It was an historic moment for the female football fans of Iran as hundreds of them, separated from male supporters, watched home team Persepolis going down to Japan's Kashima Antlers after putting up a tough fight in the Asian Champions League on Saturday.
Kashima beat Persepolis 2-0 on aggregate after the second half ended goalless at Tehran's Azadi Stadium.
Iran has for long prohibited women from attending men's games. While there are signs of change, for now, the government’s preventive measures continue to boil down to one thing - punishing women for the sins of men.
Al Jazeera's Zein Barsravi reports from Tehran.
