23
11:25
The next scene belongs to the Iranians. Gholizadeh brings a free kick from the half field in the sixteen. Azmoun climbs up from the penalty spot and heads the ball towards goal. However, it was difficult to set and goes well over the crossbar.
21
11:22
Gareth Bale is not in the game yet. The attacker has been well taken out of the game so far and has not caused a sensation so far.
18
11:21
The Welsh, and Roberts in particular, are very fortunate in this scene. That could quickly have been the backlog. In any case, the Dragons give the Iranians too much space, which makes them dangerous again and again.
15
11:17
VAR’s decision: A. Gholizadeh (Iran)’s goal is disallowed, score 0-0
The Iranians take the lead after a huge mistake by Roberts. Roberts plays the ball from the right side of the box straight into Gholizadeh’s foot. He takes Azmoun with him. The Leverkusen attacker plays the ball across to Gholizadeh, who only has to push in from four meters. However, when Azmoun played through, Gholizadeh was clearly offside and the goal was rightly withdrawn.
14
11:16
After Moore’s good scene, the attacker is down on the ground after being kicked in the face by central defender Majid Hosseini. It certainly wasn’t intentional, but painful nonetheless. However, after a brief treatment, Moore moves on.
12.
11:14
Hosseini reacts brilliantly! The Welsh players play it out patiently on the opposing sixteen and take their time. Ramsey and Roberts bounced the ball back and forth several times before Roberts spotted Moore’s path. From the right half-field he brings the cross to the six-yard box as soft as butter. Moore settles between the defenders and straddles the ball. He puts the ball on goal from five yards out, but Hosseini is there and is able to parry brilliantly on the line.
9.
11:11
It’s a strong start for the Iranians. You really get into the combination game. Rezaeian has moved up the right side and is pulling inward. He serves Azmoun who deftly lets the ball through to Taremi. Rodon just steps in with his foot and prevents a good opportunity.
7.
11:07
The Iranians get a lot of space in the center and often create a majority situation. So far that hasn’t created the huge chances, but the flow of the game is completely different than against England. It’s a fast-paced start by the Iranians.
5.
11:06
It starts well here. Both teams try to build up pressure and get behind the chain with long balls. Hajsafi tries to stage Taremi behind the defense with a cheeky chip pass. The pass is then a bit too imprecise and can be intercepted by Hennessey.
3.
11:05
The Dragons come to the first conclusion. Moore wins an important header duel up front and brings the ball to Wilson on the left winger. The Welshman lays it down to Wilson, who pulls in the middle on the sixteen. With his right foot he wants to circle the ball from 17 meters into the far corner, but shoots almost two meters wide of the right post.
1.
11:02
The ball rolls and the Welsh toast. Ampadu tries it directly with a wide ball to the outside, but first hits the ball into the side.
10:59
The protagonists step onto the lawn and the national anthems sound. First, the entire stadium rattles the Welsh anthem, a real goosebump moment. The Iranian anthem is accompanied by whistles, this time the players are not silent collectively. It’s extremely difficult to just concentrate on football. Nevertheless, this encounter is about to start. Wales meet Iran in Group B in a crucial game in the battle for the knockout stage.
10:54
Of course, with the current events in Iran, it’s difficult to concentrate on the sporting side. The Iranian national team’s protest before the game against England caused quite a stir. Clear signals against the Iranian regime are again expected today. There have already been some pictures from the stadium that security forces have taken shirts with peaceful and critical writing from female fans. It just shouldn’t be a World Cup of clear statements.
10:47
For the Iranians, there are significantly more changes from the first game against England. The starting formation rotates a total of five times. Among other things, there is a new man between the posts. After Beiranvand was injured after 20 minutes in the opening game, it’s still not enough for the real number one today. But Hosseini takes over in the box. Also starting today are Rezaeian, Gholizadeh, Ezatolahi and Leverkusen’s Azmoun. Cheshmi, Moharrami, Jahanbakhsh and Karimi are sitting on the bench for now.
10:38
Let’s look at the lineups of both teams. There is only one change for the Welsh team compared to the game against the USA. James stays on the bench. Moore moves into the attack alongside Gareth Bale. Moore came on as a substitute against the USA and has caused significant changes in the Dragons’ attacking game.
10:28
In Iran, on the other hand, the game was quickly decided. Jude Bellingham, Dortmund’s young star, opened the three Lions’ goal festival in the 35th minute. At half-time, the Iranians were already 3-0 down. In the second half, however, they showed morale and scored two more goals through Mehdi Taremi. However, they could not withstand the pressure from the English and lost 2:6 in the end. So things are not looking good for the Iran team, but with a surprise against Wales today, the chances for the clear underdogs would look much better again.
10:19
Against the USA, the Welsh took a long time to get into the game. After Weah went behind in the first half, the Dragons strengthened and created some good chances. The majority of the fans were also on the Welsh side and made the encounter a kind of home game. It wasn’t until around ten minutes from time that the Welshmen salvaged a penalty that none other than Gareth Bale found unstoppable in goal. In this way, the Dragons earned an important point in the fight for the next round and could increase to four points today.
10:04
A clear picture emerges in Group B. The English are enthroned in first place and, after the clear 6:2 start against Iran, have ensured good conditions at the start of the World Cup. The fight for second place and the associated progression to the knockout phase is therefore behind the Englishman. Both the USA, Wales and underdog Iran have chances to secure this spot. The Welsh played an important draw against the USA and won a point. Although the Iranians started with a clear defeat, they could cause an upset in the remaining two games.
09:55
Hello and welcome to matchday two of the group stage of the Fifa World Cup. In Group B, Wales meets Iran today. The ball starts rolling at 11:00 a.m. The live ticker for this game starts just before the kick-off.