The Iranians, who this time sung their national anthem lip service, savored a 2-0 victory against Wales on Friday at the Ahmed Ben Ali Stadium, at the Soccer World Cup.
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After suffering a 6-2 thaw against England, Iran climbed into second place in Group B and in the hunt for the round of 16, with three points, before facing the United States, tuesday. The last time these two nations met in the World Cup, in 1998, the Iranians caused shock waves by winning 2-1.
The Iranian fans may have motivated their country’s representatives with their loud cheers, as they dominated the game. However, they had to wait until the 98th minute before reaping the rewards, when Roozbeh Cheshmi threaded the needle with a magnificent strike. Ramin Rezaeian sealed the outcome of the match three minutes later after a block.
“You have to thank our players, they deserve respect and to be respected. We are playing for the fans,” said Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz, from Portugal.
A first red
The first red card of the tournament, awarded to Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey in the 86th minute for a dangerous outing past Mehdi Taremi, helped Iran well, as did the return as a starter of their star striker Sardar Azmoun.
It was he who proved to be the most dangerous, especially when he hit the post before heading a shot from Ali Gholizadeh who had hit the other metal rod, in the 51st.
Prior to that, he had come within a hair’s breadth of scoring from a close range cross and set the table for a 15th-minute Ali Gholizadeh strike, before the goal was ruled out due to offside. Despite this warning, Wales never knew how to turn the tide of the match.
With only one point, the Welsh are in trouble before facing England on Tuesday. The “Three Lions” could qualify as early as Friday if they win against the Americans.
– To return to the national anthem, the Iranian eleven sang it timidly after remaining silent on the same occasion during their duel against England, in support of the victims of the demonstrations in their country. This time, he could have been cooled by the arrest on Thursday of Voria Ghafouri, a former Iranian international who supported the demonstrations against the power in place.