U.S. Advances to Knockout Round With 1-0 Victory Over Iran in Tense Matchup

By toppling Wales, England advanced to the knockout stages atop Group B, earning — in theory, at least — a more favorable draw in the elimination round. Its reward is a meeting with Senegal, the second-place finisher in Group A, and the avoidance of the Netherlands, which fashions itself a contender just as much as England does.

England, though, has a far better record recently in international tournaments than the Dutch, reaching the finals of last year’s European Championship and the semifinals of the World Cup in Russia in 2018. Its players and its manager, Gareth Southgate, are older and perhaps wiser, and he had a sense of what they were lacking in a stale showing Friday against the United States.

That scoreless draw compelled Southgate to add more attacking flavor into a lineup that lacked tempo and creativity. So in came Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden. They scored a minute apart early in the second half: the first on that splendid free kick and the second after a nifty cross from Harry Kane. Rashford added another in the 68th minute to dismiss Wales, which was appearing in its first World Cup since 1958, without a victory in Qatar.

Though England and Wales are both members of the United Kingdom, they compete as separate nations outside the Olympics. Their meeting Tuesday signified another touchstone moment in a rivalry, both sporting and cultural, that has spanned centuries, with England emerging victorious in matters of soccer — and, it seems, in matters of royalty, with the Prince of Wales expressing his support for the Three Lions.

For the occasion, there was red in the stands at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, and there was red on the faces of England’s players, and there was red — so much red — in the box. Wales packed five, six, seven men in there at once, and though England dominated possession, Rashford managed its only shot on target in the first half. It was denied by goalkeeper Danny Ward, who kept the match scoreless, if only temporarily, before England showed its might again and again and again.

In Midtown Manhattan, Mehdi Aryan, a 38-year-old dentist, drank cardamom tea and spent much of the game debating mixed feelings about the team with his compatriots who work at the Iranian restaurant Miraj.

Aryan, whose internet handles have always included the words Team Melli, the nickname of the Iran national team, felt conflicted about cheering for them, particularly after footage showed several of them visiting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and bowing.

“I was frustrated with the team because there are people dying, and are you really going to go and bow to the killers?” he said. He was mollified somewhat when the team declined to sing the national anthem. “At this point I’m not rooting for them. The feeling is I don’t know I should be happy or sad if they lose.”

Pourarab, in an interview in front of her cafe in Los Angeles, said it was sad this time around that the success of the Iran team was not a reason to celebrate.

“Women in Iran don’t want anything big — they simply want their own rights,” she said. “There are people dying in the streets. It’s a very critical moment.”

Sepehr Mikaeilian, 43, an Iranian-American living in Los Angeles, was watching the match at 33 Taps Silver Lake with three friends. They were the only Iranian supporters in the bar, which was crowded with U.S. fans. “People living in Iran don’t care about the World Cup,” Mikaeilian said. “When people are dying in the streets, there’s no reason to celebrate. It’s a tragic time for Iranians. We don’t have any joy, even in the World Cup.”

Mikaeilian, a filmmaker, emigrated to the United States 12 years ago from Tehran after receiving a green card. He said internet and telephone service has been disrupted in Iran in the wake of the protests, making it difficult to communicate with his family living there.

“I’ve built a life here and am very proud to be Iranian-American,” Mikaeilian said, covering his mouth with both hands as Iran narrowly missed a shot after a corner kick late in the match. “But we’re all very concerned about what’s happening there. We’re hoping things change in Iran.”

Pulisic stayed down on the turf after the goal, which gave the United States the lead in a victory that eventually secured their spot in the knockout stage. While he managed to return to play for the rest of the first half, Pulisic was subbed out at the break — and all eyes will be on his recovery as the United States prepares to face the Netherlands in the next round.

At just 24 years old, Pulisic is the national team’s most accomplished player. With his club team, Chelsea in the Premier League, he became the first American to play in the Champions League final in 2021, when Chelsea captured the title. His semifinal goal made him the first American to score at that late stage.

To the renowned British club, however, he is regarded mostly as a nice player to have. So far this season, he’s started three games for Chelsea and scored just once.

But to the United States national team, he’s crucial. Pulisic is considered a bright star on a young team hoping to make waves at the World Cup and serves as the creative engine of the U.S. attack.

In the World Cup opener, he was credited with crafting the U.S.’s first goal. In the 36th minute, Pulisic pierced through the center of the field, carrying the ball past multiple Welsh defenders and then finding Tim Weah in a run from the right, where he scored with just one touch.

Against Iran, Pulisic did not return after halftime and was replaced by Brenden Aaronson. But who will be in the lineup for the United States on Saturday against the Dutch team will be the biggest question facing the young U.S. squad.

