Key events
VAR CHECK
Hennessey will be sent off here.
84 min: It’s all kicking off! Taremi beats Hennessey to a long ball, 30 yards from goal, and is wiped out. The referee gives a yellow card, which can only be because he thought Neco Williams was covering. Personally I think it’s a clear goalscoring opportunity.
83 min: Good save from Hosseini! Williams’ long-range shot is unwittingly blocked by Moore, but he is alert enough to lay the loose ball off to Davies on the edge of the area. He crashes a rising drive that is pushed over by the leaping Hosseini. A good save, though one he’d expect to make.
83 min: Iran substitution And now they have none, unless the game goes to extra time: Ezatolahi is replaced by Ali Karimi.
82 min Ezatolahi is down with cramp. Iran have one substitution remaining.
80 min Gareth Bale has done nothing. Nada. Zilch. The square root of bugger all. If I was an Iran supporter, the ‘it’s too darned quiet’ principle would be haunting me.
79 min “It says something about how stressed the Wales fans at the stadium must be,” begins Kári Tulinius, “that they loudly applauded winning a throw-in near the half-way line. Enjoy the last twenty minutes!”
78 min: Wales substitition Joe Allen, who has been out since mid-September, comes on for Ethan Ampadu.
78 min: Triple substitution for Iran After a lot of faffing, Ali Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Torabi and Rouzbeh Cheshmi replace Gholidazeh, Hajisafi and Nourollahi.
75 min For most of the game Iran have played on the break, but at the moment they are all over Wales like a cheap cliche. If Gareth Bale is going to write another script, now would be a decent time.
74 min “A draw is ok,” pleads Matt Mony. “If this finishes even, and assuming England beat the USA, then England are guaranteed to go through as group winners. Meaning they could play a weaker team in the last game, with a Gijon-esque lack of intensity. Is it how I dreamed Wales would go through? No. Would I take it? Absolutely!”
73 min: Fine save by Hennessey! Wales are right on the edge here. Ezatolahi shifts the ball away from a Wales player in the D and sweeps a low, right-footed drive towards the far corner. Hennessey, who must have seen it late, gets down to his right and fingertips it round the post. That’s an extremely good stop.
72 min Gholizadeh’s cross is shinned behind by Rodon. The corner is taken short and eventually comes to Pouraliganji, whose shot is blocked.
71 min Ezatolahi’s angled cross beyond the far post is headed down by Pouraliganji, still up from a corner, and Hennessey is quick off his line to claim. Wales look tired now.
70 min Sheesh, this is tense. If it stays like this the winners will be the USA, though it’s pretty complicated. A draw isn’t the end of the world, or the World Cup.
69 min Reorder these letters: SFF.
68 min: Iran substitution Karim Ansarifard replaces Sardar Azmoun, who has run himself into the ground.
67 min Johnson slows down in the area, then zips past Mohammadi and drives a low cross towards the near post. Bale misses an attempted flick behind his standing leg and Iran clear.
That was good from Johnson, exactly the kind of no-nonsense running Wales want from him and James.
66 min Iran have been heavy-footed at times in this hame, and Pouraliganji leaves a bit on Moore after a free-kick has been given.
65 min The resulting corner hits the unsighted Johnson and runs to safety. Iran appeal unsuccessfully for handball. It did hit his hand, but it was pretty close to his body. VAR isn’t interested.
64 min Another very dangerous break from Taremi. He runs 40 yards, with Mepham backpedalling the whole way, then shifts the ball inside for a shot that is crucially blocked by the covering Ampadu.
64 min “I’m hoping one or both of them will prove me wrong and score worldies to win the game for Wales,” begins Michael Gibson. “But on the evidence of this and the match against USA, both Bale and Ramsey look past it. Ramsey in particular is a shadow of the player he once was, I’ve lost count of the number of times he’s given the ball away. Bale saunters around the pitch like he’s on an extended lap of honour. So come on lads, prove me wrong!”
63 min Taremi leads another break and slides an angled through pass towards the unmarked Rezaeian on the right side of the area. James stretches to poke the ball behind for a corner, an important bit of defending.
62 min Make sure you click for the full picture.
62 min A dangerous cross from Williams evades everyone in the middle.
61 min As the old proverb says, it’s better to be lucky than to be 1-0 down in a musn’t-lose World Cup game.
