Wales star Wayne Hennessey sees first World Cup 2022 red card with brutal kick to jaw
WALES 0-2 IRAN: Robert Page's side are in danger of being knocked out of the World Cup after Iran took advantage of Wayne Hennessey's red card to snatch all three points
Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was sent off in his team's heart-breaking World Cup defeat to Iran for a reckless challenge on Mehdi Taremi.
The 35-year-old stopper was shown his marching orders after racing out of his goal and clattering into Porto striker Taremi. Referee Mario Escobar initially showed Hennessey a yellow card, as he judged Wales defender Nico Williams to be the last man.
Yet the VAR team advised Escobar to consult the pitch-side monitor. After that, it was obvious Hennessey was going to be dismissed for his wild tackle - leaving Wales fans very anxious in the last few minutes of the game. And Robert Page's side couldn't hold on.
Rouzbeh Cheshmi's superb 98th-minute strike snatched the points for Iran and leaves Wales needing to beat England in their final group game to have any chance of progressing. That's a tall order, seeing as the Three Lions defeated Iran 6-2 in their opening match.
Iran made sure of their 2-0 win on Friday thanks to Ramin Rezaeian's 101st-minute goal. Although they boasted most of the possession, Wales were outclassed by their opponents - with Iran enjoying the best of the chances before Hennessey's red card.
Wales drew their opening World Cup game against the USA on Monday thanks to last-minute penalty from Gareth Bale. Page's side have failed to impress in either of their group games and need to find something special against England to keep their dream alive.
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"Wayne Hennessey can have no complaints," said former Wales international Danny Gabbidon on commentary after the red card. "A big moment in the game, it'll be difficult for Wales to win this now."
Ex-Wales striker Iwan Roberts told BBC Radio Cymru: "He knew he was in trouble. A red card was the right choice... I'm extremely disappointed in how Wales performed. If we're being honest, we haven't been good enough in the two games.
"The thing for Wales is our fitness levels, not enough of our players are playing 90 minutes regularly. Not enough energy, nobody looked fresh. You can get a couple of players through like that, but not five or six.
"We were lucky against the USA. We lost to the better team today, no doubt about it. They were fitter, more confident, more sharp. We can't complain about that result at all."
Wales skipper Bale was devastated at full-time. He told BBC One: "We are gutted, there is no other way to say it. We fought until the last second and we need to go again. We are all gutted but we have to pick ourselves up straight away. 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."
Hennessey will be suspended for Wales' final group game against England on Tuesday, with Leicester stopper Danny Ward likely to replace him.
