It was a very eventful day in Qatar, the sight of the World Cup Soccer Tournament and the epicenter of some fairly significant political protests.
First off, the US men’s national team is off to the knockout rounds of the 2022 World Cup thanks to their 1-0 win over Iran, which allowed them to finish second in Group B and move on to the final 16.
Christian Pulisic was the hero, no question about it, as he scored the biggest goal of his life, the only game in the game, and the one that made the difference.
It was a gutty play by Pulisic, as he barreled into the Iranian goalie and suffered an injury that knocked him out of the game. It’s being described as a lower abdominal injury, and unlike many of his contemporaries who dramatically flop, his pain was legit. But worth it.
It’s hard not to cheer for the Iranian team as they deal with overwhelming pressures from home because of their collective show of support for Iranian protesters in their country.
Before today’s match, the Iranian team sang their national anthem. Why is this a big deal? Because they showed their solidarity with protesters by not singing their anthem before previous games. However, word spread that the players’ families faced imprisonment and torture if the players made the regime in charge of Iran look bad on the world stage again.
Faced with that, they begrudgingly sang the words, but now there is concern about what awaits the team as they return to the oppressive rule of their home country.
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