Author: Editor

Team Melli opens its account with a 5-0 thrashing of Yemen.

Team Melli opened its account in the 17th AFC Asian Cup with a comprehensive 5 – 0 win against Yemen at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The first half ended 3-0

All the respect given to Yemeni team and fear of Yemen springing a surprise did not last very long in the first half as Iran struck on the 11th minute. when Mehdi Taremi scored from a rebound after Sardar Azmoun’s shoot was parried by Yemen Keeper for Mehdi to coolly slot home the opener.

A handball 3 meters outside the penalty was called against the Yemen in the 22nd minute which Ashkan Dejagah took and cleverly slotted in with the help of the woodwork and the keeper. 2- 0 for Iran with less than half an hour played.

Just about two minutes after Dejagah’s goal, Ramin Rezaeian dispatches an inch perfect cross from the right into the penalty are where Taremi towers above all and heads a powerful and delightful ball out of reach of Yemen keeper to announce the third goal for Team Melli.

So much for the caution against the minnows and fear of surprises.

There is still another 45 minutes to come, it remains to be seen what Queiroz has in mind for the second.

Despite the good result, there has been some drawbacks as well.

There is still cconcern with the overall discipline of the players. Some wild tackles were flying in from Team Melli player, engaging in skirmishes and  pushing and shoving gameplay with Yemeni players as Azmoun did just before the 2nd goal and Ebrahimi picking a silly yellow card which was deserved and totally uncalled for.

Yemen. to their credit , tried to match Iran and admirabely played quite well in the first 10 minutes. Their counter attacks were promising, and the speed of passes was remarkable, however the difference in class was so obvious  as the time passed hence the first half result

In the second half, Yemen main concern was damage limitation and as such they played it rough and wild. Four yellow cards were awarded to Yemen players and a possible penalty shout was waved on by the Japanese referee Sato.

Team Melli once again scored early in the 53rd minute with Azmoun slotting the ball after a flick from Mehdi Torabi following a corner kick. The ball went past the goal line but Yemen defender kicked it out. The ref was right close to action and immediately pointer to the centre of the field to announce Iran’s fourth

Saman Ghoddos , a substitute on the hour for Vahid Amiri , scored Iran’s fifth from a powerful shot outside the box in the 78th minute.

At the end of the day, it was a job well done by Team Melli and despite some rough edges , the display was more than satisfactory.

Iran  goals vs 0 Yemen.

M. Taremi 12′
1 – 0
A. Dejagah 23′
2 – 0
M. Taremi 25′
(assist by R. Rezaeian)
3 – 0
S. Azmoun 53′
(assist by M. Taremi)
4 – 0
S. Ghoddos 78′
(assist by M. Pouraliganji)
5 – 0

Starting line up for Team Melli vs. Yemen

Abu Dhabi, UAE

teammelli.com report:

CarlosQueiroz has announced his strongest line up against minnows Yemen for match no 7 of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 UAE. The match which will start at 20:00 local time in Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi is the first for Team Melli in Group D.

As expected, Alireza Jahanbakhsh has no place in the starting line up, however, his name is included in the list of substitutes.

Iran starting Line up

Alireza Biranvand, Ramin Rezaeian, Ehsan Hajsafy, Morteza Pouraliganji, Majid Hosseini , Omid Ebrahimi, Ashkan Dejagah, Vahid Amiri, Mehdi Torabi, Mehdi Taremi. Sardar Azmoun

 

Referee: RYUJI SATO (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: HIROSHI YAMAUCHI (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: JUN MIHARA (JPN)

Asian Cup Match Preview : IRAN vs YEMEN

Abu Dhabi:

Team Melli will be going into this match oozing with confidence but with both feet firmly on the ground.
Iran won’t make the mistake of underestimating Yemen while the tournament debutants won’t be overawed when facing one of the Continent’s biggest teams in their AFC Asian Cup Group D opener at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Monday.
Iran are chasing a fourth AFC Asian Cup title, but their first since 1976, while Yemen are determined to make their qualification for the tournament for the first time since unification, one to remember.

