Group G's General Discussion Thread

Do people still not believe in the iranian curse yet?

 

I do think that, if Iran's match against New Zealand was their second or third match of the tournament instead of their opener, they would've got all 3 points. They played with a lot of caution after the second equaliser, which was understandable considering all the shit they had to go through off the pitch just to play that game. They were happy to just get a point on board, but if they had known that they would do the same against Belgium and Egypt, I think they would have gone for it against New Zealand.

 

What’s the Iranian curse in this regard?

 

I feel really bad for Iran fans. I was so happy for you when Mahrez scored that goal. I am still trying to comprehend what I witnessed last night.

If it was fixed, how on earth could they do it at the last second like that ? Far too risky, unless the ref himself was involved. He added an extra 2 minutes of added time. Yes the goal celebrations were maybe 1 minute tops. Could Algerias defence be that bad ? Did Algeria really want to win and face Spain ?

Anyways I cannot imagine what any Iran fan went through if they watched that match.

Terrible what was done to your team and how many fans of various countries were treated. Sometimes this football is the only relief from all the nonsense going on in the world.

Iran gave Belgium and Egypt a good match. They should have beaten New Zealand and that was the undoing. That's the world cup, there are never any guaranteed points no matter how favorable a match up looks.

 

As someone who stayed up to watch Algeria v Austria, the ending was brutal. A sucker punch that really hurt. I didn't expect any help from that match but for a moment with injury time nearly over, with Mahrez scoring, it seemed Iran had advanced. And then, Austria scores an equalizer. It was too bizarre. Especially for a side that had already celebrated advancing when Iran had scored what seemed a late winner against Egypt, only for that goal to be disallowed.

The roller coaster ride for Iran in this tournament was simply nonstop: Iran had already been denied by VAR against New Zealand and (in a close call) against Belgium. Few minutes before our nullified goal against Egypt, Iran had hit the cross bar. Even after the goal we scored was disallowed, and all hope seemed lost, we again came close and hit the cross bar. And then we had to watch the Uzbeks fall apart after leading DR Congo into the second half. Which then left Algeria v Austria as an unlikely match to give Iran any hope, without really expecting much from it, and for it to then have that kind of ending.

The treatment of Iran's team by the US as World Cup hosts was unacceptable but our players managed to use the adversity to motivate them further and overcame the adversity. No one, however, should either foolishly brush off the way Iran was treated nor ignore the fact that a team that is denied recovery after a match will eventually face incredible hardships and even risk serious injury. Eventually, if Iran had indeed advanced, the effect of these farcical measures would have shown. It would have been inevitable and the fact that such effect were not noticeable in our group matches was simply a testament to the commitment and effort by our team. They really did their best.

As for the New Zealand game: sure, on paper, Iran's chances took a severe hit when we were not able to win that game. I mentioned that but I also mentioned Iran was still not hopeless and it showed it wasn't in spades. All those hopes were eventually dashed in the most cruel manner possible, but Iran's team exited the tournament holding their heads high. Higher even than when they entered it.
https://time.com/article/2026/06/28/iran-s-world-cup-exit-is-beyond-comprehension/
Iran Might Be The Unluckiest Sports Team Ever

 

In the top 8 now! Spain will be tough, but who knows?