Cheshmi’s late goal sends Iran to victory over Wales
Al RAYYAN, Qatar — Rouzbeh Cheshmi scored in the eighth minute of secondhalf stoppage time to break a scoreless stalemate and Iran went on to defeat Wales 2-0 at the World Cup on Friday.
Cheshmi's strike from outside the box was just beyond the diving reach of Wales backup goalkeeper Danny Ward, who was pressed into duty when starter Wayne Hennessey was sent off in the 86th minute.
Ramin Rezaeian added a second goal moments later and Iran wildly celebrated while some of the Welsh players dropped in disbelief to the field.
Hennessy was ejected in the 86th minute for a high challenge on Mehdi Taremi.
Gareth Bale made his 110th appearance for Wales, the most all-time for the national team, but the Welsh appeared sluggish early after a 1-1 draw with the United States in their Group B opener.
Iran, which fell 6-2 to England in its opener to fall to last place in the group, fared better against Wales.
But outside Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, the ongoing protests in Iran spilled over to the World Cup with progovernment fans harassing anti-government national team supporters.
Wales was making just its second overall appearance at the World Cup and first since 1958.
Bale, who played for Major League Soccer's LAFC this past season, remained stuck on 41 goals for the national team, despite surpassing teammate Chris Gunter (109) for most alltime appearances.
Iran goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand was ruled out of the game after he sustained a concussion in the opener. Hossein Hosseini started in his place.
Iran, which qualified for the last two World Cups, has never advanced to the knockout round.
The Iranian team has been peppered since its arrival in Qatar with questions about unrest back home. The players, who did not sing the country's national anthem in their opener in an apparent show of solidarity with protestors, linked arms and sang on Friday.
The two teams had never played each other at a World Cup. Wales won their only friendly match 1-0 in 1978.
SENEGAL 3, QATAR 1
DOHA, Qatar — The show is over already for the Qatar team, which was eliminated Friday from the World Cup less than a week after it opened the tournament and launched the first version of soccer's biggest event in the Middle East.
Qatar lost 3-1 to Senegal for its second straight defeat
at the World Cup and its exit was confirmed a few hours later, when Netherlands and Ecuador drew 1-1 in the other Group A game.
Becoming the quickest host nation team to depart the tournament in the 92year history of the World Cup, Qatar can't qualify for the last 16 no matter what happens in its last game against Netherlands.
South Africa had been the only other home team to fail to make it out the group stage in 2010 — but it at least managed a win and a draw.
“If you expected us to go very far in this tournament, then it will be a disappointment,” Qatar coach Félix Sánchez said before his team was officially out. “Our goal was to be competitive.”
The writing was on the wall from the very start for Qatar. The team may be the 2019 Asian champion, but looked nervous and was overwhelmed in the 2-0 loss to Ecuador last Sunday straight after a glittering opening ceremony put on by the wealthy Gulf emirate and meant to showcase it to the world.
Friday's performance by Qatar was a little, but not much better for a squad that all plays in the local league and is missing the kind of top talent that is present in almost every World Cup team now.
Qatar at least scored this time, a second-half header by substitute Mohammed Muntari, a Ghanaian-born striker who is one of many in the squad born outside Qatar but brought in to boost its chances at the World Cup. At 2-1, Qatar threatened a comeback against the African champion for just six minutes before Bamba Dieng responded to hit home Senegal's third goal and reestablish a twogoal cushion.
Senegal got its campaign back on track after losing its opener to Netherlands. Coach Aliou Cissé was also pleased that three forwards, Boulaye Dia, Famara Diedhiou and Dieng, got on the scoresheet as Senegal has its own challenge at this World Cup: Filling the chasm left by the pre-tournament injury to Sadio Mané.
ECUADOR 1, NETHERLANDS 1
AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Inspired by captain Énner Valencia, Ecuador impressed again at the World Cup in a 1-1 draw with favored Netherlands in a game La Tri deserved to win.
Valencia has become a talisman on the biggest stage and his 49th-minute leveler against the Dutch made him the top scorer at this World Cup with his third goal in Qatar.
It also extended the 33year-old veteran's streak to scoring all six Ecuador goals at World Cups since the 2014 tournament.
The result eliminated host nation Qatar just five days after the start of its home World Cup that cost about $200 billion to prepare.
The draw gave both the Dutch and Ecuador one point apiece to move them to four points in Group A. It left Qatar with zero points after losing 3-1 to Senegal hours earlier.
Ecuador dominated much of the game after Cody Gakpo fired the Dutch into a sixth-minute lead with a rising shot from the edge of the penalty area. It was the fastest goal scored so far in Qatar.
Ecuador leveled when Valencia passed the ball into an empty net after Pervis Estupiñán's shot was pushed away by goalkeeper Andries Noppert
Almost the entire Ecuador squad joined their inspirational captain in a collective goal celebration. It created a powerful image of unity by kneeling together in a circle pointing to the night sky at Khalifa International Stadium.
Ecuador almost got a deserved winning goal minutes later when the Netherlands crossbar was rattled by a rising left-foot shot from Gonzalo Plata.
Ecuador plays Senegal on Tuesday, needing just a draw to advance, and the Netherlands will play Qatar.
Ecuador may have to do it without Valencia. He was stretchered off the field in the 90th minute. He was able to get up and walk the bench, where a bag of ice was taped to his right leg.