At the World Cup Iran’s Anthem Was a Tense Moment For Players and Fans
The Iran football team, in a World Cup warmup match against Portugal, were taking on a Portugal team that had just beaten Argentina on penalties. The match was going well for the home team with the host nation holding a 3-1 lead in the 20th minute when the anthem suddenly crashed over the loudspeakers. All of a sudden, the players and fans were on their feet. The anthem was so emotionally charged, people didn’t know whether to boo or cheer. With the players and fans on their feet, the fans rushed the pitch in a show of support.
The players rushed the pitch as well. In a World Cup warmup match, the players rush the pitch to celebrate with their fans. (By Ali Shokrollahi/Associated Press)
It was an intense moment for the players and the fans. Then again, perhaps it was just a bad moment. You have to understand though, most of the Iran players, even the ones who are the most emotional, will tell you that it’s normal to hear music on the field at the World Cup, and that it’s a good sound in the stadium.
But these events caught many people off guard. It was a shock. And that’s what makes it even more interesting. Because just a few months before that incident, Iran had made history by becoming the first country in the world to send a women’s soccer team to the World Cup.
Iran entered the tournament with one of the more impressive records in their group. They had a.500 record on their group. The only group that could make them feel vulnerable was their big group. The only group where they didn’t have a win was the group of Russia and Saudi Arabia. Iran had to beat Argentina, which they had lost to, in order to win the group. Argentina at the time was the team who could give Iran any kind of a challenge. Argentina was the team who could turn this game into a rout and Iran had to stay focused and play their best to do that. It was a