LOS ANGELES — “From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilized Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast.”

These words, scrawled in blue ink on a simple Post-it note, were left in the locker room by the Iran national team on Sunday night, NYT reported.

 It served as a poignant coda to one of the most pivotal results in their World Cup history: a gritty 0-0 draw against group favourites Belgium.

The result was a triumph of will over circumstance. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei has spent the tournament lamenting the “unfair treatment” of his squad, which has existed in a state of sporting exile. Based in Mexico, the team is granted entry into the United States only in 48-hour windows to play their matches, a restriction Ghalenoei says crippled their preparation for the clash at SoFi Stadium.

Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian diaspora in the US, provided a volatile backdrop. While protests erupted outside the stadium and jeers pierced the national anthem, the atmosphere shifted once the whistle blew. Every save by goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was met with a roar, turning the venue into a makeshift home ground.

Iran is the first World Cup participant in the tournament’s 96-year history to be engaged in an active conflict with the host nation, following US and Israeli attacks in February. The locker room note also served as a memorial; written in red ink were the number 168 and the name Minab, commemorating children killed when a missile struck a school in the town of Minab.