The Iranian national team thought it had taken the lead against Belgium in Sunday's FIFA World Cup game hosted in Los Angeles, after mimicking a famous goal scored by the Netherlands four years ago.
Iran drew 2-2 with New Zealand in the group opener and entered Sunday's game in desperate need of a result against Belgium. Iran protests broke out ahead of the game at Los Angeles Stadium, and the controversy wasn't over moments before kick-off.
Fans inside the stadium booed Iran's national anthem before the game, but roughly 40 minutes later, it was Iran who took a surprise lead over Belgium. The goal, scored by star striker Mehdi Taremi, resembled Wout Weghorst's against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, but the Iran national team didn't execute it properly. It comes after an ex-Mexico City mayor issued a statement about her chest after turning heads at the World Cup.
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Iran had a dangerous free-kick opportunity on the edge of Belgium's penalty area, but rather than shoot against goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Ehsan Hajsafi opted to play an intelligent short pass through to Taremi. The pass was completed and caught Belgium off guard, as Taremi rolled it onto the back of the net.
Taremi wheeled away in celebration, but the goal was later reviewed and canceled out by the match officials. Upon further review, it turns out that the goal could have been ruled out for multiple reasons.
Why Iran's goal was disallowed
The reason for Taremi's goal being ruled out was that he was in an offside position when the pass was made. In fact, four Iranian players were offside when Hajsafi played a quick pass from a free kick.
Taremi was only marginally offside, but with automated technology and VAR reviews, it's almost impossible to get away with starting your run too early in modern soccer. It was the second goal to be ruled out on Sunday, after officials denied Ferran Torres.
Spain beat Saudi Arabia 4-0, rebounding after a disappointing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in the opening game. Torres was called out for having a poor game for Spain against Cape Verde, but couldn't get on the scoresheet.
Another reason Iran's goal wouldn't have counted
Although offside was the reason Taremi's goal was ruled out, a player obstructing the wall could also have cost the Iranian striker. As the free kick was being taken, one of Taremi's teammates was standing right by the Belgian wall of players attempting to block a potential shot.
As the pass was made, the Iranian player used his body to prevent the wall from reacting, allowing Taremi to receive it without interception. According to the official rules, when the defending team forms a wall with three or more players to block a free kick, all attacking team players must remain at least 1 meter away from the wall.
If an attacker encroaches within this 1-meter distance before the kick is taken, the referee will award an indirect free kick to the defending team. As the Iranian player violated this rule, even if Taremi was onside, the goal would have been canceled.
Famous goal Iran tried to replicate
The canceled goal drew instant comparisons to a moment of magic from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Netherlands was on the verge of elimination against Argentina in the quarterfinals, trailing 2-0 in the 73rd minute after a Lionel Messi goal.
Weghorst pulled one back in the 83rd minute and scored a dramatic last-second equalizer in the 11th minute of injury time to force extra time. Argentina went on to win on penalties and lift the World Cup, but Weghorst's goal was a major talking point.
The equalizer came from a free kick on the edge of the box, and as it was the last kick of the game, everyone expected the Netherlands to shoot. However, the Dutch gambled, and it paid off: Argentina was caught off guard by a short pass, and Weghorst temporarily rescued the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, an ugly Lionel Messi foul prompted a formal World Cup complaint to FIFA.