An Iranian supporter stormed the pitch in the dying moments of Iran’s World Cup group match against Egypt, believing his team had snatched a sensational last-gasp winner — only for VAR to crush the dream seconds later.
The fan, dressed in light-coloured clothing, burst from the terraces at Lumen Field in Seattle after Iranian defender Shojae Khalilzadeh fired a loose ball into the net three minutes into extra time, levelling the score at 1-1. The stadium erupted as Iranian players celebrated wildly, Khalilzadeh himself earning a booking for over-the-top celebrating, even producing a pair of black pixelated sunglasses that became a beloved internet meme.
“Iran fan stormed pitch thinking team scored winner, only for VAR to disallow goal for offside.”
Clutching a mobile phone, the supporter leapt over a security barrier, sprinted past nine stewards in high-visibility yellow vests, and evaded the initial line of defence. Two officials gave chase and brought him down, restraining him in handcuffs before removing him from the pitch.
But the jubilant scenes soon turned to despair. VAR and FIFA officials ruled that Khalilzadeh had strayed beyond the last defender before netting the goal, chalking it off for offside. Iran had also hit the crossbar in the final moments, leaving them with a 1-1 draw.
“The guy rushing the field has to be upset that the goal was disallowed, especially after he was arrested,” one supporter wrote on social media.
The pitch invasion came after a separate individual had attempted to storm the field during the USA’s 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay earlier in the tournament. Social media erupted in disbelief at how stewards permitted the incident despite stringent security measures including robotic dogs, cybersecurity drones and hundreds of security personnel.
Meanwhile, FIFA permitted Seattle to press ahead with its scheduled Pride festivities during the match.
Iran now face a nervous wait to see if they qualify for the knockout stage as one of the top eight third-placed teams. Elsewhere, England have already secured their place in the last 32, while Scotland’s long wait continues and minnows Cape Verde have reached the knockout stage for the first time, with Uruguay crashing out.