After falling to a late 2-0 loss to Iran, Gareth Bale acknowledged that Wales is in danger of being eliminated from the World Cup.
The Iranian team’s late goals from Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian caused the 10-man Dragons to lose heartbreakingly in Qatar.
Rob Page’s team just has one point after two games after that defeat, therefore in order to maintain their chances of moving on, the Welsh must defeat England on Tuesday night.
The 33-year-old captain Bale spoke after the final horn: “It is painful. There is no other way to describe how devastated we are.
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Rouzbeh Cheshmi struck in the eighth minute of stoppage time for Iran
Iran put in a commanding performance, but the Dragons’ chances of winning were dashed in the 86th minute when Wayne Hennessey was sent off for charging out of his goal and colliding with Mehdi Taremi.
Bale thought it marked a turning point in the previously acrimonious situation.
The 48-year-old said: “Our performance before the red card was not acceptable.
“We hoped it would all come together, but we were nowhere near the levels we’ve set and the standards we’ve set in recent games.
“One or two you can carry, but when there are so many off days there is only one outcome.
“I always take responsibility, that’s my team. The sending off didn’t help of course but at that point we had five forwards on the pitch so couldn’t get a defensive shape.
“But yes I’ll always take responsibility for performances.
“It’s a difficult changing room at the minute but we will be ready [against England]. It’s a local derby and a great game to finish on and we’ll be prepared to go.”
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After being second best for much of the contest at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, former Wales striker Iwan Roberts was critical of Page’s men.
He said: “I’m extremely disappointed in how Wales performed. If we’re being honest, we haven’t been good enough in the two games.
“The thing for Wales is our fitness levels. Not enough of our players are playing 90 minutes regularly. Not enough energy, nobody looked fresh. You can get a couple of players through like that, but not five or six.
“We were lucky against the USA. We lost to the better team, no doubt about it. They were fitter, more confident, more sharp. We can’t complain about that result at all.”
Ashley Williams, who led Wales to the 2016 Euro semifinals, has a better attitude.
The ex-Swansea defender, 38, said: “I think Wales gave it their all as they always do, they worked as hard as they could in this second half. Iran probably shaded Wales a bit.
“We didn’t get ourselves into good enough areas in the second half and didn’t have enough chances on the Iranian goal. So I’m gutted for all the boys.”
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After suffering a 6-2 defeat to England in their opening game, Iran are now well in the race for the knockout stages ahead of their final group clash with USA on Tuesday.
Manager Carlos Queiroz said: “This is just the beginning, but we need to finish the job. [It is] a wonderful day for us.
“All respect to my players, who showed they love to play football. Our players deserve to be supported. We want to play for the fans.”