Reflecting on the psychological and physical toll inflicted upon his players, Ghalenoei expressed profound anger regarding the constant disruptions to their itinerary. He said: “We spent so much time in the air commuting, they didn’t even give us time to recover. After the game today, they said to us you have to leave immediately. It’s very important for us to have time for recovery, but we’ve been told to return to our camp in Tijuana and we are really troubled by that. I think perhaps our team is the most repressed team in the whole World Cup.”
Although the Iranian anthem was met with a mixture of audible jeers and loud cheers, the 70,108-strong crowd quickly united to provide vociferous support once the game got underway, prompting Ghalenoei to reflect on the collective backing from the diaspora. He added: “There were many Iranians here, they believe in different political affiliations, different beliefs, but they all wholeheartedly encouraged us, and I think that’s a victory for all of us.”
