arsenal might represent a better option.The PSV Eindhoven striker has enhanced his burgeoning reputation at the World Cup with two goals in two games for Louis van Gaal's Holland side.Gakpo has long been on the radar of several Premier League clubs and came close to joining Manchester United in the summer before Erik ten Hag turned his attention to Brazil international Antony.

Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.Day-by-day TV listings  - Full coverage details  

A protester carrying a rainbow flag invaded the pitch during the World Cup game between Portugal and Uruguay.

Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.Day-by-day TV listings  - Full coverage details  

Wales and England have met 103 times since 1879 but Tuesday's game is the first time they have played each other at a World Cup finals.

Host nation: Qatar.Dates: 20 November-18 December.Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.Day-by-day TV listings  - full coverage details  

The country's star player Alphonso Davies leapt high into the Doha sky to meet Tajon Buchanan's perfect cross and power in a header to become the first man to score for the Maple Leafs at a World Cup.

With the opening night of the 2022 World Cup and everything that came along with it now in the rear view mirror, we can look toward the first full day of games to sit back and watch.And what do you know?That also involves the first Juventus player taking to one of the fields in Qatar.We will have to wait until the final game of the day, though, when Weston McKennie and the rest of the United States men's national team faces our old buddy Aaron Ramsey and Wales.

11:30 AM ET



Austin LindbergSenior Editor



LOS ANGELES -- It's been 19 years since the No. 1 seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences met in an MLS Cup, which LAFC and the Philadelphia Union will do on Saturday.MLS has changed an awful lot in that time.In 2003, there were only 10 teams in the league.

Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.Day-by-day TV listings  - Full coverage details  

Wales are in a weird position for the next couple of days because we are not definitely out of the World Cup yet, but we know we are really.

Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.Day-by-day TV listings  - Full coverage details  

Is it time to keep the faith - or time for change?Who will you pick in your Wales XI to face England on Tuesday?

The chorus of the song comes crashing down in an irresistible wave.You may not have any clue what the words mean, but that's OK.Neither do many of the people singing it.The name of the tune is Yma o Hyd.It was released in 1983 by Dafydd Iwan, a Welsh nationalist folk singer.Its title translates to Still Here.

The chorus of the song comes crashing down in an irresistible wave.You may not have any clue what the words mean, but that's OK.Neither do many of the people singing it.The name of the tune is Yma o Hyd.It was released in 1983 by Dafydd Iwan, a Welsh nationalist folk singer.Its title translates to Still Here.

The World Cup kicked off in Qatar, after years of waiting, and ESPN has you covered for the world's biggest sporting event.We've seen the opening ceremony, the pre-game speeches and the musical acts (yes, that was BTS out there!).We've seen the first goal disallowed by VAR at the World Cup (well done, Enner Valencia, for being the answer to that trivia question) and we've seen the first goals allowed at the World Cup too (again, congrats to Enner Valencia, whose two goals gave Ecuador a win over host nation Qatar.)

It had taken the finest of margins to separate Los Angeles F.C. and the Philadelphia Union on the final day of Major League Soccer's regular season, months and months of work all coming down to a tiebreaker to decide the league's best record.So, it was to be expected, then, that it would take the finest of margins to separate them again when the league's two best teams met, perhaps inevitably, in Saturday's M.L.S. Cup final.

The soundtrack of the U.S. national team's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup will always be Taylor Twellman 's epic rant inside an ESPN studio in Bristol, Conn."It is an utter embarrassment!" Twellman, a former national team player, screamed at a camera moments after the Americans lost to Trinidad and Tobago, missing the World Cup for the first time in nearly three decades.

How to watch: 8 a.m.Eastern.FS1, Telemundo, Peacock (free).Few in England were intimidated by the group stage draw; the abiding sentiment ran that Gareth Southgate's team should make short of at least two of its opponents, starting with Iran.The fact that Iran, like Wales and the United States, is ranked by FIFA as one of the best 20 teams in the world; likewise that it led by a canny  if deeply cautious  coach and garlanded by two players, in Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun, of genuine Champions League quality, has not yet registered.

Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.Day-by-day TV listings  - Full coverage details  

Harry Wilson says Wales will face an Iran side who are determined to deliver a response when they meet in World Cup Group B on Friday (10:00 GMT).

Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.Day-by-day TV listings  - Full coverage details  

Belgium will not wear their white away shirts with the word "love" on the collar in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar following a discussion with Fifa.

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer wears the captain's armband with the inscription "One Love" during a pre-World Cup friendly against Oman.DPA via Europa Press (DPA via Europa Press) FIFA has managed to prevent Harry Kane, Virgil van Dijk and Gareth Bale from wearing the rainbow bracelets of the OneLove campaign they had pledged to display against all kinds of discrimination in their opening World Cup matches in Qatar.

MPs have criticised both the FA and FIFA after England and Wales decided not to wear OneLove armbands at the World Cup 2022 in Qatar over the threat of sporting sanctions.Politicians and fans groups have also expressed contempt for FIFA after plans to wear the armbands were dropped under threat of yellow cards for captains Harry Kane and Gareth Bale.

Here are the results our AI robot Kashef predicted for the three games on Monday.Kashef, our artificial intelligence (AI) predictor, is to the 2022 World Cup what Paul the Octopus was to the 2010 edition.Kashef has been playing with historical data and performance to predict the results of each game, all the way to the final.

By Dan Roan BBC sports editor in Qatar


 Last updated on .From the section World Cup  

Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.Day-by-day TV listings  - Full coverage details  

England, Wales and other European nations are in talks over whether to proceed with their plans for their captains to wear a OneLove armband at the World Cup in Qatar.

The England captain, Harry Kane, and his Wales counterpart, Gareth Bale, are to defy Fifa by wearing OneLove rainbow armbands in their World Cup matches, after the governing body launched its own social campaign on the eve of the tournament.Fifa has asked that all captains wear a different armband on each match day, promoting social messages such as Football unites the world, Share the meal and Bring the moves.

By now, you might have seen SBNation's World Cup Rooting Quiz: a guide to help you decide which team to root for at the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup, which kicks off on November 20.Given this is a Bayern Munich site, you might think a few of us got Germany.You would be wrong.Let's take a look at where some of our staffers landed:
I have no idea how I got Denmark, but now I am definitely going to root for them.

It's a video Dilys Rana has watched again and again: Welsh actor Michael Sheen, asked by a TV show host to give a mock pregame speech for the Wales-England World Cup soccer match, delivers a stemwinder for the ages."When the English come knocking on our door, let's give 'em some sugar, boys!" he bellows as the stage music swells.

Venue: Qatar Date 20 November - 18 December


Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC Radio 5 Live and live text commentary on the BBC Sport website


Do you love your golf as much as Gareth Bale?Is your fashion sense on a par with Kylian Mbappe?Or maybe your personality is like Jack Grealish's?With the World Cup fast approaching, take our quiz to find out which player you are most similar to.

Gareth Bale scored a last-minute equaliser in extra time before Los Angeles FC beat Philadelphia Union on penalties to win the MLS Cup.The Wales captain had been named on the bench for the game after recovering from a leg injury in the play-offs.But he climbed off the bench in the 97th minute before heading in to make it 3-3 right at the death, minutes after Philadelphia had scored.

Major League Soccer 12:00 PM GMT+1 The top two in the West lock horns./ Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Supporters' Shield winners LAFC host Austin FC in Sunday's Western Conference Final with a place at MLS Cup on the line.The Black and Gold enjoyed a stellar regular season, finishing top overall with 67 points and 21 wins from 34 games, carrying that form into the Playoffs with a dramatic 3-2 victory against arch-rivals the LA Galaxy in the previous round.