“I understand people don’t want to make sports about politics,” said the man, Farzin, who preferred to give only his first name for fear of repercussions, like others who spoke to The New York Times. “But this is about freedom and human rights, it has nothing to do with politics.”

Anti-government protests have broken out across Iran since September, when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being arrested on charges of violating a law requiring head coverings for women.

Farzin’s two daughters arrived at the match with American colors painted on their faces and wrapped in American flags that covered up T-shirts bearing the Iranian protest slogan. They planned to ditch the American-themed outfits and wash off the paint with baby wipes once they found their seats.

Farzin’s wife, Shideh, said she had been worried when they left for the stadium. But on the bus she overhead other Iranian fans talking about how they too had hidden small signs of protest that they planned to unveil at the game.

“I could see so many people wanting to speak up, finding ways to keep protesting,” she said.

Two sisters attending the match similarly secreted in symbols of protest. Yekta, 16, who flew in from Tehran for the match, wore a T-shirt with a blacked out Iranian flag concealed under a denim jacket. Her sister, Bita, 26, wore a black ribbon around her wrist.

“We want freedom,” Bita said. “We need the world to know. This an event shown all over the world, it’s the best place to protest.”

Iranians who are critical of the regime were widely sharing messages on social media on Tuesday, calling for people to take to the streets to celebrate and turn the street party into anti-government protests — a bid to use such a moment to bring greater attention to their movement.

It was part of an effort to turn around the narrative surrounding the team, after the Iranian government marked a 2-0 victory over Wales on Friday by flooding the streets with its supporters, who waved flags and handed out sweets. Security forces in uniform, who have been caught on videos shooting at and beating protesters, danced in the streets.

A report by CNN on Monday that Iran had threatened Team Melli players and their families with arrest and torture if they displayed solidarity with protesters further strengthened the resolve of the government’s critics to support the team.

“The regime wants to distract us and break our unity around Team Melli, don’t let them,” Arshia, an engineer from Tehran, wrote in an Instagram post. He signaled a change of heart from last week, when he had not celebrated Iran’s win over Wales. “A victory is a source of pride for Iran and our history.”

Mohammadreza Mohajer, a writer and journalist, wrote on Twitter that he was praying for tears of joy that would keep Iranians awake all night following the game. “Only for Iran,” he added.

Mehdi, a restaurant owner in Tehran, said in an interview that he still felt conflicted. “I will explode with happiness if Team Melli wins, but then I dread the aftermath — officials giving speeches portraying this as the Islamic Republic’s victory over superior powers.”

Videos from Tehran posted on social media showed that the government had set up big screens in some neighborhoods and stationed state television cameras to cover the games and the public’s reaction.

Just hours before the match, Iran’s judiciary released a former Team Melli player, Voria Ghafouri, who had been arrested last week.

A vocal supporter of protests in Iran led by women and youth, he had heavily criticized the government’s violent crackdowns and was taken into custody on charges of insulting the national soccer team.

In a message after his release, Mr. Ghafouri thanked members of Team Melli for their campaign to secure his freedom and wished them good luck against the United States.

“I hope Team Melli players perform their best game today and leave the field with their heads held high,” he said.

He was one of a sea of fans from both England and Wales who had gathered in 900Park, a ticketed outdoor fan zone near the InterContinental Hotel in central Doha, to wait for the match. There was no anger in the air, just a sense of ancient grudges being dusted off and re-aired.

If the Welsh fans desperately wanted their team to beat England, or at least hold their own in a game in which they are the decided underdogs, then the English fans were full of righteous indignation at what they perceived as the Welsh fans’ over-zealous investment in the rivalry.

“We’re living rent-free in their heads,” said Steve Waterworth, 52, of the Welsh.

His friend Tim Care, 48, said that he had been shocked the other day to hear a group of Welsh fans break into a chorus of boos when “God Save the King” was played before the England-USA match.

“I was of a mind that you supported the home-country team if your team wasn’t playing, and then I saw that,” he recalled. “All bets were off.”

But, he said, it was mostly a healthy rivalry, full of deeply satisfying back-and-forth trash-talking (known to the British as “banter”).

“They raise their game when they play us,” Care said. “Every game for those guys is ‘Braveheart,’ though of course they were Scottish,” he said, referring to the Mel Gibson movie in which Gibson, playing Sir William Wallace, does battle with the English in the 13th century.

“They’re fighting hundreds of years of history in 90 minutes,” Waterworth said. “Get over it.”

“I said this is the logo of our future,” he said, and he was allowed to enter.

Security officials warned that they would crack down on signs of protest. Some sneaked them in, on T-shirts or on flags that passed quick inspection, as they had at Iran’s two previous games. One fan displayed an Iranian flag with a hole cut out of the center where the national emblem was supposed to be.

