Wales’ Wayne Hennessey earns first 2022 World Cup red card
The 2022 World Cup’s first red card should have come with a black belt.
Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey was sent off against Iran after he raced out of his box to stop Mehdi Taremi, colliding with — and dealing a vicious-looking kick to — the Iranian star.
Hennessey was initially given a yellow card in the 86th minute of the Group B match, though referee Mario Escobar upped it to a red for recklessness on review, which showed the Nottingham Forest goalie striking Taremi in the jaw with his knee.
The 35-year-old became just the third keeper in World Cup history to receive a red card, joining Italy’s Gianluca Pagliuca (1994) and South Africa’s Itumeleng Khune (2010).
Danny Ward subbed in after Hennessey’s expulsion, though the Welsh side suffered down a man during stoppage time. They allowed goals to Rouzbeh Cheshmi in the 98th minute and Ramin Rezaeian three minutes later for a 2-0 Iran win.
“The red card changes the game completely,” Wales star Gareth Bale said. “We let the first one in, and the second one doesn’t matter. We recover and we go again.”
Wales, which tied the U.S. in its World Cup opener on Monday, fell to last place in its group with England on tap for Tuesday.
“We want to finish the competition on a on a high, it’s out of our hands in regards to going through, but we want to finish with a good performance and a win,” Wales coach Rob Page said.