Facing elimination if they lose, Iran were almost unrecognizable from the side that were beaten 6-2 by England in their first match.
Doha, Qatar – Iran scored twice late in stoppage time to secure a stunning 2-0 win over Wales that breathed new life into their World Cup campaign.
Faced with elimination if they lose, Iran were almost unrecognizable from the side that were beaten 6-2 by England in their first game, and they were deserved winners, even if they went out extremely late.
The win moves Iran to three points in Group B, two clear of Wales – who were held to a 1-1 draw by the United States in the opening game – as England and the USA face each other later on Friday. The group comes to a head next Tuesday when Wales play their old rivals and Iran take on the USA.
Here’s what Iranian supporters had to say at the match at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha:
Rana Mahmoudi, 27, and her husband Farzad Fardeen, 30:
Roozbeh Cheshmi pulled home the winner for Iran in extra time [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
“We are very happy with today’s victory. There was no goal until 90 minutes. We were worried and disappointed, but thank God we managed to win in the last minute, we hope to win 5-0 against USA.”
Syed Taghi Husani, 66, and Syed Abbas Husani, 43, his son:
At Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Friday [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
“We knew we were going to win today, but we’re hoping for a big win against the United States.”
Hamed Ramezanzadeh, 32:
After a tense first half, the game came alive after the break [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
“We lost our first game very badly. When I came to the game today I was hoping for an easy win but Wales played really well. I would be sad if we lost again today. But I am proud of the Iran team, we managed to win. I must say that the victory was not easy.”
Masood Khoram, 34:
Ramin Rezayan added another goal in the 11th minute of added time [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
“Our players were under pressure from the start of the game. I personally believe that the coach does not let some good players play. I don’t know the reason, there may be other plans for them.
“But I think the selection of players was not good in our first game, even today. We won in the last minute. It wasn’t that big of a win. I hope in future matches the coach will allow other players from the team to play.”
Saman Salamat 17:
Iran’s next match on Tuesday is against the USA [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
“The whole of Iran knows that we could have done better in the first game – 6-2 is not a very Iranian standard. When I think about that match, my heart breaks. I’m very happy, but I expected at least a 6-0 win today, we deserve more, Iran deserves more.
“We have to win the game in the USA and we will certainly go to the knockout stage without a doubt. We will prove to the world.
“We lost the first game for many reasons, our goalkeeper got injured in the first minutes, the fans were upset, everything bad happened that day. The team was put under pressure with the first two goals and then let other goals come easily.”
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