Iran held Russia to a 1-1 draw in a much talked-about friendly game staged at the Azadi Stadium in the capital Tehran on Thursday night.

Visitors Russia had taken a 28th-minute lead through Miranchuk’s penalty but Iran restored parity in the same style just two minutes after the half-time break via Taremi.

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It was the Iranian team’s first match since Amir Ghalenoei was named their new coach earlier this month, succeeding Portuguese Carlos Queiroz who left the job after failing to get past the World Cup group stage in Qatar last year.

Thursday’s game was also significant as Russia’s national team has been suspended by FIFA and the European body UEFA from all competitions since February 2022 for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The suspension saw the Russian team miss out on the Euro 2024 qualifiers which began Thursday.

The game also saw female football fans allowed into a stadium for a national team match for the first time in more than a year. In March last year, even though women were allowed to buy tickets for a World Cup qualifier against Lebanon, they were denied entry to Imam Reza stadium in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

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