Agency :
More than two decades have passed since Iran’s Mehdi Mahdavikia famously sealed a 2-1 victory over the United States but the thrill of delivering his country their first ever World Cup win has not faded.
Tuesday marked the 24th anniversary of the meeting between the ideologically opposed nations at France 98 in a game widely viewed as the mostly politically charged in World Cup history.
They will meet again at the World Cup later this year after being drawn in the same group in Qatar but that meeting is unlikely to be as hyped as the Lyon clash, which was decided by Mahdavikia’s breakaway goal.
Iran versus the United States was the match of the century, the 44-year-old former SV Hamburg wing back told Reuters.
That goal was one of the biggest, most memorable and remarkable times in my life. I will never, ever forget that moment.
I was young, it was a very important match in the World Cup, it was Iran against the United States, it was the first win for Iran at the World Cup and so the whole recipe was there to make that a memorable cake for the rest of my life.
