Category: World Cup 2018

Team Melli official World Cup kit to be revealed in Uzbekistan friendly.

Team Melli will meet Uzbekistan in an international friendly warm-up match in of preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The match is scheduled to be played on May 19 in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.

“Team Melli 2018 World Cup jerseys have not been revealed yet to avoid counterfeits. The Iran national team kit will be unveiled in the match against Uzbekistan,” Mehdi Taj , the President of FFIRI said.

With less than two months left until the start of the 2018 World Cup, the Iranian federation and kit supplier Adidas have not unveiled Team Melli’s kit and the federation has been highly criticized by the media and the fans for the delay while almost all other nations have revealed their official jersey.

Although Mehdi Taj cited piracy as a reason for this delay, the truth according to insiders lies elsewhere. There has been some talk of diagreement between the Kit Supplier and FFIRI on financial terms. It is also been alleged that the quality that was offered , was not the top that the German manufacturer has in its inventory. Queiroz was not too happy with the quality on offer. However, there was no independent source to confirm these allegations.

Endangered Asiatic Cheetah was imprinted on Team Melli’s jersey during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, but it seems the image will not be stamped on Iran’s kit in the 2018 World Cup. The Last Kit was supplied by UHLSports which had a turbulent relationship with the FFIRI. There were several accusation of inferior quality with the kit supplied by UHLSports. There were accusations by both sides and eventually the contract was not renewed.

Carlos Queiroz’s team have been drawn in Group B of the 2018 World Cup along with Spain, Morocco and Portugal. The Iran national football team will open the campaign with a match against Morocco at Saint Petersburg on June 15.

OPPONENT WATCH: SPAIN

The 2010 winners are hoping to stand on top of the world once more with former Under-21 boss Julen Lopetegui now at the helm

Winners in 2010 but dumped out of the group stage four years later, there’s no question about which of their previous two World Cup campaigns Spain will be hoping to replicate.

Long-time boss Vicente del Bosque stayed on too long, but now a side of serial winners that had perhaps begun to look a little long in the tooth has been refreshed under former Under-21 boss Julen Lopetegui.

The ex-Porto coach had been set to join Wolves as manager in 2016, but when his country came calling, the 51-year-old couldn’t say no.

Since then he has reinvigorated the side, building on the long-standing base of Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and David Silva, by adding freshness in the shape of a number of his former youth charges, including Real Madrid star Isco and Saul Niguez.

Spain coach Julen Lopetegui during training
Spain coach Julen Lopetegui (Image: Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Boyers)
Will Morata be in the starting XI this summer? (Image: Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

 

La Roja are still La Roja and crashing out at the group stage in Brazil 2014 and the disappointment of France 2016 were not at all cathartic in the end. At the age of 51, and without much experience as a coach at elite level, Julen Lopetegui has managed to conserve the essence of what made Spain so successful. The backbone of the team who qualified brilliantly for Russia 2018 are the same as those who failed in France a year and a half ago. Eight of the team who lost against Italy in Paris would start in Russia if the World Cup started now: David De Gea, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta, David Silva and Álvaro Morata. In addition, the wonderful Isco has found his feet with the senior squad, as have several of the under-21s who won the Euros with Spain and Lopetegui in 2013.

The big question regards – as it has since David Villa’s international exit – who will play up front? Alvaro Morata has top-scored for Spain during Lopetegui’s time in charge with seven goals, but there’s also Diego Costa, Aritz Aduriz, Iago Aspas and a host of others.

They head to Russia among the leading contenders and will hope to stamp an early mark when they meet Portugal in their opener on June 15.

Form guide

There were no problems for the Spanish in World Cup qualifying, as they sauntered through a group containing Italy, with nine wins and one draw – in Turin – in their 10 games.

Lopetegui’s men scored 36 times and conceded on just three occasions as they booked their spot in the finals; the last time they tasted defeat in a competitive fixture was against the Azzurri at Euro 2016.

