Iran coach Carlos Queiroz was certainly not a happy man after a 1-1 draw against Portugal in a must-win game at the FIFA World Cup 2018.
Queiroz reacted angrily but said Iran deserved to win and he was proud of his team after they were knocked out of the tournament after one win, one defeat and one draw in group stage. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo should have been sent off for what he said was an elbow in the face of Morteza Pouraliganji, and Iran should have been awarded at least one more penalty.
Queiroz also implicitly criticised the refereeing and renewed his attacks on the VAR system.
“Only one winner could come out in this game and it should have been Iran,” Queiroz told reporters. “We deserved to win. I am a bad loser, I am proud but frustrated.”
Victory over Portugal in their final Group B match would have seen Iran through to the knockout stage. The underdogs played with huge heart in a drama-filled match.
After a lovely strike by Ricardo Quaresma put Portugal ahead on the stroke of halftime, Iran fought back and a stoppage-time penalty by Karim Ansarifard secured a draw. But with Spain and Morocco drawing 2-2 in the other Group B match, it was not enough.
Queiroz was incensed by an incident in the 80th minute when Ronaldo sent Pouraliganji to the ground. The referee consulted the VAR to see if it was a red card, then decided to hand the Portuguese captain a yellow.
“An elbow is a red card. The rules do not say what if it is Ronaldo or Messi. It is a red card. The decisions must be clear,” Queiroz said.