DOHA, Qatar — It was a night of gut-wrenching, intestine-curdling disappointment for Iran. That’s what happens when you exit a FIFA World Cup. And, no, it really doesn’t matter if you bow out after outplaying the opposition or after throwing up a stinker, after a tight edge-of-seat affair or after being blown out.
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It hurts. That whole “head held high/did us proud” stuff may provide a balm at some point, but not at the final whistle. And sometimes never.
When Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz blew the final whistle, the United States had defeated Iran 1-0. The last remnants of hope — the furious appeals and imaginary VAR boxes drawn in the air after contact between Cameron Carter-Vickers and Mehdi Taremi — had been dashed moments earlier.
Iran were out, and darkness had fallen. Many Iranians simply collapsed on the pitch, a function of physical and mental exhaustion. Saied Ezatolahi, Team Melli’s emotional leader, stayed down longer than anyone.
Ezatolahi is a bruiser, an enforcer, a blue-collar defensive midfielder whose main remit is to run, run, run, and then win the ball and give it to the flair players. His is not the glory position; it’s the unsung warrior role.
He’s 26 and has played for nine clubs in seven countries. From Denmark to Doha, Rostov to Reading, Madrid to Makhachkala, he’s the prototype of the journeyman. Have boots (and bite), will travel. That’s Ezatolahi. This is not the sort of man you expect to see sobbing. Cursing and breaking things? Maybe.
