Ahead of the game against South Korea, the players were in their customary line before their match when the Iranian national anthem began to play, none of the Iranian players or even head coach Marziyeh Jafari sang along as they were looking straight ahead and barely moving. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
The silent protest came after Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli and U.S. strikes. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
During questioning by media on Sunday, Iran captain Zahra Ghanbari, alongside Jafari, was asked about Khamenei\u2019s death. The question was shot down quickly. Jafari answered in Farsi, but an AFC media representative cut off her response without any translation, according to ESPN. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"OK, I think that\u2019s all for your question. Thank you for asking. Let\u2019s just focus on the game itself,\" the media rep said before questioning continued. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, the match went in favour of South Korea as Choe Yu-ri\u2019s first-half strike followed by Kim Hye-ri and Ko Yoo-jin after the break, sealed the win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite defeat, coach Jafari was satisfied with the efforts of Team Melli Banovan, playing in only their second Finals, against an Asian power that has featured 14 times in the tournament and been to the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup on four occasions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, the match went in favour of South Korea as Choe Yu-ri\u2019s first-half strike followed by Kim Hye-ri and Ko Yoo-jin after the break, sealed the win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe had a strategy for the second half, and we put pressure (on them); we transitioned from defensive to offensive (tactics). We had an individual error for the penalty, and also the set-piece (goal conceded) was one of our players\u2019 fault. But I think the team performance was very good.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n