TEHRAN — For a brief moment Sunday, when striker Mehdi Taremi put the ball into the Belgian net, joy was unbridled across the Iranian capital — a welcome change in a city where the majority of the conversation is dominated by talk of the war.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Then the goal was ruled out for offside and, as the team continued to battle to keep its second World Cup match unscored, war was never far away in the city dotted with billboards honoring the schoolchildren killed by a U.S.strike on Feb.
28.As negotiations to end the conflict were also playing out in Switzerland, in Los Angeles, the team was cheered by a boisterous crowd filled with members of the Iranian diaspora.Back home, many defied the late start to pack out cafes and cinemas across Tehran for the game, which kicked off at 10:30 p.m.
local time.Iranian fans watch their national team's World Cup match against Belgium.
Amin Khodadadi / NBC News“Even during wartime, people would still spend time together and try to enjoy life.What else could we do? Life had to go on,” Mohsen, 43, told NBC News at one cafe screening the match in Tehran.NBC News agreed not to use Mohsen’s last name or any of the people interviewed for this article due to fears they might be arrested or harassed by Iranian security forces.The cafe was one of dozens showing the game across the city, as they did last week for Iran’s first game against New Zealand, which they also tied 2-2.And despite the 4:30 a.m.
kickoff time, the fans were again rewarded with a battling performance from Team Melli, Persian for “national team,” which coach Amir Ghalenoei has described as the “most oppressed” because of travel restrictions imposed by U.S.authorities.
A billboard in Tehran shows an AI generated image of Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand holding one of the victims of a U.S.strike on a school.
Amin Khodadadi / NBC NewsDue to uncertainty...