This fall, Iran has been consumed by anti-government protests and sometimes deadly police responses, some of the most serious challenges to the government since the Islamic Republic took power after the 1979 revolution.

The political frictions have consumed the Iranian soccer team and its fans at the World Cup. Some fans see their beloved Team Melli, as the national team is known, as a propaganda tool for the regime. Others want its players to make a stronger, anti-government stand before a global audience.

They also know that Iran has never advanced out of the group stage, and that Tuesday night is a golden opportunity.

That created a tortured ambivalence at Al Thumama. Not all Iran fans felt the same way, of course, nor even knew what sort of result they wanted. Victory could be both sweet and sour.

Kamyar Vatankhater was one of them. He said he would whistle (a way to boo) during the national anthem, he said, but cheer the team.

“We want the team to win,” he said. “It’s the team of the people, not the team of the regime.”

The Zimmerman move is intriguing: He has been a fixture for Berhalter for months, and this will be the first appearance in the World Cup for Carter-Vickers — in the game of all of their lives.

The change up front is just the latest twist in a search for someone, anyone, who can put the ball in the net. The Americans have scored one goal in two games, and Berhalter on Monday left no doubt what had to change. “You got to score goals,” he said.

United States Lineup

United States: Matt Turner; Sergiño Dest, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson; Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie; Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent, Tim Weah.

Iran Lineup

Iran’s biggest change is its goalkeeper: Alireza Beiranvand, who was injured in Iran’s first game against England, a game that spiraled into a 6-2 defeat after he was hurt, returns after missing the win against Wales.

This is not a naïve or cloistered Iran squad: 16 of Team Melli’s players are employed by clubs abroad, and 13 of those 16 play in leagues in western Europe, including seven members of tonight’s starting lineup. Forwards Sardar Azmoun (Bayer Leverkusen) and Mehdi Taremi (Porto) both played in this season’s Champions League.

Iran: Alireza Beiranvand, Ehsan Hajsafi, Milad Mohammadi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Morteza Pouraliganji, Mehdi Taremi, Ali Gholizadeh, Majid Hosseini, Sardar Azmoun, Ahmad Nourollahi, Ramin Rezaeian

But however aggressively he opts to play — and his decision to adopt a 4-4-2 formation against England proved a shrewd tactical change — a group that has managed only one goal across its first two games must both create more chances and convert them. Its lone goal, by Tim Weah in the first half against Wales in the opener, came in transition, and the Americans have hardly threatened on set pieces.

Perhaps the most intriguing decision will involve the striker position, where Josh Sargent and Haji Wright featured in the first two games, respectively, in the only lineup switch Berhalter made between games. Now he must determine whether to use one of them up top again or opt for Jesus Ferreira instead. Then there is the question of Gio Reyna, a player Berhalter has used for only 11 minutes but one whom fans have clamored to see.

Since Iran, meantime, can advance with just a draw, it has every incentive to sink back, absorb the Americans’ pressure and counterattack. Team Melli has coalesced while navigating its country’s complicated internal politics, and though it now reflects the divisions cleaving Iran, clinching a spot in the next round could serve as a unifying agent.

Within the group, England is most likely to advance; it needs only beat Wales, or draw, or lose by three or fewer goals. A Wales romp by four or more — the most improbable outcome of all — would send it through as long as Iran draws with the U.S.

“Not a shred of embarrassment?” the Welsh actor Michael Sheen, whose nationalist fervor has resulted in some Shakespearean-style inspirational orations to the Welsh team, tweeted at Prince William. “Or sensitivity to the problem here?”

Prince William quickly did a bit of diplomatic maneuvering, saying that though he generally supports England in soccer and Wales in rugby, he was excited about both their prospects for the World Cup. He also said he planned to wear a Welsh bucket hat for the team’s match against Iran. (Wales lost, 2-0.) It is unclear what he intends to wear for the England-Wales game on Tuesday, but there is no doubt which team Sheen will be supporting.

Now, as of Tuesday, structure is on a brief hiatus. Dear reader, prepare for chaos.

Starting with the Group A games at 10 a.m. Eastern time, each of the eight clusters across the next four days will stage its final round of matches simultaneously.

Croatia will kick off against Belgium on Wednesday at the same time that Canada faces Morocco. After a break, Japan plays Spain in Group E, which is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Eastern, precisely when Costa Rica’s matchup with Germany begins.

The change in schedule creates the closest conditions to competitive balance and fair play, assuring that teams do not know the result required to reach the knockout stage before they take the field. It discourages teams from improving pathways in the bracket by influencing results with such tactics as manipulating goal differential or not playing to win. It also inhibits match fixing.

