Gareth Bale felt ‘gutted’ as he failed to deliver in Wales 2-0 World Cup loss to Iran.
On the day he became Wales’ most capped player (110) the captain managed just one shot on target as Rob Page’s side’s hopes of progressing to the round of 16 begin to dwindle at the bottom of Group B.
As the game looked set for a goalless draw, Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey was sent off late for a reckless challenge, and then Roozbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian netted late in injury time to give Carlos Queiroz’s side the vital win.
Bale said: “It’s gutting. There is no other way to say it.
“We fought until the last second but it’s one of those and it is difficult to take but we have to recover and try and go again.”
After a frantic first half with tough challenges and a chaotic energy in the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium both teams played with the desperation of needing a win.
Despite having 62% possession Wales failed to grasp their opportunities only registering three shots on target.
Iran showed their intent straight away in the second half with three huge chances missed and being denied by the woodwork twice.
With Cheshmi and Rezaeian popping up for the late goals to give Iran such an important win, not only for the team but for the fans as well.
Queiroz said: “This is just the beginning now; we have to finish the job.
“I don’t have words to describe how to say thank you to our players. The players deserve to be supported.
“We did it for them that is the only reason we are here to play for the fans.”
Iran will prepare for a tough game on Tuesday against USA whilst Wales will face England on the same day.
