Mehdi Taremi lay on the ground at Seattle Stadium, staring at the heavens in devastation.
His Iran team had just drawn 1-1 with Egypt in their final World Cup group game, a match they needed to win to reach the knockout round for the first time in seven appearances.
Taremi missed a penalty in the contest. A late goal that sent the team into bedlam was correctly ruled out for offside.
He remained on the ground for several minutes as teammate Alireza Jahanbakhsh offered comfort. Other players who had collapsed eventually arose and trudged to the locker room.
Minutes later, Taremi told the media there was “good energy” in the locker room.
He said they were proud of their performance and would look forward to the next day’s games.
Saturday brought only more heartbreak. Iran needed Ghana to beat Croatia, but got the opposite.
They needed Uzbekistan to win or draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo, only to see the African side come back from 1-0 down to win.
Most agonizingly, they got a jolt of hope when Riyad Mahrez scored in stoppage time to put Algeria up 3-2 over Austria.
Then their World Cup ended about 120 seconds later, when Austria equalized and the final whistle blew.
Iran and South Korea miss out on the World Cup last 32 in a dramatic third-place race.
Iran had planned for a senior federation official to speak at the team’s training session on Saturday night.
That appearance was canceled after DR Congo’s comeback. Then the training session itself was called off entirely.
This moment of anguish will rise to the top of a football history full of them.
In 2014, Iran’s hopes were dashed by a moment of magic from Lionel Messi. They were bounced from Russia 2018 after a devastating draw with Portugal.
A frenetic nine-minute stoppage-time blitz against the United States in 2022 ended with tears. This time, the matter was out of Iran’s hands.
They needed help, and didn’t get it.
On a note board in the Seattle locker room, Iran left a message reading, in part, that “football is not just a competition for results.
It is a test of character.”
Unprecedented Hurdles
What a test it was for Iran.
The team qualified for the World Cup, and then their country was named in the Trump administration’s extensive travel ban.
They began preparations as the US and Israel launched a bombing campaign on the country, killing their head of state and 168 people at a school in Minab, among others.
They stood by as various officials traded barbs concerning their participation. They trained in Turkey because training in Iran would present visa issues.
They trained in Mexico under armed guard because training in Arizona as planned would present visa issues.
The US government denied 11 team staff visas to attend their World Cup games, including their entire media relations staff.
US officials mused that they might be trying to sneak in terrorists.
They were delayed by security checks at airports, turning quick trips into several-hour ordeals. Outside US stadiums, they were greeted with protests, mostly driven by other Iranians.
Even in the hours before the crucial match against Egypt, news broke that the US had launched a fresh round of bombings on their homeland.
How should a team manage this unprecedented state of affairs?
According to Taremi, the answer was simple: “Run,” he demanded of his team before a 0-0 draw with Belgium.
Run, and play without fear.
One can quibble with the technical quality of Iran’s players in their three-draw performance, but they certainly ran.
Team Melli flew headlong into challenges, aggressively closed down passing lanes, and threw themselves at anything that looked like it might eventually make it towards their goal.
Iran played tough, but fair.
They won fans from Mexico to Seattle.
Between their major efforts and their self-applied label as the “most oppressed” team in the tournament, it wasn’t hard to see why.
But were they fearless?
For crucial periods, including most of the second half against Egypt, it seemed Iran barely wanted to attack.
Iran were up a man for 24 minutes against Belgium and rarely threatened.
They allowed a New Zealand team ranked more than 60 spots below them to dictate the terms of that opener.
When waves of attacks came, it was often at the very end, as if driven by fear.
The Closest of Calls
Ultimately, Iran allowed their World Cup hopes to be determined by the closest of calls. A winning goal against Egypt by Shojae Khalilzadeh was ruled out for offside.
Another winner by Taremi against Belgium was ruled out for offside. Taremi’s missed penalty and Saeid Ezatolahi’s header off the crossbar, both against Egypt.
“For a few centimeters, five centimeters, 10 centimeters, 30 centimeters, not even a meter, these goals were ruled out,” lamented head coach Amir Ghalenoei.
“I’m just unhappy and upset at the bad luck.”
One would think a team with this much experience would know better.
Iran were the second-oldest team at this World Cup, with the most players aged 30-plus of any side.
This was a generation of players who hoped to advance to the knockout round for the first time in Iran’s history.
Instead, their legacy will be even more heartbreak.
“I do not understand what is wrong with our football,” said player Ramin Rezaeian.
“At the end, [I am] just apologizing to my people in Iran, because they deserve more happiness.”
Perhaps they simply did not have the energy to attack.
After all, their World Cup had been a “disaster,” striker Taremi said on Friday, once again remarking about the injustice of being made to leave a match on match night.
“We don’t have [a chance to do] recovery, we don’t have any logistics people here to help us,” said Taremi.
“We always complain about these things, but no one helps. No one.”
On Saturday, the help also failed to come on the field.
