Pulisic pounces to end Iran's brave campaign

This was a game too far for Iran.

- Nick Ames

Iran 0

USA 1 - Pulisic 38

Their World Cup campaign was short but will not be wrenched from the memory easily, the harrowing domestic context colouring their every step. When the dust has settled they should take huge pride in having remained competitive despite such a varied and extraordinary set of external pressures; the team’s reaction at full time, many of them falling to the floor, told of the toll recent weeks have taken.

It is the USA who will join England in qualifying from Group B, though, and they will face the Netherlands on Saturday. They needed the win and deserved it, Christian Pulisic scoring seven minutes before half-time but sustaining an injury in the process. It was a cool, controlled performance and a fixture for which pre-match storylines seemed endless passed without any flashpoints.

That might have been considered a surprise after the stormy exchanges that dominated the buildup, including but nowhere near limited to an attempt by Iran’s football association to get the USA banned for using an altered version of their flag on social media. Comments by Carlos Queiroz, the Iran manager, about social problems in the US had also added spice and that is before anyone factors in the longer-term history between the two.