Iranians celebrate as team crashes out of World Cup

Instead of tears, there were cheers, fireworks and dancing in the streets. Iran's national team lost a tightly fought battle against the United States by 1-0 on Tuesday night, and subsequently crashed out of the World Cup.

- BORZOU DARAGAHI

But for many Iranians, the defeat was cause for celebration. They were rooting against their own national team, which they view as an instrument of a clerical regime they have been battling in the streets since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini on 16 September.

In Amini's hometown of Saqqez, fireworks lit up the sky and residents poured into the streets, honking their horns. In Tehran, the capital, people in multiple districts took to the streets on a chilly night. "Even though it's one in the morning, the Islamic Republic has so damaged the people that the football-loving people of Iran are celebrating the defeat of Iran," says the narrator of one video clip taken of joyous street gatherings. "It's really a strange thing. But it's excellent. The unity of the people is excellent."