Late yellow cards will suspend Egypt's Mohanad Lasheen, Iran's Saeid Ezatolahi
SEATTLE – Costly yellow cards will sideline Egypt’s Mohanad Lasheen and, possibly, Iran’s Saeid Ezatolahi, for the round of 32 – should Iran advance.
A 1-1 draw between Egypt and Iran left both teams disappointed. Iran's potential to advance to the knockout stage is now entirely out of its hands, needing favorable results in Saturday's fixtures. Egypt lost control of the top spot in Group G to Belgium, which dominated New Zealand 5-1 on Friday.
Both teams also lost an impact player for a match.
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Lasheen is an important starter for the Pharaohs. The 30-year-old midfielder played all 90 minutes against both Belgium and New Zealand.
Ezatolahi, 29, also is a central figure in the Iranian offense. He played all 90 minutes against New Zealand and 85 against Belgium. The midfielder has had multiple shots on target this tournament, but he hasn’t found the back of the net.
Egypt will miss Lasheen in its knockout-round match. And if Iran advances as a third-place team, Ezatolahi’s suspension also will leave a starting spot that needs to be filled.
Neither player left the pitch for a single minute of Friday’s match. For their respective teams' next matches, they won’t see it at all.
Jack Cooney is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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