Welshpool fans were overjoyed to see Wales salvage a 1-1 draw against USA in their first World Cup outing for 64 years.

Football fans in Welshpool gathered at the Town Hall to watch the historic moment when Wales played their first match at the World Cup in the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Gareth Bale was the hero - as he so often is - as Wales came from behind in the second half of Monday's tie.

The fanzone was the fruition of months of planning from Welshpool Town Council, who organised the community space in the Town Hall, and are planning to open the space again for the other Wales matches in the group stage of the tournament against Iran on November 25 at 10am and England on November 29 at 7pm.

The atmosphere in the Town hall was tense during the long stretch of the game where the American team had a 1-0 lead over the Welsh players, but erupted when team captain and Wales’ all-time leading scorer Gareth Bale secured an equaliser with a penalty.

One of those elated fans was Dougie Ellis, who predicted a draw when asked before the match.

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He said, prior to kick-off: “I think it’ll be a close call, Wales haven’t been in a major tournament like this for generations, so it’s hard to predict how their first outing will be, but I think they’ll walk away with a comfortable draw tonight.

After the match he added: “Just being in the World Cup at all is good enough, but it’s great to see a decent result at the end of the first outing."

Cllr Ben Gwalchmai, who conceived and organised the initiative in Welshpool, was pleased with how the match went and how people turned out to watch it in the Town Hall.

He said: “When I put the idea forward, other councillors saw it as I do, a means for us to do something positive, community building, nation building, and to celebrate Wales' place in the World Cup with as many of the people of Welshpool that want to come to a family-friendly space.

“Being able to see Wales perform at that level on the world stage is amazing.

“It’s safe to say there are people in America who might not even know Wales is its own separate country, but anyone across the Atlantic or around the world watching them play against this giant country on such a huge stage will now know and see.”