Although nobody in the Iranian camp is talking championship and no claims or guarantees of anything is given by players , Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz and his players are very well aware of what the fans in Iran and across the world expect. Showing respects to minor teams is a fine and sensible approach, but the end result has to be reflective of Iran’s football standard and this strong team that Queiroz himself has built.


“This is football. You cannot play a football game with a credit card of being favourites. If you don’t play good football, you don’t deserve to win,” said Queiroz, who has been guiding Iran for the past eight years now.

 

Queiroz added “We came here to play good games and we have to if we want to defeat any team. Yemen are a good side and we have to respect them. At the same time, I am confident that my team, despite some injuries, will deliver as I always challenge them to play responsibly so that when they leave the pitch, they leave with the fans happy.”

Quite diplomatic and selective, however if Iran cannot beat a team such as Yemen comprehensively, then it must be said that Queiroz 8 years have failed to delivered. Last Time Iran faced Yemen in the Asian Cup, they managed to hammer them 8-0 !

Yemen head coach Jan Kocian said his team are eager to make their tournament debut against one of Asia’s biggest teams.

“The world knows Iran. They had a great World Cup and in Carlos Queiroz, one of the best coaches in the world. We are, however, not going to let that get to us.

“We already have a concept of how we are going to play. We respect Iran, Iraq and Vietnam but we are not going to be afraid.”

Kocian said his team, while aiming for a result, will go out with the intention of enjoying playing Iran.

“There is no pressure on the team and as a ‘small’ team, we are allowed to dream and that dream is to defeat Iran.”

HEAD2HEAD

P W D L Goals + / –
Yemen 2 2 0 0 6 – 1 5
South Yemen 3 3 0 0 12 – 0  12
Total 5 5 0 0 18 – 1 17

 

Yemen Matches

Date Comp. H / A / N Final score Stadium Attendance
15.12.2012 WAFF N 2 – 1 Kazma Stadium , Kuwait 800
09.10.1994 Asian Games N 4 – 0 Bingo Athletic Stadium, Onomichi 15000

 

South Yemen matches

Date Comp. H / A / N Final score Stadium Attendance
01.11.1989 Peace & Friendship Tour N 2 – 0 Kuwait City 15000
25.11.1982 Asian Games N 2 – 0 Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium , New Delhi 8000
08.06.1976 Asian Cup H 8 – 0  Aryamehr Stadium, Tehran 10000

Mutual respect between coaches, but Queiroz is promising nothing!

Abu Dhabi

teammelli.com report

The pre-match press conference of Iran vs Yemen match was conducted in Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium earlier today.

Iran Conference.

Masoud Shojaei, who accompanied Carlos Queiroz started the press conference responding to teammelli.com question of “What is the level of the team performance in the match ahead that will satisfy him? Will the team be inspired and go forward with a narrow straight forward win , or a big score margin?”

 The Captain of Team Melli simply said “We want to be ourselves and play like we always play”

Questions then were asked of Queiroz, Answering about his statement that Yemen game is a final in itself; Queiroz said that there was a misunderstanding of what he has said.

“I didn’t say the game against Yemen was the most important game, I simply said that we will take each game as it comes and take it seriously. We are focusing on Yemen game, one game at the time.”

On his opinion on which team is the black horse of the championship.

 Queiroz said “As far as I am concerned , Japan and South Korea are the two top contenders as they have invested heavily in football, have expansive youth program, quality infrastructure and they have the resources.”

“Next comes  Australia  with and couple of dreamers!  20 or 21 other dreamers” as Queiroz put it.

Asked about his aspiration in the championship , Queiroz said that he does not consider his team as title contender. “All I can say is that we will try to be better and if we win we win deservedly. “

On the conditions of the players, The head coach of Team Melli said  “2 major players were not able to recover for the game on time, fortunately we have other options to replace them. It is not a major concern for us and I am happy with the situation, Injuries can happen to any team. UAE lost Omar Abdulrahman for the tournament and it already has a big impact on them”

Question ” Is there any lessons to be learned from the two games already played, UAE drew with Bahrain and title holder Australia lost to Jordan?

