By Niloufar Momeni
It might have been a late weeknight for Iranians, but all were surely gluing onto the pitch either from Azadi stadium in Tehran or at the comfort of their homes through their TV sets.
Iran national football team hosted Uzbekistan on Monday night, on their eighth games of their World Cup qualification campaign.
A victory over the Uzbeks would help Iran directly qualify for the next year World Cup finals. A draw or a loss would rather complicate the matter, leaving it to South Korea, Uzbekistan and Syria teams to decide the top 2 teams of the Group A.
In an intense match that saw Iran holding on to the possession for much of the game. Team Melli scored an opportunistic goal by the talented youngster, Sardar Azmoun before wasted a golden chance to double the lead on the penalty spot.
However, Iran sealed the all-important victory in the last 5 minutes of the match by Taremi. The team secured a direct qualification to World Cup games as the winner of Group A.
Throughout the World Cup qualification campaign, Iran had set nine records, which made the qualification ever juicier for the fans.