Iran’s women’s football team declined to sing their national anthem ahead of their opening match of the Asian Cup in Australia on Monday, their first fixture since the war in the Middle East began.

Every member of the team stood silently, facing straight ahead, during the anthem prior to kick-off in their Group A match against South Korea, who went on to win 3-0 at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland. Iran’s head coach, Marziyeh Jafari, and her players declined to comment on either the war or the death of their long-serving leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, when asked by the media.

The Iranian team arrived in Australia to prepare for the tournament several days before air strikes began in the Middle East. They will face the host nation on Thursday, before playing their third and final group-stage match against the Philippines on Sunday, both at the same venue.

Iran’s players have been praised for their courage. “Our heart goes out to them and their families, it’s a difficult situation and it’s really brave of them to be able to be here and to perform,” said the Australia midfielder Amy Sayer. “They put on a really strong performance, even with the political climate that’s going on and the struggles that they might be going through.

“The best we can do to contribute is to just give them the best game of football [on Thursday] that we’re able and to show them the respect on the field. Hopefully the situation improves and they can keep staying safe in Australia.”

Iran are the only team from the Middle East to have qualified for the tournament, which runs until 21 March. Australia opened their Asian Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory against the Philippines in Perth on Sunday. In Group B, North Korea were 3-0 victors over Uzbekistan.