The policy dates to a moment so embarrassing for international soccer — which has had one or two or nine — that it came to merit a shorthand of sorts: the Disgrace of Gijón. Or, in Germany, Nichtangriffspakt von Gijón (the nonaggression pact of Gijón).

At the 1982 World Cup in Spain, heading into their final match in group play, West Germany and Austria realized that a victory for West Germany by one or two goals would enable both teams to progress — and thus eliminate upstart Algeria, which, after finishing group play a day earlier, needed an Austria win or draw to move on.

In the 11th minute, Horst Hrubesch scored for West Germany. Then, torpidity and languor and boredom and yawn. For the rest of the match, George Vecsey wrote in The New York Times, “West Germany made more kicks backward than forward.” The arrangement secured both teams’ passage.

In his book about the rise of African soccer, “Feet of the Chameleon,” Ian Hawkey wrote that Algeria fans waved bank notes at the players, and that German television called it “the most shameful day in the history of our Football Federation.”

Algeria complained to FIFA, but no punishment would be levied. Instead, FIFA responded by amending its rules: Starting with the 1986 World Cup, all final matches in a group would be held concurrently. So, now they are.

Enjoy the mayhem. Embrace the absurdity.

“Our country is named ih-RAHN, not EYE-ran,” he lectured the United States captain Tyler Adams. “Please, once and for all, let’s get this clear.”

Only then did he offer a question that signaled this was not to be a routine afternoon on the podium.

“Are you OK,” the reporter asked Adams, a Black man who grew up in a white family, “to be representing a country that has so much discrimination against Black people in its own borders?”

On the eve of a critical World Cup match with abounding political and competitive ramifications, Adams, his teammates and their coaches on the United States national team on Monday found themselves caught in the middle of a diplomatic feud they had neither started nor wanted. At their prematch news conference, amid questions that ranged from soccer tactics to U.S. Navy maneuvers, they distanced themselves from social media posts made by their soccer federation over the weekend that showed support for the women of Iran by doctoring that country’s flag.

Gregg Berhalter, the United States coach, said that neither he nor any players were involved with the decision to remove Iran’s official emblem and two lines of Islamic script from its flag in posts on Twitter and Instagram, but offered an apology on behalf of the team anyway.

“We had no idea about what U.S. Soccer put out — the staff, the players, had no idea,” Berhalter said.

But he also tried, in vain, to steer the conversation away from politics.

“Our focus is on this match,” he said. “I don’t want to sound aloof or not caring by saying that, but the guys have worked really hard for the last four years. We have 72 hours between England and Iran, and we really are just focused on how to get past Iran and go to the knockout stage of this tournament. Of course, our thoughts are with the Iranian people, the whole country, the whole team, everyone, but our focus is on this match.”

Iran condemned U.S. Soccer’s decision to use an incorrect flag, an action that it said violated the statutes of FIFA, world soccer’s global governing body. The American federation, which has acknowledged the decision to use the altered flag was intentional, deleted the posts Sunday and said it would use only Iran’s official flag going forward.

“The intent of the post was to show support for women’s rights,” Michael Kammarman, a U.S. Soccer spokesman, said Monday. “It was meant to be a moment. We made the post at the time. All of the other representations of the flag were made consistent and will continue.”

Iran, however, was less eager to move on. On Sunday, a representative of its soccer federation said Iran planned to file a complaint with FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, seeking to have the United States thrown out of the World Cup. (FIFA had no comment on the dispute, and such a request was almost certain to be rejected in any event.)

And on Monday, Berhalter and Adams faced pointed questions from Iranian reporters about topics that included not only racial discrimination in the U.S. but also the presence of an American naval fleet in the Persian Gulf; high inflation; and why Iranians need a visa to visit the United States.

The exchange between the reporter and Adams soon went viral online.

“My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country,” Adams began his answer, before offering a nuanced response about his own experiences growing up “in a white family with, obviously, an African American heritage.”

The Americans, after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, can advance to the knockout rounds from Group B by defeating Iran, which would also progress with a victory or — in the right circumstances — a tie.

Over the past few months, and certainly at this World Cup, the Iranian team has become entangled with its country’s harsh treatment of women and its crackdowns on personal freedoms under theocratic rule. The team engaged in protests of its own after the September death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been arrested on charges of violating a law requiring head coverings for women.

After refusing to sing the national anthem before its opening match, against England, the Iranian team appeared to join in before its next game, against Wales, with varying degrees of enthusiasm and commitment.

“We can’t speak for them and their message,” U.S. defender Walker Zimmerman said. “We know that they’re all emotional. They’re going through things right now. They’re human, and, again, we empathize with that human emotion. So we completely feel for them.”