Iran's midfielder Mehdi Torabi and Iran's defender Roozbeh Cheshmi celebrate their team's victory during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B football match between Wales and Iran at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium n November 25, 2022. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP)
DOHA: Substitute Rouzbeh Cheshmi struck from 25 yards in the dying moments before Ramin Rezaeian sealed a famous 2-0 win for Iran as Wales’ first World Cup campaign in 64 years suffered a devastating blow at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in their second Qatar 2022 game, yesterday.
Iran have never go past the group stage at five previous World Cups but yesterday’s win completely revitalized the Carlos Queiroz’s side’s ambitions of progressing to the last 16 while it has put Wales in serious danger of an early exit.
“We played today with amazing character, which is the profile of our team. We played with a sense of unity, cohesion. Sometimes you lose your dignity, your honour, but of course in our first game we were bleeding in our pride. This was an opportunity to rebound... We played brilliantly and deserved to win,” Queiroz said after the match.
“We were ready mentally. We had a lot of chances to score but eventually we were able to win and get three points, this was because of solidarity of the players that we were able to achieve this result,” Cheshmi, who changed the course of the game with his brilliant strike, said.
Incidentally, the game-changer Chieshmi was out of the national team for nearly three years before Querioz brought him in for a friendly match against Nicaragua just before the World Cup.
Iran's forward Mehdi Taremi and Iran's forward Karim Ansarifard react following their victory during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B football match between Wales and Iran at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 25, 2022. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
Despite coming off a 2-6 hammering by England in their opening game, Iran looked more confident in yesterday’s game.
They missed a few golden opportunities to score during the course of the game at the 40,000-seat arena which was mostly filled with Iran supporters. Wales, also looking to secure full points following their draw with USA in the opening match, were also tightening the grip against the Iranians until the dying moments of the game.
Early in the first half, Kieffer Moore almost put Wales ahead, but he could only see his shot being saved by Iran custodian Hossein Hosseini in the 12th minute.
Iran thought they had taken the lead five minutes later, but Ali Gholizadeh’s goal was disallowed by VAR.
The second half was full of action. Iran struck twice in quick succession but in a bizarre sequence they missed on both occasions when Sardar Azmoun struck the right post just to see Gholizadeh hit the ball on the rebound to only see it bouncing off the left post.
Iran's players celebrate their victory with Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B football match between Wales and Iran at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 25, 2022. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
As the game was heading to what looked like a goalless stalemate, the crucial turning point took place in the 86th minute.
Wayne Hennessey was shown a red card after the Welsh goalkeeper rushed 30 yards out of his goal before missing the ball and clattering into the incoming Iran striker Medhi Taremi.
To Iran’s fury, the referee Mario Escobar initially showed him a yellow card but later changed his decision to a red card, resulting the send-off of Hennessey, the first red card of Qatar 2022.
Leicester City goalkeeper Danny Ward was brought on, with Aaron Ramsey making way for him.
With Wales down to 10 men and having lost their first choice goalkeeper, Mehdi Torabi took the free kick but failed to convert it into a goal as he fired inches wide off the left post.
Cheshmi then fired his low-driven long-range stunner in the eighth minute of stoppage time to break the deadlock before Rezaeian added a second two minutes later as Iran left Wales talisman Gareth Bale in tears in his 110th international appearance.
Iran's defender Ramin Rezaeian celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B football match between Wales and Iran at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 25, 2022. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
“It is going to be difficult for us for sure. We will have to see. What can I say? We recover and we have to go again,” Bale said.
“I am disappointed because we fell below the standards we set, that got us success and qualification for the World Cup,” Wales coach Rob Page said after the game.
“If we’d have met those standards and made those performances we would have been alright. But we fell below that and when you do that in top competitions you get punished.
“Iran posed a constant threat. We just could not get going and that really disappoints me the most,” he said.
A win for Iran against USA on Tuesday can seal them a place in the Last 16 while Wales will have to tackle strong England on the same day to keep their slim hopes alive.
“We want to finish the competition on a high, if it is in our hands to go through. We want to finish with a good performance and a win,” Page said.
“We are low at the minute but we are going to get back up tomorrow and get ready for another tough game.”