“It is always a warning for big teams. No team has a credit card that tells it that it is the favorite.  We have to display our abilities. Yemen has a good coach, I praise him for working under difficult conditions, and they have beautiful players.”

“We are looking to play a good match that entertains the fans and makes them happy; we do have the ability to display such standard.”

A question was asked by a reporter saying that Team Melli fans and indeed Iranian all across the world  followed you for many years now, what do you have to present to them in this championship?

“ We can’t control the outcome of the game!. We can control our commitment and attitude. I always challenge my players to play so that the fans are proud of them. Display positive attitude inside the pitch. Personally I feel proud if that is achieved”

Non-Committal.

Queiroz refrained from giving any promises apart from playing to entertain, as he put it. Short of entertainment, he has not declared or publicaly announced any championship aspiration as he puts Iran in the dreamers group with another 21 teams that plays second fiddle to Japan and Korea.

It is indeed a confusing and perhaps shattering statements for some fans who expect nothing less than lifting the trophy after 43 years of absence. It shows how Queiroz is detached from the public sentiments but if he really has such aspirations, then he is holding his cards close to his heart.

It needs no reminder that Queiroz is following his old and trusted style. By constantly reminding the world about the lack of resources in Iran and glorifying the opposition, even Yemen, he is limiting expectations. A win is a bonus but a loss is expected as he would easily respond by saying “I told you so”

Querioz has successfully navigated rough terrains of Iranian football by following such policy. Today he downplayed any championship expectation but it is not clear if the crowds like such lack of ambition.

Team Melli Training

The media was allowed to attend the first 15 minutes of the practice which was entirely dedicated to stretching exercise and light training with and without the ball. The goalkeepers then formed their own mini group and  headed to far side for shooting training.

Player formed several circles passing the ball between themselves.

While a group was passing the ball, Biranvand got whacked in the face. The players of the group surrounded him to console him. It looked painful, but he emerged out of it laughing.

Stretching exercises while the press was allowed to watch was carried out in a jolly spirit. Some players displayed exceptional control of the ball.

Jahanbakhsh individually trained with Montazerri. He looked quite sharp despite his chances of playing against Yemen is slim.

YEMEN Press Conference

Yemen’s Czech trainer expressed his views in the formal diplomatic style that coaches deploy nowadays. Calling Iran as one of the best Asian teams that has played very well in Russia’s World Cup, he said he has no delusions about that he expects and what he can be achieved. He has studied Iran and knows that his team has a difficult task ahead, however, he has asked his team to play to their best ability. On the troubles and war in Yemen, Jan Kocian said that most of the selection was carried out by his assistant and the Coaching team, though the training camp that was carried out in Saudi Arabia was quite valuable as they have played several games too.

Alaa Al Sasi , the star player of Yemen team  was asked if he has thought of any opposition player that the team need to control or limit his threats , he said that the coach has reviewed Iran thoroughly and we accept all their players are quite good but there is no plan to focus on any single player of Iran.

Kocian was asked what he thinks of Queiroz, the Czech coach said as a coach he has a lot respect for his colleagues, Carlos Queiroz is no exception but saying that he is a good coach who is well known outside of Iran. He knows that Queiroz has faced some pressures from the media and there were some uncertainties, but he remains an excellent coach.

Iran and Yemen will meet in the opener of Group D of AFC Asian Cup 2019 in Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on the 7th January.

Unveiling of Team Melli bus in the AFC Asian Cup

Team Melli bus was was unveiled at the AFC Asian Cup venues today.

The national team buses of all participation countries in the Asian Cup were unveiled at venues, each marked by the slogan of the national teams.

Team Melli slogan is “

“Eighty Million People …One of Nation , One heartbeat“

There is a possible case of lost in translation here !

