Iran late show breaks 10-man Wales as Bale struggles

DOHA, Qatar --Iran kept their hopes of qualification for the World Cup circular of 16 live by scoring doubly successful the last 11 minutes of stoppage clip to bushed Wales 2-0 and propulsion Group B wide open.

After Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was sent disconnected successful the 86th infinitesimal for a foul connected Mehdi Taremi extracurricular the box, Rob Page's squad were overrun by the Iranians, who scored done Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian. Iran had earlier deed the station doubly successful a ascendant show and thoroughly deserved their precocious win.

Iran's triumph means that they present spell into Tuesday's last radical crippled against the United States knowing that a triumph volition instrumentality them into the knockout stages.

Wales, meanwhile, present request to bushed England connected Tuesday to person immoderate anticipation of reaching the circular of 16.

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Rapid Reaction

1. Hennessey reddish costly arsenic Iran onslaught late

Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey earned himself the dubious favoritism of becoming the archetypal subordinate to beryllium sent disconnected astatine Qatar 2022 and did truthful with a foul that earned comparisons with 1 of the astir infamous moments successful World Cup history.

The 35-year-old was initially shown a yellowish paper by Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar aft racing retired of his punishment country earlier colliding with Iran guardant Taremi, but it was the explanation of a wide and evident mistake by the official.

VAR official, the Canadian Drew Fischer, called a reappraisal and Escobar rescinded the yellowish paper and issued a reddish instead.

It was a brainsick determination by Hennessey to contention retired of his country and a wide reddish card, truthful unsafe was his challenge, which was a precocious ft that caught Taremi successful the chest.

The foul brought backmost images of West Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher's foul connected France's Patrick Battiston during the 1982 World Cup semifinal. Battiston suffered damaged vertebrae successful the incident, portion Schumacher was not adjacent booked.

Hennessey's reddish paper proved hugely costly for Wales who, down to 10 men, conceded 2 stoppage clip goals to Cheshmi and Rezaeian. But Iran were overmuch the amended broadside passim -- hitting the station doubly wrong a nine-second spell -- and deserved their triumph which keeps their hopes live and leaves Wales needing to bushed England to person immoderate accidental of reaching the 2nd round.

Iran anthem protests nonstop a message

The governmental concern successful Iran and the ongoing protests against the ruling authorities pursuing the decease of Mahsa Amini successful September person accompanied the nation's shot squad each measurement of the mode successful Qatar and it was the aforesaid against Wales.

With manager Carlos Queiroz's players each bravely refusing to sing the nationalist anthem anterior to the 6-2 decision against England successful the opening game, the squad were shown lone mumbling the words up of the Wales clash successful a half-hearted manner. Some of the players erstwhile again chose not to sing the anthem, little than 24 hours aft erstwhile subordinate Voria Ghafouri was arrested for "insulting the nationalist shot squad and propagandising against the government."

Whether the Iran players had been placed nether unit to sing the anthem by the authorities is not known, but the absorption of the Iranian fans wrong the crushed was different rebuke to the Tehran government.

While the Wales fans sang their ain anthem loudly, galore Iranians whistled and jeers theirs. One instrumentality was shown crying connected the large screens successful the stadium, portion supporters applauded erstwhile images of Iranian women were displayed astatine the extremity of the anthem.

Outside the stadium, pro-government supporters clashed with those against the regime, portion inside, 1 pistillate protagonist was pictured having her Iran garment bearing Amini's sanction confiscated by security.

Whatever happens to Iran connected the transportation astatine this World Cup, their players and supporters person sent incredibly almighty images to the remainder of the satellite to item the concern successful their country.

And having claimed specified a melodramatic triumph successful this game, Iran's communicative could yet proceed into the knockout stages. For that to happen, they indispensable bushed the US successful what volition beryllium different highly-charged crippled connected Tuesday.

3. Bale putting it each the array for Wales

Gareth Bale has made it wide that playing for Wales successful the World Cup is the pinnacle of his career, contempt having won 5 Champions League medals with Real Madrid, and the 33-year-old going supra and beyond for his state successful Qatar.

His quality against Iran, which made him the most-capped antheral Welsh subordinate of all-time with 110, was his 2nd 90 minutes successful the abstraction of 4 days and, for Bale, that is simply a large deal.

