Timothy Weah receives praise from Brazil great Pele after scoring debut goal against Wales

Brazil legend Pele congratulated United States forward Timothy Weah for scoring a goal in his World Cup debut against Wales on Monday.

Weah scored his goal in the 36th minute after Christian Pulisic made an attacking run and fed the forward a through pass into the 18-yard box. Weah took a shot with the outside of his right foot on the first touch, hitting the ball past Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and into the net.

Weah posted on Instagram celebrating the goal and Pele congratulated the American forward in the comments section.

“Congratulations. It was a beautiful goal,” Pele wrote. “Keep dreaming, dreams come true.”

Weah responded to Pele under the same post.

“Thank you Papa Pele,” Weah wrote. “It is such a blessing and an honor to receive such an inspiring message from The King himself. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the world and for us young black men. Grandes Abraços.”

Weah’s goal gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead before halftime, but their opponents made adjustments to make an effort to equalize. A costly mistake by defender Walker Zimmerman gave the Welsh an opportunity to end the match without dropping any points.

Zimmerman recklessly slid into Welsh star Gareth Bale inside the 18-yard box, prompting the referee to award Wales with a penalty. Bale, then rocketed a left-footed penalty kick into the upper right corner of the goal in the 82nd minute to tie the match. American goalkeeper Matt Turner got a hand on the ball, but Bale’s power kick was too much to handle.

The 1-1 draw left the American squad with “mixed emotions”, as Weah wrote on Instagram, but the forward continued to say his goal was a “a dream come true.” The young forward is the son of George Weah, one of the greatest players of all-time. In 1995, George Weah was named the FIFA World Player Player of the Year and won the Ballon d’Or — an annual award given to the world’s best footballer.

The U.S. currently are tied for second place with Wales in Group B before their matchup with England on Friday. England sit atop the table after dismantling Iran 6-2 on Monday.