It was 3 a.m. in Lyon, France, and hundreds of Iranians were still partying at the Place Bellecour, a park in the center of town.
“I-ran! I-ran!” they chanted, waving their green, red and white flags. Their team had just eliminated the favored United States from the 1998 World Cup with a 2-1 victory in one of the most politically charged games in tournament history. The tensions ran so high that security officers labeled the match “high risk.”
I was there, in Lyon, 24 years ago, the last time the United States and Iran clashed in a World Cup. The memories of that day remained vividly etched in my mind as I tuned in to Tuesday’s thrilling USA 1-0 win over Iran in Qatar.
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