Qatar November 30, 2022 :The circling helicopter, sniffer dogs and large mirrors that were being shone beneath every car that entered the Al Thumama Stadium all instantly suggested that this was the most politically sensitive World Cup match since, well, the other time that Iran and the USA faced off.
The 1998 ‘Mother of all Games’ ended in a famous 2-1 victory for Iran which still “burns” the USA manager Gregg Berhalter and it can be safely assumed that 90 minutes here in Doha healed more scars than the entire past 24 years.
Berhalter thought that Iran had eliminated the USA in 1998 because they wanted it more and, while it would be impossible to question the spirit here of either side, a gulf in quality was evident during the first-half when Christian Pulisic finished a sweeping move to score the game’s only goal.
USA’s exciting young team deserve their place in the knockout phase but it was still impossible not to feel sympathy for the Iranian players.
Few can understand what they have been through over this past month and, completely crestfallen, some sank to the turf in tears when the final whistle was blown. It prompted an uplifting final image from this supposedly most fractious of fixtures as American players curtailed their celebrations to offer their personal commiserations.
“Throughout my career, I have never seen players who gave so much and received so little in return – I am extraordinarily proud of their dedication, wearing their jerseys for the country,” said Carlos Queiroz, the Iran manager.
The build-up had been unlike any other at this World Cup.
Although Queiroz passionately argued that there should be less politics and more focus on delivering “joy” to the watching public, a pre-match reference to school shootings had been a pointed way to highlight that every country has its problems.
The real catalyst for tensions, however, had been the decision by US Soccer to display the Iranian flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic. Iran were furious. A formal complaint went into Fifa and, while Berhalter apologised, the damage was done.
Iran’s fans again turned out in their thousands, including some women outside the stadium displaying the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ message following the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in Iran.
Fifa do not allow political statements to be displayed inside stadiums and, while world football’s governing body have no issue with this message, Qatari stadium security have at times taken a different view.
There was no obvious sight of the message inside the stadium among a vociferous Iran fanbase.
The Iran players had stayed silent during the national anthem before their defeat against England.
They sang before beating Wales – amid some booing and jeering from their own fans – and they again sang here. Quoting a ‘security source’, the American cable news network CNN had claimed before the game that the players had been threatened with repercussions if they again kept quiet or took part in any political protest.
Queiroz was furious with the story – later saying that “in the space of two hours some stupidity becomes a truth” – and said his players had “little by little started smiling again” during the World Cup.
“They understand for whom they are playing, they understand their mission – they were able to bring prestige to the jersey of their country,” he said.
The noise that echoed out all around the stadium following the national anthems reflected an atmosphere that was the most intense of the tournament but never angry or nasty. Fans of both nations could be seen mixing happily in just about every stand.
The pre-match equation for the USA was simple: Win and they were through. Lose or draw and they were out.
It made approaching the task tricky and, while very much on the front-foot via midfielders Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie, they also retained a defensive structure that could stifle Iran’s occasional counter-attacks.
The pressure gradually mounted and the USA took a deserved 38th minute lead when McKennie’s cross-field pass found Sergino Dest and he headed precisely back across goal for Pulisic to finish.
Pulisic collided heavily with Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand in the process and, despite struggling on for a further seven minutes, felt dizzy and was replaced at the interval by Brenden Aaronson. The Chelsea midfielder was taken to hospital as a precaution but could later congratulate his team-mates via a Facetime call.
Iran still needed only one goal for the draw to secure a place in the World Cup knockout phase for the first time in their history and they did provide a much greater second-half threat.
Saeid Ezatolahi shot over and, in stoppage time, Morteza Pouraliganji directed a glancing near-post header into the side-netting. Mehdi Taremi then went down in the penalty area under a challenge from Cameron Carter-Vickers but the Var correctly turned down all appeals.
Queiroz argued that a draw would have been deserved but, while his players had indeed done him proud, the wider truth was that the USA, with England, were the group’s two most consistent teams.
They are the youngest team in the competition and will now pose a real threat to Louis van Gaal’s Dutch side. “We are not going in thinking it’s an honour – we deserve to be in the position we are and we want to go on,” said Berhalter.