1997: Iran snatch final World Cup place
Iran staged an astonishing late rally to grab the last berth in next year’s World Cup finals on the away-goals rule after a 2-2 draw with Australia. With just 14 minutes left, Iran were staring at defeat before midfielder Karim Bagheri and striker Khodadad Azizi stunned the home crowd by scoring two goals in the space of three minutes. At the final whistle in a tense and absorbing second leg, the entire squad erupted in delight before they celebrated their triumph with some 5,000 expatriate fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Iran coach Valdir Vierra said: “Australia deserved to win the match but my players showed great fighting spirit to come through. In contrast to the joyful Iranians, the Australian players sank to the ground in disbelief, an emotion shared by majority of the sell-out 85,000 crowd.
Other important events
1798 - Ferdinand IV of Naples declares war on France and enters Rome.
1897 - The first motorcycle race takes place in Surrey, England.
1918 - Nicholas, King of Montenegro, is deposed and the kingdom is united with Serbia.
1922 - Archeologists announce they have found fabulous treasures in the tomb of Tutankhamen in Egypt.
1929 - American explorer Richard E. Byrd and a crew of three become the first to fly over the South Pole.
1945 - Communist state is proclaimed in Yugoslavia and monarchy is abolished.
1947 - UN General Assembly votes for Palestine partition into separate Jewish and Arab states.
1964 - Several hundred thousand people demonstrate in Beijing against United States involvement in the Congo, calling it aggression.
1965 - Canada’s research satellite Alouette 2 is launched in California, USA.
1986 - Actor Cary Grant dies of massive stroke at the age of 82.
1994 - The US House of Representatives approves the Gatt trade agreement.
1995 - Carrying banners and signs, thousands of Serbs protest the unification of Sarajevo.
1996 - Algerians vote for constitutional changes banning political parties based on religion.
1997 - France passes a nationality law that allows citizenship for children born in France of foreign parents.
1999 - Gulf Arab states reach a deal to unify customs tariffs during the summit held in Riyadh.
2000 - Pantelis Sfinias, general manager of a Greek shipping company, leaps to his death.
2002 - A Russian soldier under the influence of narcotics opens fire on fellow servicemen, killing at least eight.
2005 - The Mall of the Emirates is inaugurated.
2007 - RAK Airways marks its first commercial flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2010 - Top Iranian nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari is killed in a bomb attack in Tehran.
2012 - The United Nation General Assembly officially recognises Palestine as a non-member observer state.
2015 - Nico Rosberg wins the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
