Take a bow, Iran

It’s been ten long days since Iran were knocked out of the 2018 World Cup. Ten long days since their incredible teamwork effort against Portugal, a battle in which they were inches away, literally, from pulling a historical victory to qualify for the round of 16. Normally, one is supposed to feel sadness when their team gets eliminated from the biggest stage of world football, but that was not the case for the Iranians. Instead, the nation’s 80 million people have been filled with pride and love for their team who brought a new meaning to bravery.

Iran were placed in the group of death alongside Euro 2016 champions Portugal, 2010 World Cup winners Spain, and African champions Morocco, a group in which many predicted Iran were to walk away with next to no points in the first stage. But little did they know Iran would actually be one single point away from advancing and topping the group.

Who would ever have thought Iran would greatly frustrate Spain, arguably the best team in the world. That same Spain squad with the big names of Isco, Andres Iniesta and Diego Costa, who were only able to score a single goal against Carlos Queiroz’s fearless men. And who would have thought we would have been one Mehdi Taremi goal away from absolute glory. Like I said, a brilliant accomplishment for Iran and their people, who were behind them every step of the way.

In each of their battles, whether it were with Morocco, Spain or Portugal, the hungry and eager squad rose to every occasion and fought like lions to represent their country. And they achieved the unachievable in their debut in Russia with their first World Cup victory since 1998, dating back to when they beat USA in France. A complete masterclass from the boss Carlos Queiroz, whose dedication to this Iranian side has gone miles above what anyone could ever give Team Melli, guiding the team to win over the hearts of millions across the globe.

And with his courageous leadership, Iran have ranked 18th in the World Cup, topping the rest of the Asian teams and have also been selected by the FIFA organization as the best defence in the group stages. According to the statistics generated by FIFA, Iran had the best defending efforts with 149 clearances, saves and tackles. Just another clear example of the players’ undying passion to make their country proud.

Despite our bittersweet elimination from the grand competition, the 23 players who put their hearts and souls into every second of every match walk away with their heads held high after performances that will be forever remembered. Someone once said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” This saying couldn't align more with Iran’s World Cup campaign. A memorable two weeks of competition that will be written in history.

Take a bow, Iran.