Australia midfielder Sayer praises Iran players' bravery amid homeland turmoil

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/iran/jFKGXQSG/"]Iran[/a] ‌is set to face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/YXMhvJho/"]Australia[/a] in their second group-stage match on Thursday ‌on the Gold Coast, following a 3-0 defeat ‌to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-korea/6LgUhbye/"]South Korea[/a] on Monday.[/p][p]Despite the one-sided scoreline, the Iranians ‌delivered a spirited performance under difficult circumstances, playing after ‌US and Israeli air strikes began targeting their country over the weekend.[/p][p][b]"Our heart goes out to them and their families, it's ‌a difficult situation, and it's really brave ⁠of them to be ‌able to be here and to perform," [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sayer-amy/OQf8Oero/"]Sayer[/a] said on Tuesday.[/b][/p][p][b]"They ​played last night, and they put on a really strong performance, even with the political climate ​that's going on and the struggles that they might be going through.[/b][/p][p][b]"We're excited and looking forward to the game ⁠on Thursday ... The ​best we can do to contribute is to just give them the best game of football that we're able and to show them the respect on the field.[/b][/p][p][b]"Hopefully the ‌situation improves, and they can keep staying safe in Australia."[/b][/p][embed guid="c9cd58b8-e910-4e45-b4fb-0d0bbb306b55" url="https://x.com/afcasiancup/status/2028424853104005270" social-type="twitter" /][p]Iran's players stood respectfully during their national anthem before the South Korea match but remained silent throughout its duration.[/p][p]The players and head coach Marziyeh Jafari declined to comment on the situation or the death of their long-serving leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday.[/p][p][b]"They are another team in the tournament, and you don't want ‌to give them any space in order to give ​away any competitive advantage, regardless of the situation," Sayer ‌said.[/b][/p][p][b]"Of course, we are all kind humans, and we can give them a 'hello' and a 'good luck' to wish them well."[/b][/p][p]The 24-year-old Sayer is expected to have a more extended role in Thursday's match, following a ⁠substitute appearance in Australia's ⁠1-0 win over the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/philippines/CINRvtL5/"]‌Philippines[/a] on Sunday.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/australia-YXMhvJho/iran-jFKGXQSG/?mid=nyiWzrBt"]Follow the game with Flashscore.[/a][/p]