Iranian team is welcomed with celebration on their return to Tehran after the World Cup

Iranians welcome members of the Iran national team with celebration after their return from the World Cup in Tehran
Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Music, songs and bouquets of flowers: hundreds of fans welcomed the players of the Iranian national team to a party this Wednesday (1st), on their return to Tehran, despite their elimination in the group stage of the World Cup, a tournament marked by conflict with the United States United.
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"Iran, Iran!", sang the fans, many of them children accompanied by their parents. Some of them were waving the country's flags, and many were also wearing 'Team Melli' shirts.
The excitement was led by an entertainer who led the welcome and solemnly announced the arrival of the team's plane, coming from Turkey to land in Tehran.
Never before had a World Cup host country hosted a team against which it had an open conflict, and this hostility marked the preparations for the tournament.
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Ao When they disembarked, the players were welcomed by musicians in military uniforms who played the national anthem.
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Many of the fans were showing photos of goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, who became a national hero thanks to his saves during the 0-0 draw against Belgium, in the second round of Group G of the World Cup.
Despite this result against the group's favorite, Iran was eliminated, ending with a record of three draws in three games.
Public apology
The Iranian team remained with a chance of qualifying until the end of the group stage, dreaming of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams, but ended up being disqualified after a last-minute draw between Algeria and Austria. Mehrabad.
"We deserved to go further, but they made our task difficult", lamented right-back Ramin Rezaïan, referring to the United States, co-host of the World Cup and the country that, alongside Israel, attacked Iran on February 28, triggering a war in the Middle East.
Iran's participation remained uncertain until shortly before the competition, and the team changed its base of concentration at the last minute, opting to stay in Tijuana (Mexico) instead of Tucson (Arizona, United States).
The American government denied granting visas to several members of the Iranian delegation, mainly authorities, including the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, a former member of the Revolutionary Guard, an organization classified as a terrorist group by Washington.
The Persian team felt "mistreated" on several occasions during their World Cup campaign and harshly criticized the restrictions imposed that limited their time on American soil, after being forced to travel the day before their first two games, traveling back and forth between Mexico and the United States in less than 24 hours and causing physical exhaustion to the players.

Source: G1