Iranian activists reported that 27-year-old Mehran Samak was killed in the early hours of Wednesday in the Caspian port city of Bandar Anzali, in a street where drivers were honking their horns in celebration of Iran’s loss.
Video of his funeral on Wednesday, published by BBC Persian, showed mourners chanting “You are the filth, you are the immoral, I am a free woman,” a slogan used by protesters angered over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police in September.
A widely shared screengrab reportedly of Samak’s last Instagram story suggested he had watched the politically charged game between the United States and Team Melli, as the Iran side is known.
“Tonight, regardless of any result, let’s just be together,” he had written.
In eastern Zahedan province, traffic halted as men and women danced together in the street.
Fireworks were lit in Saqez, the hometown of Amini, and other cities in Kurdistan province. Celebrations were recorded in Kermanshah, West Azerbaijan, and Sistan-Baluchestan and even in areas of the capital Tehran.
“Who would’ve ever thought I’d jump three metres and celebrate America’s goal!” tweeted Iranian game journalist Saeed Zafarany after the loss.