Vietnam, the tales of unknown quality.

Vietnam football team leaders, are quite confident and comfortable being singled out as unknown team in Group D of the Asian Cup. After some Iranian press articles wrote about Vietnam and the fact that all their players are domestic league based. with little international exposure hence a difficult group of players to assess, team leader Duong Vu Lam spoke up and welcomed the fact that Vietnam is of unknown quality.

Iranian newspaper Varzeshi had a commentary that, at first glance, everyone felt a sense of disregard for the ability of the Vietnamese team – Iran’s rival at table D.

The author has identified Vietnam as an unknown team because it does not have any famous players. Their players only play in domestic league and no one plays abroad, Varzeshi called the Vietnam team an unknown quality team. In an interview with Thanh Nien Newspaper, the leader of Duong Vu Lam expressed another opinion.

Head of the delegation Duong Vu Lam said that “the Iranian report expressed disdain, proving that they are afraid of Vietnam”

‘”admittedly, at the Asian Cup, we don’t have a name. But in my opinion, this is an article of encouragement, the Iranian newspaper said that they are very concerned and shy about us.” said Mr. Lam.

Besides, leader Duong Vu Lam also encourages young Vietnamese players to keep up their good spirits, compete while knowing that the Iranians know us well as they did in Asian Games 2014 at U23 level.

“The press in their country says so, we should not be so excited or frustrated. The answer is just to be calm. It is important that we prepare well, know people who know us, dare to set great goals. Doing so, the Vietnamese team will be stronger in will and fighting spirit and will have a chance to achieve the goal of knocking down the big teams.” said Duong Vu Lam

Iran’s coach Carlos Queiroz , has a different viewpoint : “Vietnam cannot be underestimated”
“

Before the news that some Iranian newspapers expressed disdain for Park’s team, Coach Carlos Queiroz of Iran has completely disagreed with what was written in the press “These are very misleading statements. And I am no stranger to the subjective statements of this kind for a long time. They (Iranian sports press) thought that we would win very easily in the Asian Cup and it would be easy to defeat all opponents to win the championship, ” Mr. Queiroz answered on the Asian Football Federation website (AFC).
‘People think Iran will win against Vietnam. It is very wrong. They just won an important tournament in Southeast Asia. Iranian newspapers may not be interested, but we are very interested in these developments of Vietnam team. We respect every opponent, and appreciate it all.”

Iran and Vietnam has never met at senior level, however, at youth level , Vietnam has been a strong opponent for Iran and even managed to humiliate Iran U23 in Asian Games 2014. In that match goals from, Vo Huy Toan . Mac Hong Quan, Tran Phi Son and Ngo Hoang Thinh ensured the match ended in a humiliating defeat for the Iranian side which scored a consolation penalty goal by Mohsen Mosalman. Team Melli will be glad that none of those players are in the Vietnamese squad in Abu Dhabi to repeat their goal scoring feat.

Midfielder Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng (30 years) is the most senior member of the squad with 57 caps  and 12 goals . He plays for FLC Thanh Hóa. 
The Captain of Vietnam is the 25 years old defender,  Quế Ngọc Hải  who plays for Sông Lam Nghệ An.

Vietnam Coach is the South Korean Park Hang-seo

Jahanbakhsh doubtful for Yemen match.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh who has been suffering from a hamstring injury is doubtful for the first game of Team Melli in the AFC Asian Cup 2019.

The Brighton & Hove Albion winger has been sidelined for almost three weeks now. Although he has resumed training recently and even managed to join Team Melli squad for the Training Camp in Doha, his main focus was on light work and physical strength exercises. Jahanbakhsh did not play against Palestine or Qatar in the last two test matches before the tournament.

For Queiroz, Jahanbakhsh’s absence from the game against Yemen and even against Vietnam in the next match, will not be a major concern as Team Melli has enough strength in-depth to win both matches without Jahanbakhsh. However, starting from the match against Iraq and the next round matches, his presence is significant. The only other concern will be if Jahanbakhsh shows rusty signs because of  injury and lack of playing competitive football for some time.

