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As Khalilzadeh tossed the jersey over his head, the roar of 66,925 people at Seattle's Lumen Field had not yet faded. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on his nose, looking like a defender just back from a beach vacation. An Iranian fan climbed over the railing of the stands and charged onto the field, shaking off security, before being tackled to the ground and handcuffed.
When Khalilzadeh flung his shirt over his head, the roar of 66,925 people at Seattle's Lumen Field had not yet subsided. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses and perched them on his nose, looking like a defender fresh off a beach vacation. An Iranian fan leaped over the stands railing, rushed onto the pitch, shook off security, and was eventually tackled to the ground and handcuffed.
Then VAR arrived.
In the 3rd minute of stoppage time, the goal was ruled offside, invalid. Khalilzadeh put his shirt back on and took off his sunglasses. The scoreboard still read 1-1. The referee had already pulled out a yellow card—celebrating a goal that never existed earned a very real booking.
The center-back put on his shirt, took it off, and put it back on again. That was the most thrilling thirty seconds of this match.
In the 8th minute of stoppage time, Ezatolahi's shot hit the crossbar and bounced out. A few centimeters lower, and the Iranians would have been popping champagne tonight.
The most fatal deviation came much earlier. In the 9th minute, Taremi won a penalty in the box, only for his spot-kick to be saved by Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. In the 13th minute, Rezaeian equalized with a fierce angled strike, making it 1-1. For the remaining eighty minutes, Iran could not change the scoreline again.
If the penalty had gone in, Iran only needed to hold the draw to likely advance. Within ten minutes of kickoff, the entire match's calculations were already off course.
A penalty, a crossbar, offside. Three goals that could have changed their fate, and none went in.
Expected goals: 1.94 to 0.81. Based on probability, Iran should have scored nearly two goals from the chances they created, while Egypt's shot quality didn't even amount to a single goal. Egypt had 15 shots to Iran's 13, with Iran putting 4 on target and Egypt 3. Egypt held 60% possession, stringing the ball along like prayer beads. Iran created every opportunity they could but squandered every one they should have taken.
Three draws. 2-2 against New Zealand, 0-0 against Belgium, 1-1 against Egypt. Three goals scored, three conceded, a goal difference of zero. With the World Cup expanded to 48 teams and 12 groups, the eight best third-placed teams advance to the Round of 32. To squeeze in with 3 points, they would need other groups to have back-to-back draws or "mutual understanding" results. Their fate was entirely in others' hands. The Iranians could only sit in the locker room, scrolling through their phones.
Being unbeaten can sometimes be the most miserable way to die.
Egyptians didn't need to do math. Not losing was enough.
In the 5th minute, Salah's shot was saved, and Mahmoud Saber scored with a left-footed follow-up. 1-0—that was enough. From then on, Egypt dragged the match into the mud, inching their way toward the final whistle. In the 57th minute, Salah was substituted due to a hamstring issue. A reporter from The Athletic on the scene captured the thick bandaging on his left leg. In April, he tore his hamstring against Crystal Palace, missed four weeks, and returned just in time for the World Cup. He had also been subbed off in the opening match against Belgium. That hamstring was probably the most expensive price in Egyptian football history, securing 5 points, second place in the group, and their first-ever World Cup knockout qualification. Their Round of 32 opponent is Australia, July 3rd, in Arlington.
Shobeir saved the penalty, rewriting a script from 36 years ago. His father, Ahmed Shobeir, also played in the World Cup for Egypt in 1990. Two generations guarding the same goal. The son, in front of 66,925 people, denied Iran's penalty.
In the other match, Belgium thrashed New Zealand 5-1 to top the group. Egypt didn't need to look good, didn't need xG, just needed to drag the 1-1 to full time.
The Seattle organizing committee had labeled this match a "Pride Match," with rainbow flags everywhere. Both the Iranian and Egyptian football associations protested to FIFA. FIFA refused to ban the flags. Both countries' laws criminalize homosexuality, yet the rainbow flag flew in the stadium regardless.
FIFA, in turn, banned Iranian fans from bringing in the old dynasty's "Lion and Sun" flag. Reason: political nature. The rainbow flag was an expression of human rights; the old flag was political propaganda. FIFA drew a line, and Iran found themselves on the wrong side of it.
The ticketing situation was also a mess. FIFA canceled the ticket quota allocated to Iranian fans. Tightened U.S. travel restrictions and visa rejections meant many who had booked flights couldn't even get into Seattle. The Iranian Football Federation said they had received thousands of tickets but could not distribute them. How many of those 66,925 seats should have belonged to them? Hard to say.
At the post-match press conference, Ghalenoei said: "I believe our team is the most oppressed in this entire World Cup. Our federation is not here, our media is not here, our management is not here."
"I want to thank all Iranians, regardless of their political stance. They supported us, gave us energy."
66,925 seats. No federation, no media, no management. Three draws, zero goal difference. He could only wait.