Wales v Iran player ratings: Cheshmi 7, Ezatolahi 8; Ramsey 4, Bale 4

Welsh on the brink as Iranians revive their World Cup qualification hopes

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  WALES RATINGS: Wayne Hennessey 6 - A mixed occasion for the Wales stopper, who turned in a fine performance for 86 minutes, making two stunning saves as his side wilted under pressure. Unfortunately, his reckless red card – this World Cup’s first – gave Iran the late impetus to take a crucial win. AFP

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  Chris Mepham 6 - Undeserving of defeat, such was his level of commitment and effort. Produced a string of last-ditch blocks and interceptions but was ultimately unable to prevent Iran turning their growing dominance into victory. Getty

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  Joe Rodon – 6 Among Wales’ better performers. Offered precious little protection by his midfielders and had to produce last-minute interventions on several occasions – though his own distribution was also found wanting more than once. Getty

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  Ben Davies 7 - Unfortunate not to break the deadlock with a blockbusting effort in the second half which was well saved, but the Tottenham defender spent the bulk of his afternoon putting out fires all over the backline. AFP

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  Connor Roberts 4 - Offered a huge reprieve early on when his blind infield pass resulted in a VAR-overturned opener, but his personal display never recovered from that setback and he struggled to impress himself on the occasion. AP

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  Neco Williams 6 - The Nottingham Forest starlet carried himself well for the majority of the game, outperforming a number of his senior colleagues, but lacked composure with his first-half chance in a game where each Welsh opportunity had to be fully exploited. AP

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  Ethan Ampadu 5 - An afternoon to forget for the youngster, who too often found himself pulled out of position or gravitating needlessly towards the ball, allowing Iran to maximise space in turnovers. A harsh lesson. EPA

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  Aaron Ramsey 4 - An anonymous outing from one of Wales’ finest talents. Looked a spent force and frequently found himself bypassed by play, then failed to use the ball wisely when it did come his way. Getty

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  Harry Wilson 6 - One of Robert Page’s livelier attacking contributors, but was unable to muster collective momentum on his own. Had a decent effort deflected off-target but was later substituted as Wales sought to reshuffle in attack. Getty

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  Gareth Bale 4 - Wales’ go-to hero was, like Ramsey, conspicuous by his absence when needed most. Looked leg-weary after Wales’ efforts against USA and has earned the right to have an occasional off-day, but that won’t lessen his disappointment. AFP

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  Keiffer Moore 6 - Might have enjoyed an unforgettable day if his early volley hadn’t been superbly saved, but instead he spent the game largely chasing lost causes and being dragged into niggly battles with Iran’s defenders. AP

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  SUBS: Daniel James (Harry Wilson, 58) 5 - Thrown on to add spark to Wales’ flagging attack, but early promise meandered into misplaced passes and he suffered from the game’s stop-start flow. AFP

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  Brennan Johnson (Connor Roberts, 58) 5 - A savvy change in place of the underperforming Roberts, but didn’t have enough movement around him to make a telling difference. AFP

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  Joe Allen (Nathan Ampadu, 77) 4 - Brought on to steady the ship, but instead ended up teeing up Iran’s opening goal with a poor clearance. Getty

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  Danny Ward (Aaron Ramsey, 87) N/A - Thrown in at an extraordinarily difficult time. Little he could do about the opening goal and nothing he could do about the second. Getty

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  IRAN RATINGS: Hossein Hosseini 7 - Making his first tournament start after Alireza Beiranvand’s concussion and broken nose against England, and quickly bedded in with a smart stop from Moore’s close-range volley. Commanding at set-pieces but had a far quieter game than Wales would have liked. PA

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  Ramin Rezaeian 8 - Did well to shut down Wales’ threat on the left. Made his mark on Nico Williams with a strong first-half challenge which went unpunished and had to contend with the second-half threat of James’s pace. Slung in more than one inviting cross which amounted to nothing, then capped a fine display with a brilliant killer second. AFP

