Being grouped with Morocco, Spain and Portugal in Group B of 2018 World Cup, Iran was facing a lot of pressure for having to go against such tough and expensive teams that were already a good candidate for winning the world cup.
The Iranian squad took on Portugal on Monday in Saransk with three points, while Portugal only needed one more point to secure its place in the knockout stages.
Ricardo Quaresma’s goal came just before half-time, a beautiful shot in the top corner which left Iran’s Beiranvand with little to do as he dived but his arm did not quite reach the ball.
Portugal’s chances for more goals came early in the second half, when Ronaldo went down under a challenge by Ezatolahi. He was awarded a penalty by the video assistant, but his shot at ground level was saved by Iran keeper Alireza Beiranvand.
The next penalty, this time, was awarded to Iran’s Karim Ansarifard, three minutes deep into injury time. The VAR was once again called upon for assistance, and the referee took ages to decide that Cedric Soares’s arm contact with the ball called for a penalty for Iran.
This time, though, Ansarifard put the penalty in the top of the net, bringing the game to a 1-1 tie in the 92nd minute.
Iran had one more chance to score, which could have raised its chances for advancing to the next stage, but Mehdi Taremi’s shot in the 95th minute went in the side netting.
Portugal finished the game while progressing from the group stage. Iran have been eliminated from the group stage at the World Cup in all five tournaments in which they have competed.
It was a game beautifully played by Iran. Too bad luck was not on our side.
MS
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