Kuala Lumpur: A spot in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time may have eluded Islamic Republic of Iran, but it was not for the lack of trying.
Iran gave Qatar 2022 their all and despite suffering disappointment, Carlos Queiroz's side won many hearts with their resilience and determination.
Group stage results
vs England 2-6
vs Wales 2-0
vs USA 0-1
Iran's opening clash was always going to be a heavy task as England went into the tournament as one of the early favourites.
The Central Asian side suffered an early blow when goalkeeper Alireza Bieranvand was forced off in the 20th minute following a clash of heads with Hossein Hosseini replacing him.
As England upped their tempo, Iran's resistance was finally broken in the 35th minute with Jude Bellingham opening the scoring.
Bukayo Saka (43rd) and Raheem Sterling (45+2) then gave England a comfortable advantage heading into the break.
Saka scored his second in the 62nd minute but Mehdi Taremi gave Iran a glimmer of hope with his 65th-minute effort.
Boosted by their goal, Carlos Queiroz's side pushed forward only for England to capitalise on the open spaces to score through Marcus Rashford (71st) and Jack Grealish (90th).
The Central Asian side, however, refused to give up and Taremi converted a penalty deep into added time to become the first Iranian player to score two goals at the FIFA World Cup.
While the heavy defeat was sobering, Iran knew it wasn't the end of their campaign as a victory over Wales would put them back on track for a historic place in the knockout stage.
It was a tight affair as Wales, having settled for a 1-1 draw with the United States - also needed a win to boost their hopes.
Iran's determination was rewarded almost at the very end as Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian scored dramatic stoppage-time goals to set up a do-or-die clash against the United States.
They went into the tie against the United States at the Al Thumama Stadium only needing a draw but Christian Pulisic’s first-half goal denied Team Melli a historic first knockout stage berth but Iran will definitely come back stronger for the 2026 edition.
Iran coach Carlos Quieroz said, “When you don’t score you just can’t dream that you will go forward. But there are no ifs in football, there are no fair opinions when you finish a game.
“What you need to know is to deal with the reality and come back stronger, better and be sure the next time when Iran qualifies, to prepare better and have the mind, the spirit, the soul in the game and keep going, trying to win respect, appreciation and credibility all over the world. They deserve that for what they’ve been doing inside the pitch.”
Source: AFC
