TEHRAN - Iran beat Bahrain 1-0 here Wednesday to earn qualification for next year's World Cup, sparking mass celebrations across the Islamic republic.
Huge crowds of delighted residents took to the streets, as the capital and other big cities erupted into a deafening cacophony of car horns, firecrackers and cheering.
"We will go to the World Cup to achieve something there, not only to participate," Iran's elated Croatian coach Branko Ivankovich told reporters.
"Our successful games in our group show that we are going to be an upsetting team there. Have you seen how ambititious our player are? With their technique and their power, they are able to turn against all challengers."
This is the third time that Iran have made it to football's high feast.
"I can't describe how happy I am. I thank deeply and earnestly all the Iranian nation for their support. The players were heroic," he said.
Iran needed just a draw against the visitors to qualify, but managed to go one better by securing a tough win against the equally determined visitors.
The win puts Iran -- the top Asian side and 18th in FIFA's world rankings -- top of Asian qualifying Group B with 13 points followed by Japan with 12 points. Bahrain have four points and the North Koreans none.
The top two teams in the group gain automatic qualification, and with just one round of games left to play, Iran and Japan are mathematically certain of going through. Earlier Wednesday, Japan became the first team of any region to qualify.
The match saw Iran get off to a strong start, with two chances in the third minute, and defender Mohammad Nosrati hitting the post in the fourth. In the first 15 minutes, Iran had seven corners.
But Bahrain were no pushover, quickly managing to assert themselves and had several strong chances in the first half -- exposing weaknesses in Iran's defence.
But just seconds into the second half, a free kick from near the corner spot from Fereydoun Zandi found the six yard box and Nosrati's head, which punched the ball into the lower right hand corner of the net.
Iran's Mehdi Mahdavikia skimmed the post in the 56th minute and found the goalkeeper at close range in the 70th. But much of the rest of the game was anecdotal -- as Iran firmed up their defence and waited for the final whistle.
"I swear to God that last night I dreamed of this goal, and after my first shot hit the post I was afriad God did not like me," Nosrati said after the match. "But when I scored, my dream came true."
"This is one of the most beautiful days of my life, because we have made 70 million people happy," said veteran captain Ali Daei. "We have a lot of plans to prepare our game for the World Cup."
The football mad Islamic republic has been behind the national squad, with President Mohammad Khatami watching the match and, according to a football federation official, offering each of the squad an Iranian-made saloon car worth 13,000 dollars.
Huge crowds took to the streets across Tehran -- and some supporters of the eight presidential candidates standing in Iran's presidential elections next week took the chance to do a bit of campaigning.
"Who cares about the elections?" laughed one young woman. "We're going to the World Cup!"
There was a heavy police presence -- as the regime likes to keep tabs on spontaneous public gatherings -- but even the security forces were light hearted and there was no sign of any trouble.
Iranian media reported similar scenes of joy in all corners of the country -- Shiraz in the centre, Sanandaj in the west, Mashhad in the east and Ahvaz in the south.
The third-place finishers in the two Asian groups will play off against each other, with the winners facing the fourth-placed team in the North and Central American and Caribbean Zone.
Iran made their World Cup debut in Argentina in 1978, but failed to progress beyond the first round. Twenty years later they qualified for the World Cup in France, where they scored a memorable victory against the United States.

06/08/2005 17:56 GMT