61 min Iran have a substitute ready but Azmoun wants to continue. He’s put in a helluva shift today.
60 min Azmoun is down again. I think his game might be over.
59 min This is the revised Wales formation, 4-2-3-1. Hennessey; N Williams, Mepham, Rodon, Davies; Ramsey, Ampadu; Johnson, Bale, James; Moore.
57 min Mohammadi fouls Wilson, which gives Rob Page the chance to make a double substitution.
Brennan Johnson and Dan James replace Harry Wilson and Connor Roberts, which means a) pace, b) pace and c) a switch to 4-2-3-1.
56 min Now Hajisafi has a shot blocked, I think by Mepham. Wales are hanging on.
55 min Ramsey is fouled 35 yards from goal, right of centre. Wilson’s free-kick is poor, straight into the arms of Hosseini.
53 min At the other end, Moore beats Hosseini to Bale’s cross and heads onto the roof of the net. The referee might have given a foul against Moore, I’ not sure; either way, it was a half chance at best.
51 min: Iran hit the post twice in 10 seconds! Scenes galore! First Azmoun rumbled into the area from Nourollahi’s angled through pass, held off Rodon and slapped a shot against the right-hand post. Gholizadeh kept the ball alive and shaped an extravagant long-range curler that beat the flying Hennessey and thumped off the left-hand post. It rebounded to Azmoun, who was off balance and could only head straight at a very grateful Hennessey.
50 min Plenty of Wales possession at the start of the second half, though it’s largely in front of the Iran defence. Moore does make a run in behind, down the right, but he’s flagged offside.
49 min “I’m sat at my desk, with the game on an iPad beneath my work screens, just a few yards from my boss,” writes Matt, erm let’s change his name just in case, Bony. “I would dearly love to be able to say I was on the beers, but I just don’t think I could get away with it. Should have thought of an Irish coffee, though. And some strong chewing gum.”
48 min Another dodgy square pass, this time from Ramsey, puts Wales in trouble. It’s stolen and fed towards Azmoun, who is well tackled by Mepham in the area.
47 min “Morning Mr Smyth,” writes Bill Hargreaves. “After the eagle-eyed reader spotted that Tite is, in fact, the ‘Genial’ Harry Grout (Porridge), I was wondering if Rob Page might have a hint of Bernard ‘‘Orrible’ Ives about him?
“Southgate is, need it be said, Barraclough, making the scheming Harry Kane, Fletch; Gareth Bale being his Lenny Godber. While we’re casting, is Didier Deschamps Mr. MacKay? I have John Stones down as Luke Warm.
“Sincerely, Blanco Webb.”
46 min Peep peep! Iran begin the second half, with no changes on either side. Yet.
More half-time reading
Germany v Spain, Sunday, 8pm GMT
Half-time reading
“Hello from Swansea!” says Rob Morgan. “I can confirm that a number of us are indeed on the beers, a lot of pubs have kindly opened early for the match.
“Also with regards to the playlist, and in honour of my hometown/team, I think we’d need some SWANS on there?”
Well, if you insist.
The BBC team are all saying this is a must-win game. That’s not quite the case. It’s a bit complicated, but if this is a draw and England beat the USA tonight – if, if, if – both Wales and Iran will still have their destiny in their own hands.
(Edit: no they won’t, I’m a moron, but Iran would know that a win over the US would put them through unless Wales beat England.)
Half time: Wales 0-0 Iran
“It’s hot, and Wales have been a little bit bothered by Iran,” says the BBC commentator Steve Wilson.
Wales have had most of the ball but Iran have been the more dangerous team on the counter-attack. Ali Gholizadeh and Sardar Azmoun combined for a fantastic goal that was ruled out for offside; at the other end, Kieffer Moore’s flying volley was beaten away by Hossein Hosseini.
45+4 min The resulting free-kick ricochets dangerously around the area before being cleared. Then Nourollahi hits a long-range shot that is well held by Hennessey. It was straight at him but bounced awkwardly just in front.
45+3 min Rodon is booked for an absurd sliding foul on Taremi.
45+2 min Iran work the ball patiently on the right, until Ezatolahi suddenly whips a fantastic cross towards the six-yard line. Azmoun and Rodon both lunge for the ball, but it evades them both and bounces to safety. Azmoun was goalside, and for a split-second it looked like he was going to score.
45 min There will be four added minutes.