Ever since the qualification for this tournament Wales haven’t looked the full ticket. A nations league campaign was flawed albeit against better opposition. Now seven games after that qualification night in June the distress signals are there. The older players are no longer carrying the spark of old, and the younger players have lost their way over the past five months.
That’s seven games without a win, just two draws in that mass of unhappiness, and of course five defeats. Some have said Wales qualified for this World Cup despite Rob Page not because of him, and there has to be some truth in that. Those seven games since qualifying have been poorly managed and exposed a distinct lack of direction.
Todays defeat against Iran saw a Welsh side thoroughly outwitted in the tackle, and as the red wall sighed the loose passing was horrendous. No ball could be held up, and no point in the formation or strategy could be seen. It was devoid of any obvious intention and the only real chance to get a goal was given up by Kieffer Moore.
The true match facts are clear for all to see, and it really does shine a light on the last knockings of some six years of relative success. Iran have scored four goals already at the 2022 World Cup, twice as many goals as they managed in any previous edition of the competition. Wales conceded more than one goal in a World Cup match for the first time ever. Wales' Wayne Hennessey was just the third goalkeeper to be sent off at the World Cup, after Gianluca Pagliuca for Italy against Norway in 1994 and Itumeleng Khune for South Africa against Uruguay in 2010. Roozbeh Cheshmi's opener for Iran, on 97 minutes 56 seconds, was the latest winning goal ever scored at the World Cup, excluding extra-time, since exact goal times are available for the competition. Gareth Bale made his 110th senior appearance for Wales, become the outright most capped player for his country, surpassing Chris Gunter at 109.
Wales were miserable, and the slippery slope of the last seven games is the clue. Gareth Bale must also take responsibility, he isn’t an old man but he hasn’t performed at this World Cup, Aaron Ramsey neither. Against the USA Wales were nondescript and soulless. A second half then saved certain blushes and gave false hope. Today Page may as well put in Chris Gunter and Johnny Williams, it really couldn’t have been any worse. Every team needs a leader on the pitch and that leader was missing today.
No Dafydd Iwan inspiration today
Iran were sharper, quicker and slicker - and the two goals at the end were coming for the whole game. Luck assisted Wales as two attempts hit the woodwork, and with Joe Rodon again not having the best of times, left exposed and open the whole mess was laid bare with those two late strikes. A long-range strike from Roozbeh Cheshmi put Iran ahead in injury time before Ramin Rezaeian finished past replacement keeper Danny Ward to seal the three points.
Rob Page was absolutely correct when he said. We weren't in the game at all. "You can carry one or two players if they have off days, but when the majority of the team are not quite at it, there's only going to be one outcome unfortunately. I'm disappointed, more because we fell well below the standards we've set in recent months that's got us success to qualify for the World Cup. If we'd have met those standards, we'd have been alright, but we fell well below that today, and when you do that in top competitions, you get punished. This is a hard one to take because of the stage we're on. I've said to them before every game, 'go out and show the world what you show us every day'. That is not a true reflection of that team. They got their rewards today, they deserved that defeat. That's not like them, and that's what disappoints me the most."
That’s all well and good, but sorry Rob it’s been like that for the last seven games.
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz remained forever philosophical. "Two points. We played today with amazing character, which is the profile of our team. We play with a sense of unity, cohesion. After the first game we need to get back on route. The second point was to get rid of this bad feeling of bleeding. Football is a game of different moments. It's not because you win or lose. Sometimes you lose your dignity, your honour, but of course in our first game we were bleeding in our pride”
To cap it all the circus that is the Qatar authorities who are about as true as a wobbly wheel, their pontification enough to make any Welsh person cry and (cry) again then go running to the press to preach their hate further. Not fit for purpose and never should have been. Spinning wheels in the mud, going round in circles for years is the best way to put it.
The worst run of games for Wales since 2003.
Wales can’t play any worse than they did today, and if they do come Tuesday against England in what could well be their last glimpses of the shiny Qatar structures they will be on the end of a hammering. Some may well be saying tonight that Wales participation in these finals hasn’t done the country any good at all, and that’s possibly right. But then I suppose it’s better to have fought and lost than not to have ever fought at all. However tonight it really doesn’t feel that way.
Starting teams
Wales: 🟥 ** Hennessey; Mepham, 🟨 Rodon, B Davies; Roberts, Ampadu, Ramsey, Wilson, N Williams; Bale (C), Moore.
Subs: ** Danny Ward, Davies, Gunter, Allen, Johnson, Lockyer, J. Williams, Harris, James, Thomas, Levitt, Cabango, Colwill, Smith.
Iran: Hossein; Rezaeian, Pouraliganji, M. Hosseini, Mohammadi; Gholizadeh, Noorollahi, Ezatolahi, Hajisafi (C); Taremi, Azmoun
Subs: Beiranvand, Niazmand, Abedzadeh, Moharrami, Khalilzadeh, Jahanbakhsh, Ansarifard, Amiri, Kanani, Ghoddos, Cheshmi, Torabi, Karim, Jalali
** Sent off.