Bonhomie, big hearts and surprise

Before the game, amazed Americans beamed to hear their supposed foes chanting, 8220;USA,8221; and not adding, 8220;down with,8221; before it. In the stands, a young Iranian fan held aloft a huge heart, with Iran and the US sharing equal space.

Amir Hosseinzadeh, a young Sweden-based exile who studies medicine in Hungary and dreams of returning to a more liberal Iran, laughed easily about what national leaders labelled a game of political significance. 8220;I hope the game improves relations between our countries,8221; he said,8220;for business and chicks.8221;

Just in case, police outside the stadium opened every bag and bundle. Mothers lifted babies fromstrollers for a careful search. As the game ended, riot police filed out to block off the field.

The only trouble was among Iranians. In one flareup, a young exile pushed aside Syed Saeed Loghmani, a bearded 53-year-old, muttering, 8220;get out of my way, you8217;re with the Mullahs.8221; Loghmani spat back that he had lived 32 years in France.

Banners unfurled at the game read, 8220;Iran Rajavi,8221; hailing Massoud Rajavi, head of the Mujahadeen Khalq, the leading Iraian exiled opposition group. During Iran8217;s national anthem, new anti-government banners appeared, and a section of the stands erupted in scuffling.

The Mujahadeen have accused France of keeping Iranians out while allowing in secret agents from Tehran to scan the crowd for people they wanted to punish. Bearded men, identified by exiles as Iranian revolutionary guards, filmed faces among the revelry.

But almost all the noise was about soccer. At each goal,Iranians went wild, banging drums, blaring horns and chanting 8220;I-ran, I-ran.8221; On a sunnyafternoon before the game, it was party time. French police watched indulgently as cheering Iranians spilled out of convertibles on the Place Bellecour, the main square.

A few Iranian women wore black headdresses to cover their hair. But others with slashes of red and green 8212; the colours of the Iranian flag 8212; on their bare shoulders and wore skimpy clothes that pushed the lower limits of modesty, even for France.

Perhaps 30,000 Iranians living in the West came to the game, far outnumbering those traveling from Iran. But almost all insisted that living abroad had not diluted their patriotism.

Too many foreigners confuse Iran8217;s conservative Islamic leaders with a 7,000-year-old civilization of much wider dimensions, Afsaneh said. 8220;I8217;m not covered from head to toe.8221;

Andy Romhanyi, 33, a warehouse manager from Phoenix, painted his face as old glory and wore a US flag as a scarf. His friend, nicky carter, wore a sequined vest and elaborate hat in the same colors.

8220;We don8217;t give a stuff aboutpolitics,8221; said Romhanyi. 8220;It would be a huge, huge shame if we lost, but not because it is Iran.8221; Like many Americans, Rob Ramsey, 27, said he was surprised to see an Iranian crowd that was so far from the stereotypes. 8220;One guy came up to me and said in clumsy English that he was working for world peace,8221; Ramsay said. 8220;Everything starts somewhere, so it might as well start here.8221; Taliban joins in

Afghanistan8217;s Taliban Islamic militia, transcending its anger over Tehran8217;s alleged support for its opponents, has hailed Iran8217;s win over the US. Mullah Abdul Shokour Mutmaen, President of Taliban8217;s National Olympic Committee, said on Monday they were quot;joyfulquot; at the win. quot;It is a matter of pride for us if a Moslem country beats its rivalquot; he said, noting that he could not watch the match because television is banned in Taliban-controlled two-thirds of Afghanistan. quot;Iran is our Islamic neighbour with whom we have cultural bonds,quot; he said.

Made in Singapore

Singapore has discovered someunlikely football heroes in the Iranian football team that beat the United States 2-1. Goalscorer Hamid Estili, teammate Mohammad Khakpour and coach Jalal Talebi were part of a local Singapore club in 1996 as The New Paper was quick to point out . quot;How can we ever forget their names now? quot;How can we ever forget the Singapore connection? And the roundabout route to World Cup fame they have given Singapore?quot; the daily said. Estili and Khakpour played for Geylang United, which was coached by Talebi.

Hail Iran: Hezbollah

Followers of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah fired shots in the air and flag-waving motorcades roamed the streets of Beirut to celebrate Iran8217; s historic win .The sound of heavy machine gun fire echoed across Beirut8217;s mostly-Shiite Moslem suburbs and in the eastern city of Baalbek, strongholds of the Shiite fundamentalist Hezbollah. Dozens of cars roamed the streets waving Hezbollah and Iranian flags, and converging on the Iranian embassy. quot;Allah Akbar God is Great, death to Americaquot;chanted one group. quot;Iran has beaten the Great Satan,quot; shouted another.