Thrashed Costa Rica and drew 3-3 with hosts Russia in November, giving up the lead three times against the host nation.

 

Star player

Isco

Isco has been shining brightly for Lopetegui (Image: Getty Images Europe)

Andres Iniesta is (arguably) the greatest player Spain has ever produced, and while the Barcelona star remains key, there can be no denying that he isn’t the player he once was.

As such, the man to whom Spain will turn to make the cutting runs and passes which have been so key in recent year will be Isco, who will be 26 when the finals get under way and heading into his prime.

The playmaker has proven his value to Real Madrid in three Champions League finals and is now thriving at the Santiago Bernabeu; his devastating display against Italy last September – in which he scored twice – was perhaps the best individual performance from anyone not named Lionel Messi in Europe this season.

Rising star

Marco Asensio

Real Madrid starlet Asensio will hope to impress at the finals (Image: AFP)

Marco Asensio’s burgeoning reputation continues to grow, with the 22-year-old shining for Real Madrid and emerging as the future of Spanish football.

Supremely-talented, quick, with an eye for goal or a killer pass, the Mallorca-born starlet already boasts a Champions League final goal to his name and actively appears to seek responsibility in big games.

He can prove a real game-changer for La Roja in Russia.

 

How they qualified: Winners of European Group G ahead of Italy 

Preferred system:  4-5-1

Star players: Isco (Real Madrid) , David Silva (Manchester City)

One to watch:  Marco Asensio (Real Madrid)

Manager Julen Lopetegui

Odds 15-2

 

Head 2 Head

Spain and Iran have never met. Iran was invited to the 75th Anniversary of Real Madrid club , but did not play the host in a 4 team tournament in March 1977.

Opponent watch: Portugal

Having won a first major tournament at Euro 2016, can Cristiano Ronaldo now inspire the Seleccao again?

Portugal stunned Europe in 2016 after winning the European Championships despite rarely looking like potential winners until the semi-final.

Under pragmatic boss Fernando Santos, the Seleccao claimed a first ever major tournament success in France, despite drawing all three group games and managing just one win inside 90 minutes.

Now ranked No.3 in the world by FIFA, a side full full of experience, including Pepe (35), Rui Patricio (30), Joao Moutinho (31), Nani (31) and, of course, all-time record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo (33), will have one final fling at the World Cup.

Santos has shown loyalty to his veterans – and been repaid – while also bringing through younger stars such as Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, Raphael Guerreiro and Andre Silva, giving the side a mixture of youth and experience, nous and speed.

“Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Germany and France are the favourites to win the World Cup,” says the Portugal coach, Fernando Santos, before adding: “Then we have other candidates, who want to get as far as possible, and win the tournament if possible, and Portugal are in this second group.” Santos is cautious, despite winning Euro 2016 but he is looking forward to the World Cup with optimism and does so with good reason: Portugal seem stronger now than a year and a half ago, having added creativity to the defensive organisation that underpinned the 2016 title. Bernardo Silva and André Silva have been important factors in this attacking upgrade and in general the team have more depth. The one area which is perhaps weaker is the defence, where it has been hard to find replacements for Pepe (who will be 35 next summer), José Fonte (34) and Bruno Alves (36).

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal lifts the European Championship trophy after his side win 1-0 against France
Portugal celebrate their Euro 2016 triumph (Image: Getty)
Portugal boss Fernando Santos (Image: Matthias Hangst)

The big question regards whether Ronaldo can shine on the world stage and light up the major finals with his goalscoring; dumped out at the group stage in 2014, he has a much stronger support cast backing him up this time. Andre Silva has proven an excellent foil also, but has endured a difficult season at AC Milan after a big-money move.

Their opener against Spain offers an early test, but they’ll expect to get past Morocco and Iran, before heading into the knockout stages…a road they proved two years ago that they know how to travel.

 

Form guide

The Seleccao lost their opening World Cup qualifier in Switzerland, but won the following nine – including a must-win decider against the previously unbeaten Swiss – to book their finals spot.

