1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC-OFC play-off)

The qualification process for the 1998 FIFA World Cup involved the play-off between Australia and Iran.

First leg

Prior to arrival in Tehran, Terry Venables and others involved in the Australian national team had made negative comments about Iran, stating it as being dangerous, and going so far as to bring their own drinking water for their stay.

The first leg of the play-off, on November 22, 1997, took place in Tehran, Iran, with the result a 1-1 draw. Attendance for this match was extremely high, as 128,000 fans packed Azadi Stadium, despite it only having a capacity for 100,000 fans at the time.

Full of confidence after this result, the Australian team came to the second leg in Melbourne believing they could progress to their first World Cup in 24 years.

econd leg

The second leg, held on November 29, 1997 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, had a crowd of over 88,000, a then-record for a soccer game at the ground.

With Australia holding a 1-0 lead at half-time, it looked likely that they would progress to the World Cup. Directly after Australia scored a second goal in the second half, serial pest Peter Hore cut up Iran's goal net, causing a halt in play. This seemed to quell the Australians' momentum, as when play resumed, an Iranian revival, led by Khodadad Azizi, saw Iran score two quick goals to make the score 3-3 on aggregate, with Iran progressing on away goals.

Despite being undefeated throughout their entire qualifying campaign, Australia had again failed to qualify for the World Cup finals. Along with host nation and eventual winner France (who as host nation did not need to qualify), Australia were the only other team to not lose a game in the entire campaign.

The match is considered by many Australians as one of the most tragic moments in their sporting history. The broadcast of the game on SBS featured closing comments from a clearly distraught Les Murray and Johnny Warren, with Warren openly weeping on air.

quads

Australia

*GK - Mark Bosnich
*D - Craig Moore
*D - Steve Horvat
*D - Alex Tobin (c)
*D - Stan Lazaridis
*M - Robbie Slater
*M - Ned Zelic
*M - Craig Foster
*M - Harry Kewell
*F - Aurelio Vidmar
*F - Mark Viduka

*D - Tony Vidmar
*M - Ernie Tapai
*F - Graham Arnold

Manager: flagicon|ENGTerry Venables

Iran

*GK - Ahmadreza Abedzadeh (c)
*D - Mohammad Khakpour
*D - Mehdi Pashazadeh
*D - Naeem Saadavi
*D - Afshin Peyrovani
*M - Mehdi Mahdavikia
*M - Karim Bagheri
*M - Hamid Reza Estili
*M - Reza Shahroudi
*F - Khodadad Azizi
*F - Ali Daei

Manager: flagicon|BRAValdeir Vieira

Aftermath

Iran qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup Finals in France and were drawn into Group F with Germany, Yugoslavia and USA. After losing 1-0 to Yugoslavia in their opening match, Iran defeated USA 2-1 with goals from Estili and Mahdavikia. In the final match they lost 2-0 to Germany, finishing third in the group on three points.

Australia qualified for the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup as Oceania Nations Cup winners. The Socceroos were drawn into a group with Brazil, Mexico and host nation Saudi Arabia. In the opening match they defeated Mexico 3-1, then secured a memorable nil-all draw with World Cup holders Brazil. Australia lost the last match against Saudi Arabia 1-0, but still finished second in the group on four points, proceeding to the semi-final stage. Against Uruguay, a goal from Harry Kewell in extra time secured a 1-0 win and a place in the final against Brazil. Australia were crushed 6-0 by Brazil, leaving the side with the silver medal.

External links

* [http://iransportspress.com/?c=170&a=4831 10th Anniversary of Melbourne Showdown] , "IranSprtsPress.com"