Bale to take a further step for Wales against Queiroz’s Iran
The ex-Madridista attacker scored the equalizer in the first match and now needs victory.
Gareth Bale, who made his debut in a World Cup with a goal in the match that Wales drew (1-1) on Monday against the United States. Now, he will seek to take a bigger step this Friday against Iran, the team coached by another former Real Madrid coach, the Portuguese Carlos Queiroz, who started his tour in the Qatar 2022 World Cup with a severe defeat (6-2) against England.
Bale, 33 years old -five times winner of the Champions League with Real Madrid and who has just won the North American League (MLS) with Los Angeles FC- showed once again that he is where he should be at decisive moments. With a penalty goal, he equalized Tim Weah’s goal in the second half. And he raised to ten – between qualifiers and the World Cup – the consecutive games that Wales has been unbeaten (six wins and four draws).
The Cardiff Express declared after the match that it was “happy” to have scored – in Wales’ first match of the second World Cup in its history – but that “I preferred the three points”.
Iran against the ropes
This Friday Wales will be able to go against Carlos Queiroz’s team, who arrived at the World Cup involved in all kinds of controversies out its control and related to the internal revolts in Iran; with the express support given by some of their players, including Sarder Azmoun, German Bayer Leverkusen player.
With that perspective, Iran lost so hard game with a grown England; and now the permanence in the tournament is at stake against Wales, which they only faced one time, 44 years ago: in a friendly played in the Iranian capital and which the British won 0-1.
The two goals scored by Mehdi Taremi (Porto) only “made up” the defeat suffered against the “Three Lions” team and now they play their second game to life or death, with the reasonable doubt of their goalkeeper Beiranvand, who suffered a very hard blow in the head and that he was replaced by Hossein Hosseini.
Probable lineups for Wales – Iran
Wales: Hennessey, Mepham, Rodon, Davies; Roberts, Ampadu, Ramsey, Neco Williams; Wilson, Bale and Moore or James.
Iran: H. Hosseini, Moharrami, Pouraliganji, Cheshmi, M.Hosseini, Mohammadi; Hajisafi, Ezatolahi, Noorollahi; Taremi and Jahanbakhsh or Gholizadeh.
Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala) Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali (Rayan).
By Fernando Perez (Football Analyst, Spain)
Bengali