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FIFA World Cup:
Late heartbreak sends unbeaten Iran packing
Austria, which had led twice, appeared to be heading out when Riyad Mahrez scored his second goal of the game to put Algeria 3-2 ahead in the 93rd minute.
At that point, Iran was on course to qualify as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
But Sasa Kalajdzic headed home a 96th-minute equalizer – literally the last touch of the ball in the group stage – to secure a point in the Group J meeting in Kansas City as both sides advanced to the round of 32.
Iran, meanwhile, which had a late winner ruled out by VAR for a marginal offside in Friday’s 1-1 draw with Egypt, was left to rue stoppage-time heartbreak once again, joining South Korea, Scotland and Uruguay in crashing out of the expanded 48-team tournament.
Three draws in as many games had seen Team Melli finish behind Belgium and Egypt in the group table, leaving head coach Amir Qalenoei and his players reliant on favorable results elsewhere to secure a historic knockout-stage berth.
The anxious seven-hour wait at Iran’s World Cup camp in Tijuana began with the Group L clash between Croatia and Ghana, whose head coach, Carlos Queiroz, previously managed Iran, in Philadelphia.
A victory for the African side would have sent Iran through, but the Portuguese coach, who failed to lead Team Melli to the knockout stage at the previous three World Cups, did little to help his former employers’ cause as Nikola Vlasic’s 83rd-minute header secured a 2-1 win for the Europeans, who had trailed Iran on goal difference in the third-placed teams table before kickoff.
Next came the Group K clash between DR Congo and Uzbekistan, with DR Congo needing all three points to overtake Iran.
Uzbekistan, which had nothing to play for after back-to-back defeats, appeared to have done its fellow Central Asian side a huge favor after Eldor Shomurodov opened the scoring in the 10th minute. But DR Congo staged a late comeback to win 3-1 and finish third in the group with four points.
Although Austria and Algeria entered their match knowing a draw would send both teams through, there was little sign of a repeat of the ‘Disgrace of Gijón.’
In that infamous match at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, West Germany beat Austria 1-0 in a group-stage game in which both teams simply went through the motions, knowing that result would send them both through at Algeria’s expense.
This time, however, the match was played in the right spirit throughout, with the intensity only easing in the closing minutes before a chaotic period of stoppage time.
The final whistle at Arrowhead Stadium marked one last painful moment for Iran, which missed out on the round of 32 by a single place, in a World Cup campaign overshadowed by a politically charged buildup amid the country’s conflict with co-host United States.
Throughout the tournament, Qalenoei and his players complained of numerous logistical problems, including travel restrictions, visa denials for support staff and hurried departures from the United States after matches.
Speaking to reporters after Iran’s final group game, captain Mahdi Taremi described the tournament as a logistical “disaster” and called on world governing body FIFA to resolve the situation.
“FIFA, they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately they couldn’t stop, since the beginning,” said the Iranian talisman, adding that FIFA President Gianni Infantino had visited the Iran dressing room after their opening game and told the team: “It’s just the beginning.” Yet, “the group stage finishes tomorrow and we don’t have our logistics people here.”
Taremi also argued that Iran’s presence at the tournament was no longer welcome, asking: “Who wants to help us? Who? If they want us to be out – OK, let’s (be) out, let’s get out. But that’s not fair.”
Qalenoei, meanwhile, who previously described Iran as the “most oppressed” team at the World Cup, urged FIFA “not to let the hosts treat teams and players the same way in the future. I hope Mr. Infantino will actually stand up to such behavior.”
After its elimination was confirmed, the team released a statement expressing its “heartfelt appreciation to the wonderful people of Mexico, especially the beautiful city of Tijuana.”
“Leaving Tijuana is truly difficult for all of us,” the statement said.