Iran's Victory Against Bolivia with 'Selective Presence of Women'

The Iranian national team, preparing for the Asian Cup, achieved a 2-1 victory in a friendly match against Bolivia. Less than ten thousand spectators were present at Azadi Stadium, with their numbers gradually increasing during the match. The match was officiated by Ali Shaaban from Kuwait. Under pressure from FIFA President Infantino and an ultimatum issued by FIFA, a number of women were allowed to attend the match at Azadi Stadium. However, state television did not broadcast images of them, and the commentator, Javad Kheirandish, did not mention this issue. A few Bolivian women were also present in the stadium. Almost all female spectators were affiliated with football and attended under the supervision of the federation. Some female football fans expressed on social media their frustration about being unable to enter the stadium due to police restrictions. In the 17th minute, Taremi headed the ball to Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who also headed it but was denied by the Bolivian goalkeeper. Jahanbakhsh regained possession and scored, marking his fifth international goal. His fourth goal was scored 11 months ago against Venezuela, another South American team. Six minutes into the second half, the ball reached Rudy Cardoso outside Iran's penalty area, and he scored with a beautiful left-footed shot. The last goal conceded by goalkeeper Beiranvand for the national team was during the World Cup against Portugal, when Quaresma scored. After the national team's goal was conceded, the spectators at Azadi Stadium protested by cheering for Seyed Jalal Hosseini. Subsequently, Masoud Shojaei sent the ball from the left to Bolivia's half. Ashkan provided a through ball, and a poor clearance by Sagardo, along with Tarabi's persistence, allowed him to score in a one-on-one situation, marking his sixth international goal. Both teams had other scoring opportunities that were wasted due to inaccuracy, with Iran having significantly more and more dangerous chances. For Iran, players included Alireza Beiranvand, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Majid Hosseini, Sadegh Moharrami, Ehsan Haji Safi, Omid Ebrahimi (Ali Karimi), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Masoud Shojaei), Vahid Amiri (Mehdi Tarabi), Saman Ghoddos (Ashkan Dejagah), Mehdi Taremi (Ali Gholizadeh), and Sardar Azmoun (Karim Ansarifard). Ramin Rezaiyan, despite not being called up to the national team, attended training and sat on the bench for this match. The captain of Iran in the first half was Haji Safi, who handed over the armband to Shojaei at the start of the second half. For Bolivia, the starting players were Viscara, Jaquin, Valverde, Sagardo, Ribera, Vayar, Saavedra, Jostiniano, Waka, Cardoso, and Alvarez, sent onto the field by Cesar Farias. Bolivia had not won a match in the past year but managed to defeat Myanmar 3-0 before traveling to Tehran.