Tehran
\nIranians woke early on Saturday to watch the men\u2019s national football team face Egypt, riding an emotional rollercoaster as Iran fought back to draw but missed the chance to directly qualify for the World Cup\u2019s last 32.
\nBut all is not lost for Team Melli after the 1-1 draw.
\nDepending on the results in other groups, the Iranians could still reach the knockout stage for the first time in their history.
\nIran had a troubled buildup to the World Cup due to the war in the Middle East, which broke out in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.
\nThe team has also faced the strain of considerable visa and travel restrictions in the United States, which is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada.
\n\u201cIt was a good game, even though they were unable to prepare properly,\u201d said Iranian football fan Amin.
\n\u201cI wish they\u2019d played the whole game like the last five minutes,\u201d when Iran was on the attack, the 33-year-old car dealer told Media.
\nFans in Tehran watched a broadcast of the match in a packed hall dotted with Iranian flags and portraits of the Islamic republic\u2019s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in the opening strikes of the Middle East war.
\nEmotions seesawed throughout the game, as Iranian supporters applauded and cheered every successful tackle while sighing and grabbing their heads in disbelief over the missed chances.
\nThe crowd was stunned when Egypt took an early lead but regained hope after the referee awarded Iran a penalty.
\nThe optimism was short-lived as striker Mehdi Taremi failed to convert from the spot.
\nMinutes later, defender Ramin Rezaeian equalised, sending fans into a wild frenzy.
\n\u201cI really believe in Team Melli, especially since they didn\u2019t give in after they conceded a goal,\u201d Amir, a 16-year-old student, told AFP at the Tehran Book Garden venue.
\nLeyli, 41, who only gave her first name, was also encouraged by Iran\u2019s display in the ferocious match played in Seattle.
\n\u201cThe game\u2019s been good. We really didn\u2019t play badly,\u201d she told AFP during the half-time break.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tehran Iranians woke early on Saturday to watch the men\u2019s national football team face Egypt, riding an emotional rollercoaster as Iran fought back to draw but missed the chance to directly qualify for the World Cup\u2019s last 32. But all is not lost for Team Melli after the 1-1 draw. Depending on the results in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553261,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-553250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n