Iranians had few options to watch their World Cup opener against Morocco, bar a few cinemas and cafes, but after their shock victory on Friday, they burst out into the streets of Tehran in rare and wild celebration.
The mood had been dampened earlier in the day, when the authorities announced that planned open-air screenings in parks and Tehran’s largest stadium had been banned without explanation.
Many had been excited about watching the match at Azadi Stadium, because it would have been the first time since the Islamic revolution that men and women could attend a sports event there together.
Photo: EPA
Instead, with no bars and mixed signals from police about whether cafes could screen the games, many of the city’s soccer-mad population turned to cinemas to vent their passion.
Supporters thronged the steps of one multiplex in central Tehran ahead of the match, chanting and deafening passers-by with vuvuzela blasts. There was a notably even split between men and women.
“We hoped to go to the stadium, but we are very happy to come here with my family. I’m not that optimistic [that we can win], but I’m just happy to be in the World Cup — that’s enough,” said 32-year-old supporter Rahelleh.
However, she was wrong. An own goal by Morocco’s Aziz Bouhaddouz in the 95th minute handed Iran their first World Cup victory in 20 years. Within minutes, Tehranis had poured out on to the streets as if they had won the entire tournament.
Police appeared happy to let it continue, despite such public displays of jollity normally prohibited.
The victory was all the sweeter given the rough journey the players have faced, with Portuguese coach Carlos Quieroz complaining about limited resources and poor facilities for the squad.
The players were also the latest victim of US sanctions, with Nike refusing to provide the team with cleats, saying it would breach the US trade embargo on Iran.
That quickly gave rise to a popular meme on social media after the victory with the Nike logo and an altered slogan reading: “We just did it. Without you.”
During the game in St Petersburg, Iranian fans unfurled a banner reading “#NoBan4Women” and “Support Iranian Women to Attend Stadiums” to protest their nation’s ban on women attending matches back home.
After it was initially unfurled during the first half, there was a brief commotion as it was put away. The reason for the commotion was not immediately clear, as three stewards moved across to where the banner was on the bottom row near to one of the goals.
It was then unfurled for the remainder of the first half and moved up the field near the other goal for the second half.
Additional reporting by AP
‘SU-PENKO’: Hsieh and Ostapenko face a rematch against their Australian Open final opponents, the same duo Hsieh played in last year’s Wimbledon semi-finals Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday survived a near upset to the unseeded duo of Sorana Cirstea of Romania and Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, setting up a semi-final showdown against last year’s winners. Despite losing a hard-fought opening set 7-6 (7/4) on a tiebreak, the fourth seeds turned up the heat, losing just five games in the final two sets to handily put down Cirstea and Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-2. Nicknamed “Su-Penko,” the pair are next to face top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in a reversal of last
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) and her Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko finished runners-up in the Wimbledon women's doubles final yesterday, losing 6-3, 2-6, 4-6. The three-set match against Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens of Belgium lasted two hours and 23 minutes. The loss denied 39-year-old Hsieh a chance to claim her 10th Grand Slam title. Although the Taiwanese-Latvian duo trailed 1-3 in the opening set, they rallied with two service breaks to take it 6-3. In the second set, Mertens and Kudermetova raced to a 5-1 lead and wrapped it up 6-2 to even the match. In the final set, Hsieh and
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei and her Latvian partner, Jelena Ostapenko, advanced to the Wimbledon women’s doubles final on Friday, defeating top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in straight sets. The fourth-seeded duo bounced back quickly after losing their opening service game, capitalizing on frequent unforced errors by their opponents to take the first set 7-5. Maintaining their momentum in the second set, Hsieh and Ostapenko broke serve early and held their lead to close out the match 6-4. They are set to face the eighth-seeded pair of Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens
Outside Anfield, the red sea of tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, has continued to grow this week, along with questions over whether Liverpool could play at Preston today, their first game since the brothers’ tragic loss. Inside Anfield, and specifically a grieving Liverpool dressing room, there was no major debate over the pre-season friendly. The English Premier League champions intend to honor their teammate in the best way they know how. It would be only 10 days since the deaths of Jota and Silva when Liverpool appear at Deepdale Stadium for what is certain to be a hugely
RSS