That initial defeat to the Swiss apart, Portugal have lost just one friendly in the past 18 months – 3-2 at home to Sweden last March – while they finished third in the Confederations Cup last summer, having been beaten on penalties by Chile in the semi-final.

 

Star player

Cristiano Ronaldo

As crucial as ever (Image: Getty Images Europe)

Cristiano Ronaldo remains absolutely pivotal to the Seleccao, their biggest star and chief supplier of goals.

He doesn’t run down the flank as much as he did in his youth, and the step-overs are far more infrequent, but there simply isn’t a better big-game goalscorer on the planet.

His relationship with pragmatic coach Fernando Santos remains crucial, and this is, almost certainly, his last chance to win a World Cup.

 

Rising Star

Bernardo Silva

Bernardo Silva celebrates scoring against Arsenal in March (Image: Shaun Botterill)

The former Benfica and Monaco playmaker Bernardo Silva experienced a slow start to his Manchester City career due to injury and the form of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, but the fleet-footed star has become increasingly important at the Etihad.

Extremely skillful, clever with his use of the ball and cutting in the final third, the 23-year-old missed out on Euro 2016 due to injury; he’ll be looking to make up for lost time in Russia.

How they qualified Winners of European Group B ahead of Switzerland 

Preferred system 4-4-2

Star player Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

One to watch Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Manager Fernando Santos

Odds 20-1

Head 2 Head

Iran & Portugal met twice. The first meeting in Brazil was 36 years ago in Brazil Centenary tournament. Portugal was one of the best teams in the World at that time with the great Eusebio leading the attack. Iran was the top team in Asia but with an aging golden generation players such as Kalani, Iranpak, Halvaei and Arab.

The next meeting was in the World Cup 2006,where the  two teams have met in the group stage. It was a tough match for both team. Cristiano Ronaldo remains the only survivor from that match. He also scored a goal against Mirzapour. Portugal included two legendary players Luis Figo and Deck in that team.

Portugal had the upper hand in both the matches with 5 goals scored and none conceded.

 

Date Comp. H / A / N Final score Stadium Attendance
17.Jun.2006 FIFA World Cup / Group D N 0 – 2 Waldstadion , Frankfurt 48,000
14.Jun.1972 Brazil Independance Cup N 0 – 3 Santa Cruz Stadium, RECIFE 115,000

Opponents watch: Morocco

The Atlas Lions are roaring again. Twenty years after a heartbreaking elimination from the group stage at France ’98, the first African team to reach the last 16 are back at the World Cup. Morocco, the only African team to qualify for Russia without conceding a goal, have built their game on solid defence and hard work. The experience of Karim El Ahmadi, M’barek Boussoufa and Juventus’s Mehdi Benatia fits well with the intelligence of Hakim Ziyech and the strength of Nordin Amrabat. Hervé Renard is in charge but the advice coming from one of his assistants, Patrice Beaumelle, is vital. The former Coventry City midfielder Mustapha Hadji is also key in the setup, sharing his experiences and acting as a role model for this generation. The team’s main weakness used to be on the left but Real Madrid’s Achraf Hakimi has filled the gap admirably since September.

However, under the guiding hand of Herve Renard, the Atlas Lions emerged unbeaten in their six matches – without conceding a single goal and scoring 11 in the process – to book their first finals spot in 20 years.

The 42nd best side on the planet according to FIFA’s rankings, they’ll need something special to match their 1986 achievement of getting through the group stage, having been paired with Iberian duo Spain and Portugal.

But a defence marshalled by Juventus’ Medhi Benatia and Wolves’ Romain Saiss has proven itself tough to break down, while an attack containing Ajax star Hakim Ziyech and Southampton’s Sofiane Boufal is full of (albeit inconsistent) talent.

They open up against the similarly durable Iran; win that, and they could prove themselves a real nightmare for Portugal in their second game.

Herve Renard is hoping to make a splash 

Form guide

With three wins and three draws – including a 2-0 win in Ivory Coast in their must-not-lose finale – