WALES' WORLD CUP HOPES HAVE BEEN DASHED BY IRAN'S LATE PERFORMANCE
By Rashmi Goel
After being defeated 2-0 by Iran in the 98th and 100th minutes, Wales' hopes for winning the World Cup hang on a thread. During the closing stages of the match, Wayne Hennessey was sent off for an outrageous challenge, while Iran struck the post twice as they peppered the Welsh goal.
Rob Page's team initially appeared to be on track to earn a point, but Rouzbeh Chesmi scored a goal from the edge of the box in the dying minutes of the match. Nevertheless, Iran would add a second goal on Ramin Rezaeian's breakthrough goal to complete their latest World Cup victory. In an effort to send his nation wild, he raced through and scooped the ball over Danny Ward.
This leaves Wales needing to defeat England in the final group match in order to qualify, while Iran's hopes of qualifying have been rekindled. Having moved onto three points, they are now in second place in the group, while Wales are at the bottom of the group, having to play the Three Lions on Tuesday night. Although the game was scoreless for most of the game, the second half was an absolute thriller as both teams gave it their all to win. The performance of Gareth Bale, who made a record-breaking appearance, was insignificant, and Wales did not make an impact. Throughout, they were second best and have no cause for complaint. The victory represents Iran's first victory over a European nation in a World Cup, and it occurred against a backdrop of such political turmoil. There were fans in the crowd that were visibly distraught watching on as Iran sang the national anthem to a chorus of jeers. The country is going through a turbulent time at present and these players are under a great deal of pressure.
Wales did have chances of its own. Upon receiving a lovely cross from Conor Roberts, Kieffer Moore should have scored. Although he managed to get his hands on the ball, he could only redirect it to Hossein Hosseini, who was again in goal since Alireza Beiranvand was still out due to a concussion. Following Roberts' stray pass, Iran had the ball in the net after a magnificent passing move. Despite a quick one-two, Ali Gholizadeh strayed offside on the final pass, allowing Wales to escape. Moore was certainly getting more involved after his impressive performance against the USA, but chances were few and far between. Despite a wonderful cross, Sardar Azmoun was unable to add a finishing touch and the two teams were level at the end.
Iran missed three major opportunities in the second half. The ball was played to Azmoun down the right channel, but his effort was blocked by the right post before the ball bounced out to Gholizadeh, who whipped it into the opposite goalpost with his left foot. Hennesey somehow managed to block the follow-up header, and Wales held on by a hair's breadth. It was one-way traffic toward the Welsh goal as Ezatohali drove one toward the goal only to be denied by a magnificent save by Wayne Hennesey. In spite of Gareth Bale's World Cup record-breaking performance, his team was in danger of losing the tournament. Wales came back into the game after Daniel James made an impact from the bench and shot toward the red wall. An attempt was made by Ben Davies, but it was unsuccessful. Afterward, Wales made a critical error. Upon receiving the pass, Taremi was played in and Hennessey ran out of his goal to intercept the ball, but instead kicked him in the face with his boot.
The referee needed to consult VAR prior to upgrading a yellow card to a red card for a terrible tackle. Wales were down to ten men and facing a difficult situation as Taremi shot just wide with their backs to the wall. The first red card of the tournament was given to this player. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to hold on. Having come off the bench, Chesmi fizzed one into the bottom corner before Rezaeian added the icing on top to send the Iranian fans into ecstasy. Though Wales did not expect this afternoon, it was what they deserved.