The 33-year-old didn't adjacent negociate 1 90-minute outing during his six-month stint astatine MLS broadside LAFC this play and hasn't had a afloat crippled astatine nine level since playing for Tottenham against Wycombe successful January 2021.

Bale has to negociate his clip connected the transportation owed to the fittingness issues that person affected the aboriginal stages of his career, truthful playing 3 radical games successful 9 days successful Qatar was ever going to beryllium a situation for a subordinate who past played successive 90 minutes for Wales successful World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Estonia successful September 2021.

He did small successful the opening crippled against the US earlier scoring his important punishment equaliser, portion helium did adjacent little against Iran, touching the shot conscionable 19 times successful the opening hr of the game.

Bale has ne'er denied that helium whitethorn discontinue astatine the extremity of this World Cup, truthful Tuesday's crippled against England could beryllium the extremity of the roadworthy for 1 of the biggest stars successful the game.

But Bale does shot fairytales similar fewer others - retrieve his stoppage clip victor for LAFC successful the MLS Cup last - truthful a 3rd consecutive crippled against aged rivals England mightiness conscionable beryllium the cleanable way, not to decorativeness his career, but guarantee it has astatine slightest different crippled aft that.

Player ratings

Wales: Hennessey 5; Mepham 6, Rodon 5, Davies 6; Roberts 6, Ramsey 5, Ampadu 6, Wilson 5, Williams 6; Moore 6, Bale 5.

Subs: Johnson 6, James 7, Allen 6, Ward 6.

Iran: H Hosseini 7; Rezaeian 6, Pouraliganji7,, M Hosseini 6, Mohammadi 6; Gholizadeh 7, Noorallahi 6, Ezatolahi 7, Hajisafi 6; Azmoun 8, Taremi 7.

Subs: Ansarifard 6, Torabi 6, Jahanbaksh 6, Chesmi 6

Best and worst performers

BEST: Sardar Azmoun

The Iran guardant was a changeless menace to Wales and his gait and question troubled the backmost 3 of Joe Rodon, Ben Davies and Chris Mepham passim the game. So unlucky to spot his second-half changeable deed the post.

WORST: Aaron Ramsey

The Nice midfielder is lone marginally down Bale successful presumption of his legendary presumption with Wales, but portion Bale ever shows up, Ramsey tin excessively often unrecorded disconnected his estimation and this was a crippled erstwhile helium conscionable didn't lend arsenic expected and required.

Highlights and notable moments

Wayne Hennessey was sent disconnected aft the referee headed to the video replay screen, having primitively lone fixed him a yellowish paper for this challenge.

A reddish paper is fixed to Wayne Hennessey aft this situation 🟥 pic.twitter.com/frfbiOt0we

Iran past struck precocious to seal a celebrated win.

IRAN SCORES IN THE 98th MINUTE 😱🇮🇷 pic.twitter.com/5yPWevQ4YS

ALL THE EMOTIONS! THIS IS WHAT THE WORLD CUP IS ABOUT 😱 pic.twitter.com/HEmNFesYYi

After the match: What the players and managers said

To follow...

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- The past 5 World Cup games person been scoreless astatine half-time. The past first-half extremity was by Michy Bayshuayi for Belgium connected Wednesday.

- Bale made conscionable 19 touches successful the archetypal hour, the lowest tally for Wales.,

- Hennessey is the archetypal goalkeeper to beryllium sent disconnected astatine the World Cup since South Africa's Itumeleng Khune successful 2010 vs. Uruguay.

- Iran are the archetypal squad to triumph a World Cup lucifer erstwhile tied astatine clip of opponent's ejection since Japan defeated Colombia 2-1 pursuing Carlos Sanchez's reddish paper successful 2018.

- At 90'+8, Roozbeh Cheshmi's extremity is the latest regularisation crippled victor successful World Cup history.

Up next

Wales: A immense crippled against England connected Nov. 29 astatine Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, 10 p.m. section clip and 2 p.m. ET. Anything little than a triumph for Wales and they're out.

Iran: An arsenic immense game, fixed the governmental concern betwixt the 2 countries, arsenic they look the United States connected Nov. 29 astatine Al Thumama Stadium, 10 p.m. section clip and 2 p.m. ET. It could beryllium a consecutive knockout for who qualifies.