Iran will meet Yemen in Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in the first match of Group D of the AFC Asian Cup. In the other group match Vietnam will take on Iraq.

Jahanbakhsh is currently the most expensive Iranian player. A lot is expected from him after what was a disappointing World Cup. Along with Sardar Azmoun, he is the major hope of Team Melli in the Asian Cup.

Team Melli defeats Qatar in the last trial before Asian Cup 2019

Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun scored in each half for Team Melli to end the last preparation match 2-1 against Qatar.

The match was held behind closed-door and was not televised.  Only a privileged  few managed to get entry in the Khalifa stadium to watch the match. Hassan Al Haydoos scored an equalizer late in the first half from the penalty spot.

This was the last match for Team Melli and ended the four months preparation right after the world cup with a moral boosting victory against a strong Qatari team.

Team Melli Line up

Alireza Beiranvand, Vouria Ghafouri, Ehsan Hajsafy, Morteza Pouralighanji, Seyed Majid Hosseini, Omid Ebrahimi, Karim Ansarifard, Vahid Amiri, Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun.

Carlos Queiroz  made a number of substitutions in the second half the 67th minute, Vera Ghafouri, Vahid Amiri, Saman Ghaddoos, Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun  were substituted with Ramin Rezaeian, Masoud Shojaei, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Mehdi Torabi and Ashkan Dejagah. Also, in the 83rd minute, Pejman Montazeri replaced  Morteza Pourali Ganji.

Team Melli will face Yemen in the first match of group D in Abu Dhabi on the 7th of January. Iraq and Vietnam will face each other in the same group a day later.

Queiroz is not thinking beyond the first match in Asian Cup

afc.com

Abu Dhabi: Carlos Queiroz will lead tournament favourites the Islamic Republic of Iran into the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 having instructed his players to focus on winning one game at a time as the nation aims to end a 43-year drought at the Continental championship.

The Portuguese coach leads a squad that leans heavily on the one that represented the country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia in the summer, with 18 of the players who impressed against Morocco, Spain and Portugal slated to make the trip to the UAE.

But while the strength in depth of Queiroz’s squad has the Iranians marked out as one of the nations fancied to win the title, the former Real Madrid coach claims his focus is solely on his side’s opening game against Yemen on January 7 in Abu Dhabi.

“It’s the first game and there are no small teams in the first game,” Queiroz told the-AFC.com. “Everyone’s hopes are open and the challenge is in front of everybody in the first game.

“The first game is always the most difficult game in these kind of competitions because it’s everything for the winner and almost nothing for the loser in a short competition of three games. It is a game we need to win, like always. It’s a crucial game.”

Iran go into the clash as Asia’s No. 1 ranked side while Yemen are 26th in Asia and 135th in the world, but Queiroz is wary of the threat posed by Jan Kocian’s team and knows his players must be fully focused on the task at hand.

“I was checking the results of the Iran national team in different competitions, at under 17s, under 20s, and never has Iran beaten Yemen in any official competition,” he said. “There’s a reason for that: Yemen might draw or lose, but Yemen are a tough team to beat.

“When the game starts against Yemen, we need to get rid of the frustrations we have around the team and focus on ourselves. It’s about the 11 boys on the pitch that start the game against the Yemen team. It’s about the coaching staff, it’s about ourselves and we need to go for it.

“We cannot start a game like this in the Asian Cup and think about anything else. It’s 90 minutes to play for the people, 90 minutes to play for the joy and happiness and pride of Iran.”

Iran have not won the AFC Asian Cup since the third of three consecutive titles in 1976, but the country remains one of the Continent’s strongest, with Queiroz leading the nation to back-to-back appearances at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2014 and 2018.

And although the country’s status among the elite of Asian football is undisputed, the 65-year-old continues to warn his players against complacency.

