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This time, there was no photo of the two teams intertwined or bouquets of flowers. A United States-Iran match no longer has the symbolism it had in 1998. Today, the Iranians have more pressing internal problems than a prestigious victory and their defeat Tuesday night in Qatar (1-0) will only have sporting consequences. The power of football diplomacy is generally overestimated. However, it has the ability to ease tensions, as shown by an American study.
