So where were you when this happened 18 years ago?

[ramingeles2000]

oh my god...this was 18 years ago? i feel so incredible old. WOW.

[volek1957]

Hope this doesn't piss you off but I was in Melbourne watching it live

[KeonKish]

I was 2.


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[cap360]

I was at school, grade 7...i think we watched it on TV in class
It was 2-0 , then 2-1, then 2-2

the whole Tehran went crazy!!! All the cars started honking, flags showing , people shoutin and partyin..it was a surreal moment that ill never forget
Happiest day for Irans football i think.
and one of the happiest days for me too

[Amin_]

Checking it here for 90+ minutes!




I didn't have internet back then and the game was not televised, so I was looking at the above screen for 90 minutes. Can you imagine the feeling when you are looking at that screen while crying, praying, yelling and then suddenly seeing the 1 turning into a 2 (the 2-2 equalizer)?! I thought I was going crazy and that it was a mistake, so I changed to another channel and checked teletekst again. Only when 3 different channels confirmed it I believed it! The minutes from the equalizer til the end were one of the worst in my life! I'm glad I was only 14 or so and not 50 or I would have had an heart attack for sure!


Anyway minutes later suddenly Iran was added as the 32nd team to the list of participants and I went crazy! Ran to our balcony and kept screaming "IRAN, IRAN!". Will never forget that day!

[ShiroKhorshid]

Amin where you in Holland back then already? Because in Germany Eurosport showed both the match in Tehran aswell as the one in Melbourne live. Amazing memories Cant believe i was only 7 years old back then.

[mahestan]

Back then I was still living in Iran. Watched it in the school's namaz khaneh with the rest of my classmates. If I recall correctly the game was sometime around 1PM, and we didn't know we would get to watch it. After lunch time, as we were all standing in our lines to be sent to our designated classrooms, the school's vice principle got on the PA and mentioned whoever listens to the game on the radio during class will be punished. As our line started to move and we got to our class, our teacher said that the principle has made accommodations for us to watch the game and our class among three other classes will be in the namaz khaneh to watch. Other classes were sent to other parts of the school to watch, like the lunch hall.

I grabbed my full size Iran flag from my backpack and went to watch the game with the rest of my classmates. The place was pretty much depressed silent when Australia was leading 2-0, but when Iran scored the equalizer the place went nuts. I remember after that principle announced that we can all go home. On my walk home from school I started seeing people start pouring into the street and start celebrating. I had my flag hanging on my back over my back pack and had multiple cars pull over asking me if they can buy it off of me, I still have that flag

[Bessos]

This is a funny side story of the memorable match between Iran and Australia:

When this match was showing live on a Dutch television channel, and Australia scored their 2nd goal, the Dutch commentator (who was obviously rooting for Australia) said something like this: ''There is no way Iran is going to make it to the World Cup. If they do make it, I would pay for every Iranian who wants to go to Disneyland'' (or some other theme park I don't remember).
Guess what happens after it is 2-2? Commentator starts panicking and wishing for Australia to make it 3-2, shouting things like ''It is still possible!!!''
The day after, hundreds of Iranians complained to the television broadcast about this and the commentator had to pay for their trip to Disneyland (at the cost of the tv studio)

True story

If there ever was icing on the cake, I'd say it was this one.

[Bijans]

The game was early morning - CET time and I was in Sweden back then . We went to a friend's house early in the morning and started the morning with Mimosa and Champagne followed by breakfast and Vodka. My friend Ali and his GF (from Estonia)back then (wife now) and a few others were glued to TV watching the game, and at half way through being drunk decided to turn the TV off. After the disastrous performance we saw from TM we were just emotionally drained and ma. A few minutes later decided to turn the TV back on and we noticed the game was 1-2 and right then and there Azizi scored the 2nd goal. Not only we could not believe it and we were jumping up and down but the important part was that the Estonian girl was crying her eyes out.. and calling her friends and family back in Estonia to tell them how happy she is that Iran qualified to the WC. Then we all went to downtown Stockholm and the started partying more. Police has closed the main square of the city due to people celebrating and the day ended with more drinks and happy tears. Good old days

[alireza0101]

I was laughing hard when we scored 2 late goals.

[Swiss Persian]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR_eVW7Hwt8

i was doing a top professional interview :P

[Amin_]

Amin where you in Holland back then already? Because in Germany Eurosport showed both the match in Tehran aswell as the one in Melbourne live. Amazing memories Cant believe i was only 7 years old back then.

I can't imagine it being broadcasted on Eurosport and we having the channel back then and me not having seen it. I'm sure I checked every channel possible for the game.

If I really missed it but it was broadcasted on a channel that I had, I will get crazy (yes, even today).

[ShiroKhorshid]

I can't imagine it being broadcasted on Eurosport and we having the channel back then and me not having seen it. I'm sure I checked every channel possible for the game.
If I really missed it but it was broadcasted on a channel that I had, I will get crazy (yes, even today).

Yes like i said both matches were shown live on eurosport in Germany, i actually recorded both on VHS. Still have it somewhere. Will never forget what the commentator said when Azizi was running towards Bosnich:
"Und da ist der Khodadad Azizi... und das 2 zu 2... Der Iran in Frankreich... Fussball Dramatik pur"

Yadesh bekheyr.

[04041374]

Heroic reception when TM returned back from Australia

[AminGP]

I was in Dubai and our school decided to let everyone go home early around noon. I don't think I've ever screamed and celebrated in my life before like I did when Azizi scored and I think it was the longest 8 minute extra time that we all have ever experienced. The problem was back then they didn't have these boards where they showed the extra time so we had no idea how long we had to wait for the game to be over.

Once the game was over we went straight to Iranian Club in Dubai where everyone was gathering. I think a day later team melli arrived in Dubai and they had a special event in Iranian Club and I managed to get into the field and run alongside Bagheri.

Once their little ceremony was over, we picked up Hamid Estili in our car and took him around the city and once we came back to Iranian club my brother and I walked in with Hamid Estili as his entourage and went to have dinner with all the players. It was definetly a memorable night for us.