Al Rayyan, Qatar: Iran scored twice after the eighth minute of stoppage time to grab a shocking 2-0 win over Wales that breathed new life into their World Cup marketing campaign and left their opponents flat on their backs and going through a make-or-break decider towards England.
After Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey was despatched off within the 87th minute, Iran produced a outstanding finale, with Roozbeh Cheshmi driving residence to offer them the lead earlier than Ramin Rezaeian added one other within the eleventh minute of stoppage time.
Iran, who had been going through elimination in the event that they misplaced, had been nearly unrecognisable from the facet that was thrashed 6-2 by England of their opener, and so they had been deserved winners even when they left it very late.
Carlos Queiroz’s facet had been twice denied by the woodwork within the second half at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium and made the many of the further man after Hennessey was given his marching orders following a dreadful head-high problem on Mehdi Taremi.
The win strikes Iran to a few factors in Group B, two greater than Wales, who had been held to a 1-1 draw by the USA of their opener, with England and the U.S. going through one another in a while Friday.
The group involves a head subsequent Tuesday, when Wales play their previous rivals and Iran face the U.S.
After a decent first half the match sprang to life after the break.
The second half started with probably the most extraordinary treble miss as Sardar Azmoun raced by means of solely to strike the publish, Ali Gholizadeh curled the follow-up towards the opposite publish, and Azmoun headed that rebound straight at Wales keeper Hennessey.
Hennessey rode to Wales’s rescue once more within the seventieth minute, tipping Saeid Ezatolahi’s low shot from distance across the publish along with his fingertips, however he was then given his marching orders to arrange a frantic finale.
Hennessey had raced out of his space however was crushed to the ball by Taremi, with the keeper following by means of and catching him sq. within the face along with his knee.
The referee initially produced a yellow card, however a visit to the VAR monitor swiftly adopted and the ensuing purple card felt inevitable.
The objectives then arrived terribly late with Cheshmi hammering residence a thunderbolt of a shot in a intestine punch for Wales, earlier than Rezaeian lifted the ball delicately over the keeper to complete off Rob Web page’s facet.