Gareth Bale struggled to find the right words to express his disappointment following Wales’ shocking 2-0 loss to Iran, which dealt a serious blow to their World Cup chances.
Wales’ dramatic 2-0 defeat to Iran has put them in danger of exiting the World Cup, so Rob Page’s team needs to defeat England if they want to advance to the knockout stages.
After goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was dismissed in the 85th minute, Rob Page’s team conceded two goals in extra time.
Welsh hearts were broken in Doha and at home as Iran’s Roozbeh Cheshmi scored a stunning goal to break the tie.
Ramon Rezeain completed a brilliant counterattack in the eleventh minute of extra time to secure a crucial three points for Iran, which had just recovered from an embarrassing 6-2 defeat at the hands of England.
Wales must defeat the Three Lions in their final group match on Tuesday in order to have any chance of moving on to the knockout stage after drawing 1-1 with the USA in their opening match.
Bale appeared in front of the media shortly after full-time and was unable to conceal his sadness as he clearly struggled to find the right words to describe the defeat.
“There is no other way to put it,” the dejected 33-year-old told BBC Sport. “We are gutted. We fought to the very end, and now we must go once more.
Although we are all devastated, we need to immediately get up. For sure, it will be difficult for us. We must wait and see.”
Unfortunately for Bale and his teammates, they were powerless to protest the outcome because Iran ultimately dominated the game and emerged as deserving winners.
The finest opportunity for Wales came in the 12th minute, but Hossein Hosseini stopped Kieffer Moore’s volleyed shot.
Iran gained confidence during the opening 45 minutes and was in full swing by halftime.
Welsh defenders scrambled away a flurry of attacks as Carlos Quieroz’s team hit the post twice. For a brief moment, it appeared as though the Red Wall would stand firm and at least give the Dragons a point.
Unfortunately, though, Iran’s perseverance paid off, and defender Cheshmi scored a spectacular long-range goal to defeat Danny Ward, who had come on for Hennessey 13 minutes earlier.
Following a VAR review, Wales’ No. 1 was given a straight red card for rushing out of his goal and colliding with Iran’s star striker, Medhi Taremi.
Manager Queiroz noted that it was a special day for Iran and added, “We must complete the task even though this is just the start.
An excellent day for us. With all due respect, my players today proved how much they enjoy playing football. Our players deserve support. We want to perform for the fans.”
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