"Now the end is here," wrote Carlos Queiroz on his Instagram page. The 65-year-old Portuguese coach had led Iran's national soccer team for eight years. His emotional farewell followed a 3-0 defeat by Japan in the AFC Asian Cup semi-finals at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the Emirati city of al-Ain on Jan. 28.
Right into the second half, Iran was outplaying Japan, threatening the other side's goal at every chance. But a mistake in the second half changed the game's course. Japan scored their first goal after five Iranian players gave up the ball to a Japanese counterpart as they argued with the referee. The moment decided the fate of the game, and perhaps taught the players an unforgettable lesson.
