Teheran shocked

TEHERAN, OCT 22. Teheran was to celebrate last night with fireworks and street carnivals but instead turned into a ghost town after Iran lost 3-1 to Bahrain in its last World Cup qualification game in Manama.

Not only did Iran lose the game but also put in a disastrous performance, even gaining a red card for Al-Reza Vahedi Nikbakht in the final minutes of play.

Unlike the previous weeks when hundreds of thousands of Iranians staged street carnivals, which in some parts of Teheran even turned into riots and led to mass arrests - 400 last week - a deadly silence ruled Sunday over the Iranian capital.

Iran must now play two relegation games on Thursday and October 31 against the second-ranking team in Group B, the United Arab Emirates. The winner will play on November 10 and 15 against Ireland for a chance at becoming the final team to qualify for the 2002 World Cup games in Japan and Korea.

- DPA

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Section  : Sport
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