Iran scored two goals in the final 11 minutes of the game to beat Wales and keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Rob Page's team were overrun by the Iranians after Wayne Hennessey was sent off for a foul on Mehdi Taremi. Iran had earlier hit the post twice in a dominant performance.
Iran's victory means that they now go into Tuesday's final group game against the United States knowing that a win will take them into the knockout stages, while Wales need to beat England on Tuesday in order to have a chance of reaching the round of 16.
The US will need to beat Iran in their final game on Thursday if they want to stay in the tournament.
The news and features of the World Cup in 2022.
Player ratings, best and worst performers, highlights and notable moments, post- match quotes, and key statistics are included.
Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey became the first player to be sent off at a World Cup when he was shown a red card for a foul in the first game of the tournament.
The definition of a clear and obvious error by the official was shown when the 35-year-old was shown a yellow card after racing out of his penalty area and colliding with the Iranian forward Taremi.
The VAR official called a review and the yellow card was taken away by the referee.
The dangerous challenge that caught Taremi in the chest was the result of Hennessey racing out of his area and a clear red card.
Images of the 1982 World Cup semifinal between France and West Germany came back when the foul was committed. Battiston's back was damaged in the incident.
Wales were down to 10 men and conceded two goals in the final seconds of the game. Iran were the better side throughout and deserved their victory which keeps their hopes alive and leaves Wales with no chance of reaching the second round.
The political situation in Iran and the ongoing protests against the ruling regime followed the nation's football team to every stage of their journey in the Middle East.
The squad was shown mumbling the words ahead of the Wales clash in a half-hearted manner, as they all refused to sing the national anthem prior to the opener. Less than a day after a former player was arrested for propagandising against the government, some of the players decided not to sing the anthem.
Many Iranians whistled and jeered as the Wales fans sang their anthem. One fan was shown crying on the big screens in the stadium while supporters applauded when images of Iranian women were shown at the end of the anthem.
Outside the stadium, pro-government supporters clashed with those against the regime, while inside one supporter had her Iran shirt taken away by security.
Iran's players and supporters have sent powerful images to the rest of the world to highlight the situation in their country.
Iran's story could continue into the knockout stages after claiming such a dramatic victory. They need to beat the US on Tuesday in order to get to that point.
Bale has made it clear that playing for Wales in the World Cup is the highlight of his career, even though he has won five titles with Real Madrid.
His appearance against Iran, which made him the most-capped male Welsh player of all-time, was his second 90 minutes in four days and, for Bale, that is a huge deal.
During his six-month stint at MLS side LAFC this season, he only played 90 minutes once and hasn't played a full game in over a year.
Bale has to manage his time on the pitch due to the fitness issues that have affected the later stages of his career, so playing three group games in nine days in Qatar was always going to be a challenge for him.
In the opening game against the US, he touched the ball just 19 times, while in the second game against Iran, he touched the ball just three times.
Bale may retire at the end of this World Cup, so Tuesday's game against England could be the end of the road for one of the biggest stars in the game.
Bale does football fairytales like few others, so a third straight game against England might just be the perfect way, not to finish his career, but ensure it has at least one more game after that.
Wales: Mepham 6, Rodon, Davies, Roberts, Ramsey, Ampadu, Wilson and Moore.
The subs were Johnson, James, Allen, and Ward.
Iran: H Hosseini 7; Rezaeian 6; Pouraliganji 7; M Hosseini 6; Mohammadi 6; Gholizadeh 7.
Subs: Ansarifard and Torabi.
The chance of qualification for Wales is slim after their 2-0 loss to Iran, and how Bale's international career is nearing an end.
The best is the one by Sardar Azmoun.
The back three of Joe Rodon, Ben Davies and Chris Mepham were troubled by the Iran forward's pace and movement. His shot in the second half hit the post.
The worst person to have been isAaron Ramsey.
While Bale always shows up, Ramsey can too often live off his reputation and this was a game when he just didn't contribute as expected.
After only giving Wayne a yellow card for the challenge, the referee sent him off when he went to the video replay screen.
A red card is given to Wayne Hennessey after this challenge ๐ฅ pic.twitter.com/frfbiOt0we
โ FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 25, 2022
Iran scored late in the game to win.
IRAN SCORES IN THE 98th MINUTE ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ท pic.twitter.com/5yPWevQ4YS
โ FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 25, 2022
ALL THE EMOTIONS! THIS IS WHAT THE WORLD CUP IS ABOUT ๐ฑ pic.twitter.com/HEmNFesYYi
โ ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 25, 2022
To continue.
In the last 5 World Cup games, there have been no goals in the first half. Michy Bayshuayi scored the final goal of the first half.
The lowest tally for Wales was achieved by Bale in the first hour.
It is the first time since 2010 that a goalkeeper has been sent off in a World Cup game.
Iran are the first team to win a World Cup match when tied at the time of the ejection of their opponent.
The last regulation game winner in the World Cup was at 90'+8.
The game against England will be played at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. There is an hour and a half later. Wales are out if they don't get a win.
The game between Iran and the US will be played at 10 pm local time and 2 pm in Iran. There is an hour and a half later. Someone could be knocked out in a straight knockout.
All Rights Reserved ยฉ 2024
