Access for all

"I would like there to be freedom for women, like men, to go freely and even sit side by side without any restrictions, like other countries," said a woman who gave her name only as Hasti.

Nader Fathi, who runs a clothing business, said the presence of women could improve the atmosphere in stadiums.

But he said "they will regret it" if they are exposed to "really bad swear words" and "bad behavior".

Iran denied its decision to allow women into Thursday's match was a result of "foreign pressure".

"The presence of #women in stadiums is due to the internal social demands and government's support of those demands," government spokesman Ali Rabiei tweeted.

The ban on women in stadiums is not written into law or regulations, but it has been strictly enforced.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women have only had rare access to stadiums in Iran.

In October, as many as 100 carefully selected Iranian women attended a friendly game against Bolivia. The next day, however, Iran's prosecutor general warned there would be no repeat, saying it would "lead to sin".

Then in November, a select group of about 850 women attended a match between Esteghlal's Teheran rivals, Persepolis FC, and Japan's Kashima Antlers.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE