The five Asian teams concluded their participation at the 2018 FIFA World Cup with the highest points tally in the continent's history, and there were some memorable moments along the way.
Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was one of the heart-warming stories to come out of Russia 2018 as international media took note of his unorthodox path to the top, from sleeping rough on the streets of Tehran as he pursued his dream of becoming a professional footballer, to making an impact at the World Cup, the-afc.com reported.
Team Melli went into its final group match needing a win against Portugal to advance to the next round, and with the European champion leading 1-0 after 53 minutes, it had a golden chance to double it as Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded a penalty and stepped up to take it himself.
Up against arguably the best player in the world, Beiranvand remained composed and dived to his left to make a stunning save. The Persepolis man clutched to the ball second time after showing strong hands to parry it away, allowing his teammates to go on and grab a late equalizer.
A proud moment to reward years of hard work.