Wales goalkeeper Wayne Robert Hennessey received the first red card of FIFA World Cup 2022 in the game against Iran on November 25, for a karate kick foul at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.

The Nottingham Forest goalkeeper mistimed his attempt to prevent Mehdi Taremi from getting to the ball as he came flying out of his area to get to the ball first. Iran’s No. 9 was badly tackled by Hennessey and was initially booked for the foul and was shown the yellow card. 

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Then Referee Mario Escobar referred his decision back to the VAR room, where after the review of pitchside monitors, Hennessey ended up getting a red card.

In the 86th minute of the game, Hennessey went out of the park and was replaced by Danny Ward. The 35-year-old became the third goalkeeper in the history of the World Cup to be given a red card.

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Who is Wayne Hennessey?

Wayne Robert Hennessey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Wales national team.

Hennessey was born in Bangor, Gwynedd, and was educated at Ysgol David Hughes. He switched to Connah’s Quay High School as it was easier to travel to Manchester. He is the cousin of Terry Hennessey, who earned 39 caps for Wales from 1962 to 1972.

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Hennessey’s set a new Football League record for consecutive clean sheets while on loan at Stockport County. He played 166 times for Wolverhampton Wanderers over eight seasons. After several injury setbacks, he moved to join Crystal Palace in 2014. 

He transitioned into a fully international player in 2007. Hennessey is Wales’ third most-capped player and its most-capped goalkeeper, with over 100 caps. He was in the Wales squads for the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020, reaching the semi-finals of the former.