11/4/2007
fifa.com

USA squeezed home against Iran after a titanic struggle in their second Group B match, sending Team Melli out of the competition in the process.

Both goalkeepers were into the action straight away, with Hamed Ghorbanpour testing the reflexes of his opposite number Luis Montanez. The tide turned soon after when Hassan Abdollahi was sent off in the eighth minute, leaving Iran a man down for two minutes during which time Joshua Nolz and Mario Chimienti gave USA a two-goal lead.

When it was back to five against five at the start of the second period, the Americans rapidly lost their way, with a powerful free kick from Ali Aligoli and a brace from Mohammad Ahmadzadeh turning the match upside down and giving the Iranians the lead. This was the wake-up call that USA needed, and within minutes, Yuri Morales, Benyam Astorga and Nolz had turned a 2-3 deficit into a 5-3 lead.

There was more of the same to come in the final third, with Mehdi Davoudi halving the deficit and Ghorbanpour equalising, with a little help from Zak Ibsen who put the ball past his own keeper. From the kick-off, however, Chimienti put the Stars and Stripes back in the lead before Ibsen made up for his earlier mistake and made it 7-5 three minutes later. Iran threw everything into attack but could only manage one further goal and are now out of the running for a quarter-final slot. The fact that they were part of the tournament's most exciting match so far will be of little comfort to them.

IRN-USA: Post-match quotes

The second match in a tournament is always easier to get through than the first one. We still had some lapses in concentration, but we played better than we did against Spain, particularly at the back, and we made sure that we didn't make the same mistakes all over again. That's what made the difference in the end. Roberto Ceciliano, USA coach

This was a really important match for us as far as the rest of the competition is concerned. It was tough, but the win keeps us on course and will give us some confidence ahead of our match with Portugal. We're playing well, because we like this tournament and also because we're like one big family. Out on the sand, we give it our all for each other. Mario Chimienti, USA player

We knew that the entire country was watching this match and we were desperate not to lose, but unfortunately, playing with a man down in the opening period really hurt us badly and it turned the match in their favour. Marco Octavio, Iran coach

We played well but the final ball let us down. Being a man down at the beginning of the match turned the tide against us. However, in spite of all that, we feel that we gave it our best shot. Abbas Hashempour, Iran player

A symbol of peace

Sometimes a picture says more than a thousand words, particularly when the subject is a gesture of peace such as the moment the captains of USA and Iran shared before their encounter at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Rio de Janeiro 2007.

"The exchanging of gifts was a show of peace for the entire world," commented Stars and Stripes skipper Francis Farberoff. "We'd seen news stories on the game that mentioned the political situation and that gave me the idea of buying white flowers as a symbol of peace. The Iranian captain was moved by the gesture and they returned the compliment by giving us a memento."

The warm round of applause that greeted the exchange did not come as a surprise to USA coach Roberto Ceciliano "By showing love and affection through sport we can bring about world peace. That was the idea behind the gesture."

Farberoff's opposite number Abbas Hashempour echoed the USA skipper's sentiments. "The exchange of gifts showed that it is possible for our two nations to remain at peace with each other. In sport, peace is stronger than any divisions. I would really like to see this gesture repeated not just by the two countries' leaders but by their people as well."