Iran men's national team star Ramin Rezaeian commended Mexico 's hospitality just moments before he and his teammates were instructed to leave the United States following their FIFA World Cup opener against New Zealand .
The Iranian squad was directed to fly back to Tijuana, Mexico — the location of their World Cup training base — shortly after battling to a 2-2 tie against New Zealand in a pulsating back-and-forth game at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Monday.
The quality and excitement of the game took a backseat to the charged political messaging from fans in and around the stadium, as well as one Iranian player's controversial 'gun celebration' gesture after netting the equalizing goal, as per The Mirror US .
-Credit:Matt McNulty - FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images
Shortly after the final whistle, Rezaeian, one of Iran's two scorers on the night, expressed his frustration at being required to sleep and train in Mexico before making the 140-mile journey to the United States for their World Cup opener.
"Oh, it's much difficult, as you know, we train in Mexico, but actually I have to thank people in Mexico, they were so nice, they have a great behavior against us, but actually it's so difficult, we train in Mexico, and we play in L.A.," the 36-year-old fullback said.
"So at the end we are not happy today because I think we deserve to win the game, but actually this is football, sometimes you cannot reach what you want, but then I have to thank my teammates, my friends, my people in Iran, they deserve more.
"I think they deserve more actually, so we have to see forward and to think about our next game."
The Iranian squad had initially planned to overnight in California before departing for Mexico the following morning, but those arrangements were swiftly abandoned, with the team 'ordered to leave immediately' after the final whistle — complicating recovery plans following a grueling game in Los Angeles.
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Iran moved its training base to Mexico despite playing all three of its World Cup group stage games on U.S. soil, a direct result of the ongoing diplomatic friction between the two nations stemming from February's U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, which reportedly decimated much of the country's military infrastructure and claimed the life of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
On the field, Rezaeian was undoubtedly the standout performer. The 36-year-old broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute, initiating the move down the right-hand side before sneaking in behind the New Zealand backline to poke the ball past the goalkeeper.
He then delivered a perfectly weighted cross in the 64th minute for Mohammed Moleavhebi, whose header cannoned off the post and into the net for the equalizer.
Rezaeian, who plies his trade in the Russian Premier League with FC Rostov, made his mark at both ends of the pitch and was rightfully honored with the Superior Player of the Match award.
Iran's next test comes against Belgium on Sunday, June 21, in Los Angeles, before rounding out Group G action against Egypt on Friday, June 26, in Seattle.
