VAR takes away last-minute celebration: Iran’s knockout dream in uncertainty after draw against Egypt

Staff Report: PNN

Only a few seconds remained before the final whistle. The stadium was filled with celebration, and Iranian players had tears of joy in their eyes. It seemed that a dramatic victory had opened the door to the knockout stage of the World Cup for Iran. But the celebration did not last long. A Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision disallowed the injury-time goal, turning joy into despair in an instant.

In the Group G match held in Seattle, Iran drew 1–1 against Egypt. Due to the disallowed winning goal in injury time, Iran was denied a full three points.

In stoppage time, Iranian defender Shoja Khalilzadeh scored during a scramble inside Egypt’s penalty box. The referee initially awarded the goal, but after VAR review, the decision was reconsidered.

Replay analysis showed that at the moment of the pass, Khalilzadeh’s foot was slightly ahead of the last two defenders. According to the offside rule, even this small margin was enough for the goal to be disallowed.

After the match, Iranian player Ramin Rezaeian expressed disappointment, saying the team deserved to win. He added that the disallowed goal and a previous shot hitting the post had mentally broken the players.

Forward Mehdi Taremi also expressed dissatisfaction regarding the long travel schedule during the tournament, claiming that constant travel between cities affected player rest. However, the team captain clarified that Iran does not wish to engage in political discussions and is focused only on football.

With this draw, Iran finished the group with three points after three matches, placing third in the group. Under the new World Cup format, eight of the twelve third-placed teams will qualify for the knockout stage. Iran is currently sixth in that ranking and must now wait for results from other groups.

A last-minute disallowed goal has changed Iran’s fate. Their qualification now depends on results from other matches.