Iran 1-1 Angola

Iran ended Angola's slim hopes of qualifying from Group D, as they held the African side to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday, 21 June 2006. Angola scored their first-ever goal in the World Cup when Flavio headed home Ze Kalanga's cross on the hour mark. However, their hopes of catching Mexico on goal difference were ended when Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh rose unmarked to convert Mehdi Mahdavikia's corner 15 minutes from time.

Iran's goal appeared to dent Angola's sense of belief and the Africans risked conceding a second as Rasoul Khatibi's shot on the turn was palmed over by Joao Ricardo. The odds were always stacked against Angola reaching the Round of 16 going into this match, but when they took the lead through Flavio their hopes were suddenly raised. However, Bakhtiarizadeh’s equaliser effectively ended their dreams.

Iran did not live up to its promise of advancing into the second round nor its billing as the best Iranian side ever. Both sides put in a spirited performance, Iran to salvage their lost pride while Angola fighting for qualification; in the end, a draw is a fair result, although Angola had the better chances to score.

To be frank, the Iranians had not reached the top level yet and they were second best when they faced Mexico and Portugal. As for Angola, they were about equally matched but Angola is not exactly a top-flight opponent. In fact, Angola do edge them out when it comes to attacking flair. So there is still a lot of room for improvement for the Iranians before they can advance into the last 16...