For ninety minutes and a few more, football united a divided nation. Either side of those nervous yet exciting passages, fans rolled out and waved two variants of the national flag, the pre and post revolutionary ones; some held their fists on the pounding chest when the tuneful national anthem Ei Iran thrummed in the arena; some booed and raised slogans. Football was once Iran’s balm and beat, now it’s a symbol of the conflicts that had clutched the country. The dual world of cheering and booing resumed after the goalless draw. How could not the fans, regardless of their affiliations, whether they perceive players as regime-men or eleven proud footballers, but not celebrate a game they nearly won and etched a glorious moment for their country. Belgium played nearly a quarter of the game with 10 men, after Nathan Ngoy was jettisoned for pulling Mehdi Taremi’s shirt when he was through on goal, from a clumsy touch by the young defender. Iran had a sumptuous goal ruled off-side, their repelling of Belgium’s gilded forwards …