“Of course, it is well known and recognised and well appreciated that the Iran national team have made fantastic progress in terms of attitude, organisation and discipline but the biggest mistake that happens around teams is that when you have good moments some people think that it’s enough, that we don’t need to do anything more,” he said.

“They have the wrong perceptions that the other competitors are just sitting at home and watching us, but this is a completely wrong impression because Qatar is working hard, UAE, Saudi Arabia.

“They’re working harder because they saw the progress of Iran and they have put huge efforts into coming from behind. Palestine, all these teams, Vietnam. People think this competition is easy, but Vietnam have made fantastic progress over the last few years. They have a great mood in this moment because they have just won an important competition in Southeast Asia.”

“We cannot follow on this track, where some people think that things are easy for us. It’s the opposite, because the people who want to think things are easy in football are just trying to jeopardise our hopes. We will be humble, respect all of our opponents and try to do our best.”

With that in mind, Queiroz stresses that it is Yemen rather than who Iran might face at any other stage of the tournament – including the final in Abu Dhabi on February 1 – is uppermost in his mind.

“In these kind of competitions there is no tomorrow if we don’t win the present and first of all our Asian Cup final is against Yemen,” he said. “I don’t care about anything else around us.

“And when we finish the game against Yemen, then it’s time to think about Vietnam and after that Iraq. For the moment I want to develop this kind of instinct in my team, to keep all of our energy so that it explodes in the 90 minutes against Yemen. All the rest doesn’t count for us.”

Team Melli plays Qatar behind closed doors.

Iran and Qatar will meet on the eve of the New Year behind the closed doors for both teams final preparation for the AFC Asian Cup which begins in the UAE on Saturday. The match is one of the most important and strongest experiences for both teams since the training camps followed by series of friendly matches began last September. It is the perfect finale for both.

The match will start at 8:00 pm at Khalifa International Stadium and will be closed to the media and the public.

Most certainly the Qatari team will field its strongest line up.  Qatar has already played Ecuador, Switzerland, Iceland and Algeria, with mixture of players. Iran has played Uzbekistan, Bolivia, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela and Palestine.

For Qatar, the experience of tonight’s game with Iran will be very different from these previous experiences. The Annabi’s (Qatar Team) objective is to benefit from tough opponents, perhaps physically superior and play with strong and well-known team. Switzerland is the eighth in FIFA Ranking, however the match against Team Melli is completely different experience, because Iran is a  strong contender for the title of Asian Cup.

Qatar coach Felix Sanchez, needs to have some final touches on his team tactics and that is one reason that he vehemently objected to the presence of media and spectators in this match. It is expected that the main line up will start the match for Qatar

Team Melli will approach this final preparation much with caution. Queiroz will use the same basic starters but with tactical changes and allowing as many substitute players to perform, despite the fact that few minutes of playing time has hardly benefited any player or its team.

Qatar Team which has the skeleton of Al Sadd team is counting on a result to lift the spirit and the confidence of a relatively young team players.

For Iran, despite the game being a friendly, the team will be looking for a positive result simply as a morale booster. The final shape of the team has already been decided by Queiroz and there should not be any major surprises.

Team Melli has been training in the Aspire camp in Doha for over a week now and will have no issues with the weather, which quite pleasant in this time of the year.

An absurd trend on the rise!

This peculiar trend of playing international friendly matches behind closed doors is becoming epidemic in Asian Football. Whatever reasons the coaches dream of  including any  employment of some top secrets that they want to keep under wrap is no more than  just figments of their imaginations. All players in any national team are well-known to fans and the media, from their personalities, skills, physique and pace to whatever else that matters. In this day and age of information revolution and social media penetration, there no such nonsense as secret weapon of a team or a player. After all, this is the most popular sport in the world and the fans have the right to watch their National Team play either by attending the match or through TV or other media outlets. Anything else is way down the priorities. International friendly matches should not be held behind closed-door. It should be strongly discouraged and even penalized by the world governing body.

The right of watching National football Teams matches by the masses should be protected by the law that only FIFA can mandate.