Joe Allen admits his World Cup debut proved to be a bittersweet moment as Wales suffered late heartache against Iran.
The Red Dragons were alarmingly off colour on Friday and conceded twice in second-half injury-time to ensure they go into Tuesday's clash with England needing a win to stand any chance of reaching the knockout stages.
Allen was summoned from the bench in the latter stages of the loss to Iran in what was his first taste of action since sustaining a hamstring injury while playing for Swansea City against Hull City on September 17.
GRAB YOUR COPY: Get your brilliant 48-page Wales at the World Cup souvenir special
Despite playing on the grandest stage of world football, Allen admits Wales' largely blunt showings in Qatar, aside from the second-half of the 1-1 draw against the USA, have proven to be deeply frustrating.
"Yeah, mixed feelings in terms of the pride of playing for my country in a World Cup but a very disappointing performance and result (against Iran)," said the midfielder.
"We’re not where we hoped to be two games into the group stage. In terms of what went wrong, I don’t think there’s any one thing you could put your finger on.
"We’ve gone through everywhere we can improve and so far it’s not been a fair reflection of what we’re capable of. That’s been a real disappointment because we can offer so much more and we will certainly will have to do that in the next game."
Having come off the bench against Carlos Queiroz's outfit, Allen confirmed that he is available to start against England if required. The Three Lions currently top Group B having collected four of the six points on offer.
Wales must win against England by four clear goals or hope that they win and that Iran and USA draw if they are to reach the last-16 of the World Cup.
And while Allen admits the task that lies ahead is an immensely difficult one, he does not feel Wales' chances can be written off just yet.
" It’s not impossible, no," he said. "It’s a tough task, it’s always uncomfortable when it’s not in your hands and you’re relying on certain things to unfold but while there’s still a chance it’s really simple for us.
"We’re fully motivated, fully incentivised into throwing absolutely everything into getting the win. Then, who knows? Hopefully, there’s a chance we can still get us out of this group."
England legends Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney have both stated their desire for Gareth Southgate to rest Harry Kane for the contest with Wales in a bid to ensure the striker is fully fit for the knockout rounds.
And while Southgate could make changes to his side following a flat showing in their 0-0 draw with the USA last time out, Kane's Tottenham team-mate Ben Davies was quick to highlight the quality the Three Lions have throughout their squad to replace Kane should he not feature in the starting line-up.
“It’s obviously a very big challenge," said the defender. "They’ve shown how good they are, especially over the last couple of years.
"It’s going to be a very tough game but we’ve got to give it everything we’ve got and hope things go our way."
And on Kane, Davies commented: “Harry’s a world-class player and one of the best in the world so he’s going to make any team better with him in there. That doesn’t mean that England don’t have very capable replacements to come in. Whoever we’re up against, we’re facing a team of world-class players.”
Send your message of support to the Wales football team at the World Cup here
READ NEXT:
'Wales don't have more passion than England' and defender says handbrake is off
Wales melt when the heat is on and big guns fail to deliver when it really mattered
The results Wales now need to reach World Cup knockouts after Iran heartbreak
Rob Page tells Wales players they got what they deserved and warns stars could now be dropped
