For ninety minutes and more, football united a divided nation. On either side of that nervous but exciting passage, fans waved two versions of the national flag, pre-revolutionary and post-revolutionary; Some held their fists to their chests as the AE Iran national anthem played in the arena; Some chanted and shouted slogans. Football, once Iran’s balm and beat, is now a symbol of the struggles that grip the country. The twin worlds of cheers and chatter then resumed Goalless remove
Fans, regardless of their affiliation, whether they think of the players as statesmen or eleven proud footballers, how could they not celebrate a moment they almost won and a glorious moment for their country. Belgium played nearly a quarter of the game with 10 men when Nathan Ngoye was booked for pulling Mehdi Taremi’s shirt, after a clumsy touch from the young defender. Iran scored a brilliant goal off-side, a defensive masterclass as they beat Belgium’s guild forward.
Only if their forwards read each other’s minds. Their play patterns were unclear in the attacking half, often caught in the dilemma of whether to shoot or pass, eventually doing neither and being dispossessed.
Perhaps, the unusual practice of flying out of the country before and after games was straining them. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino promised after the first game that he would do everything he could, but his promise remained just another promise. A broken promise. They had to fly to Los Angeles on Saturday and will fly out after the game.
Another story in US-Iran diplomacy emerged when US Homeland Security Secretary Markwain Mullin told Fox News on Saturday that someone with “direct ties” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tried to enter the United States with an Iranian football team but was not allowed to board a flight on Saturday.
Football, once Iran’s balm and beat, is now a symbol of the struggles that grip the country.
Among the 15 Iran Federation officials denied visas by the US was Federation President Mehdi Taj, an unidentified person. Iran’s football federation immediately issued a counterclaim saying Mullin’s allegations were “made with the intention of damaging the reputation of Iranian football and disrupting the participation of the national team”.
The game sparked a political frenzy. Almost every Iran moment elicited a collective sigh of exasperation—Iran fans were clearly outnumbered by their Belgian counterparts, whose clapping roused the Iranians’ fury. As it was, the game melted their differences, albeit briefly. Everyone sighed when his delightful goal was called offside. Cruelly. If there is generosity for aesthetics.
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This goal was like a lyric written by his virtuoso poet, Rumi or Omar Khayyam. Just before the hydration break, Iran were awarded a free kick for a hand ball 25 yards off the perch of an unstoppable Thibault Courtois. Ehsan Hajidsafi, showing an intimidating intensity, planned to turn the ball to the wall, run and lower his body to whip the ball. Instead, he coaxed a pass that was more of a brushstroke than a sledgehammer to the side of the wall. A gentle stroke knocked down the wall.
Talisman Taremi fumbled the ball, turned past the stunned Belgians and slotted Courtois’ ball home. The stands erupted, flags and messages of all shades were proudly draped across the stands. It was as if that was the moment that dissolved the country’s recent woes, a blessing. Instead, it was the moment that broke Iranian hearts. They could have been together in happiness, but here they were together in tragedy. A VAR check revealed that Taremi was slightly off-side (only on his back!) as he stood awkwardly with his hands on his head.
It will be a regret for years to come, the day they demonstrated their rearguard resilience. The five-man backline, pounding like a defensive wave, blocked all direct routes to their goal. Leandro Trossard and Alexis Sellemakers were killed like Google Maps. Romelu Lukaku was left alone and his first touch whenever he got the ball, his one-story weakness, let him down. This was due to Kevin De Bruyne’s improvements to unlocking the maze. And he consistently found cracks, even if they were nano-sized, that shook the wall. The wall was neutralized, the boulder remained, the goalkeeper Alireza Beranvand, with his iron fists and malleable joints closed to the goal.
The fans chanted his name and applauded him wholeheartedly. But soon after Iranian fans left the stands, they started beating their drums, standing on flags and chanting anti-government slogans, as several videos have gone viral. One protester, who has not been named, says: “We are not here to support the team chosen by our regime. We are here to show our support for the oppressed people of Iran, not the players.” Ironically, the same Iran coach Amir Galenoi used to describe the plight of his players, “the most suffering team in the World Cup”. But for 90 minutes there was only one Iran, eleven men on the field.