FRANCE 98 – Match Summary n°30

Diplomacy took a back seat at a seething Stade Gerland here on Sunday as Iran bundled political foe the United States out of the World Cup with a stunning 2-1 victory in their Group F grudge match.

The luckless Americans dominated for long periods and hit the woodwork three times in a frenzied match but Hamid Estili’s 41st-minute header and a breakway effort from Mehdi Mahdavikia with seven minutes left sealed a dramatic win for Jalal Talebi’s side.

Brian McBride’s 87th-minute header came too late to save the United States.

” With all the media attention surrounding the match it was difficult to hold our nerves, “ admitted a jubilant Talebi. ” They dominated us technically but that’s football-we scored the goals. “

Iran now have three points, one behind Group F leaders Germany and Yugoslavia, while the United States, who lost their first match 2-0 to Germany, and are on their way home.

American coach Steve Sampson made sweeping changes to the side that started the 2-0 defeat by Germany, calling up midfielders duo Frankie Hejduk and Tab Ramos and forwards Roy Wegerle, Brian McBride and Joe-Max Moore as he kept his promise to attack from the start.

Iran were boosted by the return of captain and goalkeeper Ahmad Abedzadeh, who missed the opening 1-0 defeat by Yugoslavia.

Players of the two countries, who have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, started by exchanging gifts and flowers and posing together for the cameras. But once the first whistle went, the diplomatic niceties were left very much on the substitutes’ bench. Hejduk clattered into an opponent after just 90 seconds to earn the wrath of the thousands of nosiy Iranians and six minutes later was on the receving end as Mehrdad Minavand earned himself a yellow card.

By then Abedzadeh had already been left helpless when Claudio Reyna lofted in a free-kick from the right and McBride rose majestically only to see his third-minute header rebound off the crossbar. The Americans, with Reyna and Ramos prompting busily from the midfield, dominated early on and McBride was unlucky again after 15 minutes when he had another header ruled out for offside.

Six minutes later, Iran, who were content to play on the break, had a strong penalty claim turned down when Khodadad Azizi raced onto to a pass from Ali Daei following an error by Ramos. American goalkeeper Kasey Keller advanced to the edge of his area and when Azizi poked the ball through his legs the pair crashed to the ground but Swiss referee Urs Meier waved play on.

Reyna then smacked a left-footed effort against the base of Abedzadeh’s post but it was Iran, with Karim Bagheri increasingly prominent in midfield, who came on stronger as the end of the half approached and four minutes before they interval they had their breakthrough. Javad Zarincheh escaped down the right and cut back a perfect cross for a totally unmarked Estili to head over Keller and send the Iranian contingent into frenzy. Azizi then flashed a shot over and it was the Americans who were most relieved as the two sides headed for the dressing rooms.

Iran started the second period as they finished the first with Mehdi Mahdavikia, whose runs down the right flank were a constant menace, firing in a left-footed drive which went just wide. Bagheri, by now passing imperiously from the midfield, drove a shot of his own past Keller’s upright after 56 minutes and it was too much for Sampson, who immediately brought on Predrag Preki and Ernie Stewart for Ramos and the ineffective Wegerle.

The move seemed to energise the Americans, and both captain Thomas Dooley and Reyna went close. Another Dooley header after 68 minutes had Abedzadeh scrambling across his goal as the Americans, playing with increasing urgency, began to lay seige to the Iranian goal.

Moore shot wide from 20 yards and then defender David Regis side-footed a cross onto the near post with goalkeeper Abedzadeh rooted to his line. With 12 minutes left McBride flicked on a corner and Hejduk seemed certain to equalise only for Abedzadeh to career off his line to block superbly.

The Americans were made to pay dearly for their misses after 83 minutes when the outstanding Mahdavikia, Asian footballer of the year, raced onto a superb through ball and hammered the ball past Keller to make it 2-0.

Daei was then thwarted by a combination of Keller and Pope as the Americans left themselves wide open at the back, and when McBride finally headed home from a corner with three minutes left, despite the best efforts of the Iranian defence to clear the ball off the line, it was too little far too late for Sampson’s side.

” We played with a lot of intensity and a lot of aggression but it just did not pan out for us tonight, “ said the American coach. ” But we can be proud of our players. “

Talebi, in contrast, was turning his attention to future conquests. ” Now I hope we can beat Germany so there can be an even bigger party back home, “ he said.