Gareth Bale could barely muster the words to describe his heartbreak after Wales ' World Cup hopes suffered a major blow in their dramatic 2-0 defeat to Iran.
Rob Page 's side conceded two goals in added time after goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey rush of blood saw him sent off in the 85th minute. A spectacular strike from Iran's Roozbeh Cheshmi soon broke the deadlock, leaving Welsh hearts shattered in both Doha and back home.
In the 11th minute of added-time, Ramin Rezeain finished a brilliant counter attack and secured a huge three points for Iran, who bounced back from a 6-2 thrashing at the hands of England. As for Wales, who drew 1-1 with the USA in their opening game, they now have to beat the Three Lions in their final group game on Tuesday to stand any chance of reaching the knockout stage.
Just moments after full-time, Bale fronted up to the media and couldn't hide his sadness, visibly struggling to find a way to put the defeat into words.
"We are gutted, there is no other way to say it," the dejected 33-year-old told BBC Sport. "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."
Unfortunately for Bale, he and his teammates couldn't complain at the result, as Iran ultimately dominated the match and came out worthy winners. Kieffer Moore had Wales' best chance in the 12th minute, but his volleyed effort was saved by Hossein Hosseini.
Iran grew in confidence during the first 45 minutes and by the second half were in full flow. Carlos Quieroz 's men hit the post twice and had a flurry of attacks scrambled away by Welsh defenders. for a time it look as if the Red Wall was going to hold firm and at least earn the Dragons a point.
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But alas, Iran's persistence paid off and defender Cheshmi pulled off a spectacular strike from long range to beat Danny Ward, who'd replaced Hennessey 13 minutes earlier. Wales' No.1 had been shown a straight red card following a VAR review after rushing out of his goal and colliding with Iran's star striker, Medhi Taremi.
Rezeain, another defender, then wrapped up the win for Iran, crushing Wales' hopes of a draw for good. As for Iran, it was a memorable day, with manager Queiroz saying: "This is just the beginning, but we need to finish the job. A wonderful day for us. All respect to my players, today showed they love to play football. Our players deserve to be supported. We want to play for the fans."
