Iran was filled with pride and praise for its national soccer team, known as Team Melli, as it raised eyebrows by holding former European champion Portugal to a tie in the World Cup on June 25.
Prior to the tournament, few Iranians would have predicted a win and a draw in the "Group of Death." With a last-minute score to defeat Morocco 1-0 in a tight opener, Team Melli pushed the bar up. After a 1-0 defeat to former World Cup champion Spain, the Iranian "Cheetahs" aspired for even more and spoke of dreams that could come true in their third battle, this one against Portugal, whose superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, had proven more than ready following his hat trick against the Spaniards.
