"Leave the U.S. Immediately" After Match: Controversy Erupts

[Anchor]

After many twists and turns, Iran, which entered the U.S.—a country it is currently at war with—to play its first match, ended in a draw against New Zealand. However, immediately after the match, the Iranian national team was ordered to leave the U.S. without even a moment to rest. Iran is protesting, calling it the greatest suppression in World Cup history, and the controversy continues to grow.

Reported by Kim Soo-young.

[Reporter]

Tension hung in the air around the LA stadium even before the match between Iran and New Zealand began.

Amidst tight police security, protesters criticizing the current Iranian government held demonstrations, waving the old Iranian flag.

Some protesters expressed their intense anger by stomping on the current Iranian flag.

[Mona Cheshmegil / LA Resident: I don't think the current national team is our team. It is a team that supports the Iranian regime, and they have betrayed the true people.]

However, inside the stadium, Iranian fans, who far outnumbered the New Zealand fans, filled the stands and provided one-sided support.

The match was a close contest.

In the 7th minute of the first half, New Zealand gained momentum with a opening goal by Just, but Iran leveled the score in the 32nd minute with a right-footed shot from Rezaeian.

Although they fell behind again in the 9th minute of the second half after failing to stop New Zealand's Just, Iran managed to bring the game back to level terms 10 minutes later.

Rezaeian, who had scored earlier, sent a cross in front of the goal, and Mohebi finished it with a header.

Iran continued to press afterward but could not find the back of the net again, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Iranian national team, which had only arrived in the U.S. yesterday, the day before the match, was scheduled to stay overnight in LA after the game. However, they expressed their anger, stating they were told late at night to return immediately to Mexico, where their base camp is located.

[Amir Ghalenoei / Iran National Football Team Head Coach: Tonight is the most critical time for us to recover for the next match. We are the most oppressed team in the history of the World Cup.]

The Iranian players, who are the first in World Cup history to play a match in a country they are at war with, used the word "disaster" and called for active intervention from FIFA.

(Video reporting: Ha Ju-eun, Lee Doo-hyun, SBS International | Video editing: Lee Jae-sung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.