Minutes after Iran played to a thrilling, though for Rezaeian and his teammates heartbreaking, 1-1 draw against Egypt, Rezaeian didn’t bother masking his pain. While on the verge of tears while meeting with reporters at Seattle Stadium, Rezaeian said he couldn’t believe that a game-winning goal scored by Iran’s Shoja Khalilzadeh, in the third minute of stoppage time, was called offside after an incredibly nitpicky technological review.
One could only imagine how Rezaeian and his teammates felt some 24 hours later, when Iran’s fortunes, incredibly, got even worse.
Just one of three. But Croatia bested Ghana, 2-1. Then DR Congo beat Uzbekistan, 3-1.
Both teams would advance with the tie, and Algeria had little incentive to win the game and advance to play Spain, rather than Switzerland, in the knockout stage. Game over.
For a few seconds, it turns out. Because Austria was not done. Off a long, seemingly desperate cross, Michael Gregoritsch headed the ball to Sasa Kalajdzic, who in turn headed the pass into the net to equalize. Game actually over. Austria survived, and faces Spain in Los Angeles on July 2. Algeria gets Switzerland the same day, in Vancouver. Iran goes home.
Iran’s World Cup stay was fraught and controversial. The country that hosted its games, the United States, continued to attack Iran during the World Cup, bringing unprecedented geopolitical tension into the sporting realm. Before the start of the war in late February, Iran had planned to set up a base camp in Tucson, Ariz. for the World Cup.
During the tournament, Iranian players and coaches objected to the arrangements, claiming that they disrupted their training and recovery, creating an uneven playing field. “It's a disaster World Cup,” Iran forward Mehdi Taremi said on Friday.
Politics and sports will always intertwine. But taking the tensions out of the equation, even for a brief moment: how can you not feel sympathy for the Iranian soccer players, as athletes and humans, who were so tantalizingly close to fulfilling lifelong dreams and uplifting the people of Iran?
After the team’s exit was official, the Iran soccer media department sent out a note to journalists who had covered the team, thanking Tijuana for its hospitality. “The memories we created here, the friendships we built, and the kindness we received will remain forever in the hearts of every member of the Iran National Football Team,” the statement read. “We hope our paths will cross again.”
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