Heraldsun - ON Sunday Iran will play in Melbourne for the first time since THAT World Cup playoff.

When its players step on to AAMI Park to face Bahrain in their Asian Cup clash they will take inspiration from the fact that they are 250m from the ground where one of their country’s most famous sporting moments took place.

November 29, 1997 remains one of the most infamous nights in Australian sporting history, let alone Australian soccer history.

The MCG hosted the ­second leg of Australia’s 1998 World Cup playoff.

After drawing the first leg in Tehran 1-1, the Socceroos let slip a 2-0 lead in front of 85,513 stunned fans.

A large throng of Iranian supporters added to an electric atmosphere, and Asian Cup ­officials say a large Iranian expat community has ensured Team Melli’s matches are among the most popular for this month’s tournament.

Iranian winger Alireza ­Jahanbakhsh was all of five years old in 1997, but remembers the game well.

“At that moment I was just a kid and I was watching that match with my parents,” ­Jahanbakhsh said.

“But it went in to the history of football in our country. It was amazing.

“Now I hope we make this kind of history (here) again.”

Despite Australia’s entry to the Asian confederation in 2006, the Socceroos have not played against Iran since 1997.

Iran only played on Australian soil for the first time since in a friendly against Iraq in Sydney last week.

Stan Lazaridis started at left back against Iran in 1997 and said the ­memories were vivid.

“I think it was the first time we got close to 100,000 people at a soccer match in Australia, so that was a big feat in itself,” Lazaridis said.

“The whole game, being the emotional roller-coaster in ­itself, was something else.

“For us, we let it slip ... so many things happened on that night and even afterwards it was surreal. Everyone was ­distraught.

“But I’ve got us winning Group A and them winning their group, so that could see us playing them in a semi-final.”

If Lazaridis’ prediction comes to fruition, that game would be before as many as 80,000 fans at ANZ Stadium on Australia Day.

“It’s been about 17 years. I can’t believe it’s been that long, and I’m amazed we haven’t played them,” he said.

“I suppose it gives us an opportunity, if we do face them, to beat them and probably get it out of our system.”

First thing first for Iran is Bahrain on Sunday evening.

Jahanbakhsh, who plays for Dutch side NEC, said the Iranian team was confident.

“We are in a really good situation. We had a great preparation for this match and now we are looking forward to playing our best,” he said. “In this kind of tournament the first match is really important, so we are going to be ready.”