On June 27th, in the third round of Group G of the FIFA World Cup group stage, Egypt drew 1-1 with Iran. After the match, Iranian defender Rezaeian, who was named Player of the Match, spoke to reporters in the mixed zone.

How do you feel about the result and all the drama?

I am really tired. First, I have to say, I don't know what's wrong with our football, because I don't see any luck on our side. We deserved to win this match.

I can only apologize to the Iranian people, because they deserve more happiness and more. We did our best, and the rest is in Allah's hands. I hope Allah gives us some luck to see the next stage.

Yes, we had very strong emotions during the match, especially in the last 10 minutes.

We deserved it, I tell you, we deserved it. We would have won the match. Did you see the Egyptian players' celebration in the last minute? And then the referee called offside. Did you see that kind of joy from the Egyptian players? They were so happy. But I think we deserved to win the match.

But there's nothing more to say about it. Our players did their best and did everything they could. I hope Allah sees us and gives us what we deserve.

You mentioned luck wasn't on your side. Does this relate to how the team has been treated? You have to travel long distances from Tijuana for every match—what's next for the team?

I don't like to complain, because Allah sees everything.

Everyone knows what happened in the last six months. I don't want to talk about it. But the Iranian people deserve more, they deserve more happiness, they deserve everything.

We did our best for our people. I hope in the coming days, Allah will see the pain and sacrifice the players endured in the match. Let's see what happens. I hope Allah sees us and gives us what we deserve, because we showed quality.

I think the fans who came here today enjoyed watching the game, especially in the last 15 minutes. The offside calls in the last two matches—I'm not sure what to say. I just believe that the players gave their all, and they did their best. Let's see what happens next.

If you qualify, what would that mean for the Iranian people? What would it mean for this team to continue this journey?

It would mean everything. This isn't the first time we've faced this situation. It was the same in the last FIFA World Cup, and in the two FIFA World Cups before that. You remember the Russia World Cup against Portugal—we could have scored in the final moments. In the last World Cup against the United States, we also deserved to win that match, or at least to qualify for the next stage.

Now I think Iran showed everything and played very well. We played well, but in the end, we didn't get the result we wanted. We can only wait for the results of other teams and see what happens.

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