Wales’ World Cup hopes look all but over after two late goals gave Iran a 2-0 win.
Wayne Hennessey’s sending-off will be considered a key moment as Rob Page picks up the pieces from the devastation, as well as Kieffer Moore’s early miss.
Here are our player ratings.
Wales:
Wayne Hennessey (GK) – 6
A horrendous late foul on Taremi saw him dismissed but in the 86 prior minutes Hennessey cut a reliable figure. Made saves when needed but needed help from the woodwork a couple of times.
Connor Roberts (RWB) (subbed off 57’) – 5
Long throws were useful but sloppy pass led to Iran’s disallowed goal.
Chris Mepham (CB) – 6
A quiet game. Made some good recoveries to spare his teammates their blushes.
Joe Rodon (CB) – 7
The most assertive defender for Wales. Handled Azmoun well as last man but booked for outlandish foul on Taremi in first half.
Ben Davies (CB-LB) – 6
Venomous shot on 84 minutes forced a great save from Hosseini. Gholizadeh had the better of him but once the Iranian was hauled off he could express himself a bit more.
Neco Williams (LWB) – 5
Failed to contain Gholizadeh and had lots of his crosses blocked. Almost scored a screamer in the opening exchanges but fired wide.
Aaron Ramsey (CM) – 5 (subbed off 87’)
Good ideas, unfortunate application. Favoured lofted passes which often slowed play down or left Moore with too much running.
Ethan Ampadu (CM) – 6 (subbed off 78’)
Grew into the game and made some crucial challenges in the second half.
Harry Wilson (RW) (subbed off 58’) – 5
A mixed bag. Threaded Williams through with a delicious through-ball at one point but also failed to get on the ball enough.
Gareth Bale (LW) – 5
A quiet game. Produced a snap half-volley in an attempt to write headlines but it rolled into Hosseini’s relieved hands.
Kieffer Moore (ST) – 5
Threw himself around as an aerial outlet but had poor service and struggled to make an impact. Did well to meet Roberts’ early cross but should have tested Hosseini more.
Subs:
Brennan Johnson (57’) – 5
Made some good runs to the goal-line out wide but struggled to influence the critical central areas.
Dan James (58’) – 6
A sprightly figure after his introduction.
Joe Allen (77’) – 5
Didn’t do much of note. It was his poor clearance that led to Iran’s opener.
Danny Ward (87’) – 5
Hardly his fault but conceding two in under 15 minutes isn’t a great look.
Iran:
Hossein Hosseini (GK) – 7
A dominant presence from crosses and got Iran on the front foot with good distribution.
Ramin Rezaeian (RB) – 9 (goal 90+11’)
Dink over Ward sealed the victory. Supported Gholizadeh down right flank and defended industriously. Consistently questioned Wales with searching passes, though dead-ball efforts were better than crosses from open play.
Morteza Pouraliganji (CB) – 5
Sloppy in possession but played a dependable part in Iran’s defensive efforts.
Majid Hosseini (CB) – 6
Rarely misplaced a pass but was sometimes a bit trigger-happy with clearances.
Milad Mohammadi (LB) – 5
A very average game. Didn’t match Rezaeian’s swashbuckling surges down the right and Iran often favoured attacks on the other side as a result.
Ali Gholizadeh (RM) – 7 (subbed off 77’)
Had bright spells and almost scored a wonder strike on 51 minutes. Had a first-half goal ruled out after an energetic interception.
Ahmad Noorollahi (CM) (subbed off 77’) – 7
Kick-started attacks with crisp passes and made a good pairing with Ezatolahi.
Saied Ezatolahi (CM) – 7 (subbed off 83’) – 8
Almost found the corner with a curling shot and displayed an impressive passing range. Pressed with enthusiasm. One of the best on pitch.
Ehsan Hajsafi (LM) (subbed off 77’) – 6
Pressed cleverly with Ezatolahi to constrict Wales on the right. Decent crosses.
Sardar Azmoun (ST) – 8 (subbed off 68’)
A constant threat with piercing runs but missed a couple of big chances in second half. Assisted Iran’s disallowed first-half goal.
Mehdi Taremi (ST) – 5
A shadow of his talismanic performance against England. Created space for Azmoun with good runs but very much a subsidiary player today. Horrendously fouled by Taremi.
Subs:
Karim Ansarifard (68’) – 6
Late strike almost gave Iran the lead but didn’t match the impact of Azmoun, who he replaced.
Mehdi Torabi (77’) – 6
Quick on the counter-attack and deserves credit for his buzzing energy in closing stages.
Alireza Jahanbaksh (77’) – 6
Suspended for final match of the group after getting his second yellow card of the tournament.
Roozbeh Cheshmi (77’) – 7 (goal 90+8’)
Beautiful goal to break Welsh hearts. Hadn’t looked up to much until then but he may have made Iranian history.
Ali Karimi (83’) – 6
Came on too late to do much of note.
