Iran lost to Lebanon 1-0 in Beirut September 11. Second place Iran is scheduled to play group leader South Korea October 16 in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
The Iranian players appealed to the fans to get behind them against South Korea.
“We are so disappointed due to the unexpected defeat against Lebanon. All players and staff did their best against Lebanon and, according to those who saw the match, Iran didn’t deserve to lose. We had to get three points and it’s so hard to believe the defeat, even after three weeks,” the team statement said.
“We are so sorry because of the result against Lebanon and apologize to all the fans, who have supported us and we hope to get good results in the upcoming matches,” it said.
“We want the fans to support us against South Korea and Uzbekistan. We can get results if our fans are behind us. Iran will not book a berth in the World Cup unless the people back their national team in the competition.”