'Argentina won because of the referee' says one of Iran's dailies, part of a wider rumble in Iranian media Sunday over the defeat


Before the match even started, the coach�pledged his team would not be defeated.

And yet despite coach Carlos Queiroz's insistence that Iran would defeat Lionel Messi's Argentina on Saturday�in the most "eagerly anticipated" match in the country's history, the team lost to Argentina 1-0.

But the South American victory at Belo Horizonte has not been without criticism.

On Sunday,�Iranian media�lamented the "injustice" of Serbian referee Milorad Mazic's decision to turn down a penalty appeal against heavyweights Argentina in their World Cup encounter.

The penalty, if awarded, could have been a turning point in the match in which�Iran�put up an effective defence only to be defeated by a stunning injury-time strike from Messi.

"Argentina + the referee 1,�Iran�0," read the headline by Jam-e-Jam newspaper, next to a photo of Iranian forward Ashkan Dejagah going down in the box in a tackle by Argentine defender Pablo Zabaleta.

"Argentina won because of the referee," the Quds paper said, with the government-run�Iran�daily lamenting that "Iranian stars (became) victims of injustice."

By Middle East Eye


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