Iran arrived at the 1976 Olympic soccer tournament having effectively confirmed their status as the best Asian national team for an entire generation. On their own continent, at least, they were the team to beat. Crowned Asian Cup champions for a third successive time barely a month before they arrived in Montreal, their aim was to progress beyond the Olympic group stage they’d reached in 1972.
Commendably, they did exactly that, albeit with a little help. One day before the 1976 Summer Olympics began, many African countries boycotted the games in protest at New Zealand’s rugby union tour of Apartheid-era South Africa earlier in the year. When the IOC opted not to ban New Zealand, several African nations withdrew from competition in Montreal.
One of them was Ghana, who were drawn in the same First Round group as Iran, Cuba and Poland. Ghana’s absence from Group C left the remaining three teams to battle over the two qualifying spots, and this undoubtedly worked in Iran’s favour.
The opening match of Group C on July 18th was a goalless draw between Poland and Cuba. Two days later, the Iranians faced Cuba knowing that a win would, by default, ensure their qualification to the quarter finals, and so it was when Gholam Hossein Mazloumi scored the only goal of the match after 28 minutes.
The last game of the group provided Iran with much stiffer opposition in the form of the Poles. Poland had finished third in the World Cup two years earlier, and boasted quality players that had already made their name on the world stage. From Jan Tomaszewski in goal to Kazimierz Deyna in midfield and Andrzej Szarmach up front, Poland were undoubtedly one of the favourites to claim a gold medal in Montreal.
By the end of the first half against Iran, however, it was the Asians that found themselves in front through an Ali Parvin goal. Once the second half belatedly got underway (delayed as it was due to track events taking place in the Olympic Stadium), Poland struck back with three goals, two from Szarmach and one from Deyna. A consolation goal by Hassan Rowshan 11 minutes from time was not enough to avoid defeat for Iran, but the result was largely a formality anyway.
Having worn the kit shown above for their first two games, Iran switched to an all-white change kit for their quarter final against the Soviet Union. Winners of the Olympic soccer gold medal in 1956 and bronze medal winners in 1972, the Soviet Union had comfortably beaten North Korea and hosts Canada in their own First Round group. In Iran, they faced tougher opposition but took the lead late in the first half through Aleksandr Minayev and added a second when defender Viktor Zvyahintsev headed in from a corner. Parviz Ghelichkhani pulled a goal back from the penalty spot after 82 minutes, but Iran were lucky to end the game 2-1 when the Soviets struck the post in the closing minutes.
Iran’s Olympic run was over after three games, but it remains their most successful attempt to win gold to this day. Iran boycotted the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984 and failed to qualify from 1988 to the present day. An opportunity to qualify for Tokyo 2020 arrives early in January next year when the AFC Under-23 Championship takes place in Thailand, and in the first round Iran will share Group C with China, South Korea and Uzbekistan.
