Iran might have lost 1:0, but even the Guardian newspaper said: “Argentina weren’t very good, and Iran were spectacularly brilliant”.
Here’s some video of the celebrations in Tehran
And here are some snippets from the Canadian Globe and Mail coverage:
“On paper, Iran had no chance here.
They’re the 43rd ranked team in the world. They scored only eight goals in eight games to qualify out of Asia. Owing to internal politics, their preparation for this tournament was a shambles.
…The Argentine team’s cumulative transfer value is $600M. Iran’s is $35M – about one-sixth of a Lionel Messi.
On paper, there is no reason a neutral fan should cheer for Iran – a grinding team that represents a country with, well, let’s call it some international image problems and a government bursting with crazies.
And then they played.
The big take out of Argentina’s escapist 1-0 win is that the South American favourites are a whole lot worse than most people expected. For 90-plus minutes, Iran neutralized some of the best offensive talent on the planet.
… Messi’s superlative strike in the 91st minute – one of those frolics of his own that had nothing to do with his teammates – didn’t save Argentina’s blushes. They emerge from this game vastly diminished.
… let’s celebrate two hours that allowed the world to fall a little in love with the representatives of a pariah state.
… There is an odd flow to a game in which one opponent completely overmatches another.
… It was getting to the end of the first half – one in which Iran completed only 53 passes, a record low during the last half-century of World Cup play – that a shift began.
Argentina started to strike you as a bit of a bully. And, worse than that, an ineffective one. They had backed Iran up against the lockers after gym class, but couldn’t land a punch.
… In the second half, Argentina came out looking more than a little depressed. They sensed how embarrassing this was becoming. They began to get a little sloppy.
… By now, you’ve completely forgotten all about nuclear-arms deals and the appalling cut of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s suits. You are a proxy Persian. This is going to be the shock result of the first round, and you want in on it.
You have a feeling. A feeling that you’re about to part of something that will have no bearing on your small corner of the world, but will delight hundreds of millions of people in a diaspora that stretches across the globe.
…That’s the most potent form of diplomacy.