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  Morteza Pouraliganji 8 - A calm head in the centre of defence. Offered Wales precious little space in danger areas and showed astute use of the ball whenever it came his way. Fortunate to escape a booking for sending Ramsey tumbling in the second half. Reuters

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  Majid Hosseini 6 - Lost Moore for Wales’ best first-half chance, but was spared by Hosseini’s fine save. Wasteful set-piece delivery when better was required and played some sloppy passes – though redeemed himself with some sharp interceptions. AP

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  Milad Mohammadi 7 - Another who was happy to exert himself physically, as Bale found with one early arm to the face. Made a slow start and was almost punished when he allowed a cross which Moore almost converted, but recovered to turn in a solid, thoughtful display. AFP

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  Ali Gholizadeh 7 - Caught fractionally offside when he converted from close-range in the first period, and his misfortune continued into the second half when a brilliant curler thudded back off the upright during a maddening passage of play. PA

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  Ahmad Nourollahi 7 - A calm and considered presence in midfield. Knew how and when to distribute play, but too often his approach work was shut down at the last minute. Tested Hennessey with a dipping long-range effort which was well handled. Getty

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  Saeid Ezatolahi 8 - Put in a sensational cross in first-half stoppage time which Azmoun was inches away from converting, then released the same player with a brilliant through-ball shortly after the restart. Iran’s best supply line. Almost hit a second-half opener, but for a brilliant Hennessey save. AFP

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  Ehsan Hajisafi 6 - Spent much of the game on the periphery of play, but had one powerful effort blocked by Mepham not long after the interval. Ultimately made way as Carlos Queiroz demanded more in attack. EPA

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  Sardar Azmoun 7 - A popular inclusion among supporters, the Bayer Leverkusen forward had virtually all his side’s best chances. Passed instead of shooting for Ezatolahi’s disallowed goal, headed wide from a free-kick, smashed against the post and then had a point-blank header saved by Hennessey seconds later. Desperately unfortunate not to net at least once. AP

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  Mehdi Taremi 6 - Struggled to get into the game with poor service and Azmoun acting as the beneficiary of any coherent forward play. Taken out by Rodon for a booking – then later crumpled by Hennessey’s wild challenge – but would have wished to be given any of the chances which fell to Azmoun. PA

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  SUBS: Karim Ansarifard (Sardar Azmoun, 68) 6 - The veteran forward posed more questions of Wales’ creaking backline, but was unable to land a clear sight of goal. AP

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  Mehdi Torabi (Ehsan Hajisafi, 77) 7 - Almost became a national hero, but his 89th-minute effort arrowed just past the top corner. Getty

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  Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Ali Gholizadeh, 77) 6 - Didn’t have long to impact, but did find time to collect a booking for a high kick on Mepham which rules him out of the group finale against USA. AFP

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  Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Ahmad Nourollahi, 78) 7 - Struggled to get in the game during his limited time on the pitch, until it really mattered. Sensational calm and technique to drill in a stunning late opener. EPA

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  Ali Karimi (Saeid Ezatolahi, 83) N/A - Came on for his side’s injured star man but didn’t have the time or opportunity to make a positive difference. EPA

Iran scored twice deep into stoppage time to stun Wales 2-0 and breathe new life into a World Cup campaign overshadowed by anti-government protests at home.

Iran's players sang the national anthem before the Group B clash, having opted not to in their opener in Qatar, and were worthy winners against a Wales side reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey received the first red card of the World Cup.

Iran, who would have been eliminated with defeat, then punished Gareth Bale's Wales in the eighth minute of injury time through substitute Rouzbeh Cheshmi's powerful drive.

The Iranians sent their thousands of fans at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium wild when Ramin Rezaeian clipped in a second goal on the counter-attack.

There were emotional scene as Iran's players and staff, including their Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, embraced on the pitch and took in the acclaim of their supporters.

Ratings from the match can be seen in the gallery above, To view the next image, just swipe.