To me it needs to fulfill at least a few of these criteria. It should be a game we expected to get a result. We end up not getting the result. It should be decided late in the game. The result should have an impact on advancing or not. There shouldn't be a chance (meaning another game afterwards) to undo this game's impact. The ref played a part in us not getting a result. With that being said, here's my list starting with the worst.
1992 Asian Championship: Going into our last game we just needed a tie against Japan to advance but the AFC did all it could to allow Japan to advance instead. We were constantly subject to uncalled Japanese fouls while the slightest of our contacts would get whistled. A simple bump lead to our first red card which was to be followed with 2 more red cards and suspensions to players who weren't even involved in the alleged red card offenses. A clear offside ball was called onside, allowing Japan to beat us with a 87th minute goal and eliminate us.
2015 Asian Championship: On paper we were the better team against arogh and showed it on the field as well up until Pouladi's red card which should have in fact been a yellow on the aroghi keeper for shoving Pouladi. Playing a man down we twice came back from behind, the second time with only 2 minutes left. It never should have gone to penalty kicks and our eventual elimination.
2004 Asian Championship: Much like the 1992 version, the hosts needed help from the ref in the form of a red card to eliminate us. Even worse was the red card that wasn't given to them after they chopped down Karimi from behind on his one on one breakaway chance. We were better on the field and should have advanced.
2001 World Cup qualifier: We held our own destiny and would have qualified had we beaten the grass rollers. Something happened to us, something that to this day I can't even figure out. We had beaten harder opponents and yet did everything wrong in the last match against inferior opposition. The loss eliminated us from direct qualification.
1984 Asian Championship: Leading the 8-0ers with just minutes remaining in a game that we were all over them from the beginning, we conceded a late own goal and eventually lost on penalties.
Honorable mention:
2014 World Cup: Iran 0 Argentina 1
1973 World Cup qualifier: Iran 0 Australia 3
2000 Asian Championship: Iran 1 South Korea 2
2018 World Cup: Iran 1 Portugal 1 (technically not a loss but felt like one)
1992 Asian Championship: Going into our last game we just needed a tie against Japan to advance but the AFC did all it could to allow Japan to advance instead. We were constantly subject to uncalled Japanese fouls while the slightest of our contacts would get whistled. A simple bump lead to our first red card which was to be followed with 2 more red cards and suspensions to players who weren't even involved in the alleged red card offenses. A clear offside ball was called onside, allowing Japan to beat us with a 87th minute goal and eliminate us.
2015 Asian Championship: On paper we were the better team against arogh and showed it on the field as well up until Pouladi's red card which should have in fact been a yellow on the aroghi keeper for shoving Pouladi. Playing a man down we twice came back from behind, the second time with only 2 minutes left. It never should have gone to penalty kicks and our eventual elimination.
2004 Asian Championship: Much like the 1992 version, the hosts needed help from the ref in the form of a red card to eliminate us. Even worse was the red card that wasn't given to them after they chopped down Karimi from behind on his one on one breakaway chance. We were better on the field and should have advanced.
2001 World Cup qualifier: We held our own destiny and would have qualified had we beaten the grass rollers. Something happened to us, something that to this day I can't even figure out. We had beaten harder opponents and yet did everything wrong in the last match against inferior opposition. The loss eliminated us from direct qualification.
1984 Asian Championship: Leading the 8-0ers with just minutes remaining in a game that we were all over them from the beginning, we conceded a late own goal and eventually lost on penalties.
Honorable mention:
2014 World Cup: Iran 0 Argentina 1
1973 World Cup qualifier: Iran 0 Australia 3
2000 Asian Championship: Iran 1 South Korea 2
2018 World Cup: Iran 1 Portugal 1 (technically not a loss but felt like one)
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