Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said his team deserved at least a draw against the United States after a 1-0 defeat on Tuesday, while adding that they had earned “the respect of the whole world” in Qatar.
Iran needed at least a draw in their World Cup Group B clash to have a chance of reaching the knockout stages, but the United States won 1-0 A goal from Kristian Pulisic seven minutes before half-time gave the Netherlands a place in the last 16.
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Queiroz said after the match, “I said earlier in 2018 that I had previously coached many clubs and national teams, but I have never seen players in my career who give everything and return like the Iranian players.” I can’t find anything.”
“Sometimes football isn’t fair, and we will come back stronger and have been able to earn the respect of the whole world.”
Queiroz lamented his team’s inability to score against an inspired American team, whom he described as the most consistent in their group before the match.
“Football God bless those who score goals, and unfortunately we didn’t score,” said Queiroz. “I said before the match that the United States was the most consistent team in the first two games.
“USA started the match like they did against Wales and England, and they were better than us, more brutal and faster, and scored a goal, and I’m not surprised by that.
“But the situation changed in the second half and we had more possession of the ball and created more chances than the United States did in the first half and we deserved to at least score.
“The USA players have pace and if I may say so when you play against Ferrari you need to hit the highway, and after the break that’s what we did and we were the better team.”
The Portuguese coach praised the commitment and efforts of his players in training and matches.
“We train in an environment that is not comparable to other teams, but when I work with the players on a daily basis they show enthusiasm and desire to represent Iran,” said Queiroz, who was last He returned as coach of Iran for the second time in September.
However, he refused to talk about the last play of the match in which Iran’s players called for a penalty when striker Mehdi Taremi was tackled by defender Cameron Carter-Vickers to prevent him from scoring.
“I haven’t seen the replay yet, but talking about it now is pointless,” said Queiroz. “The United States reached the last 16, and this will not change anything. Life will go on and there will be other matches to come.”
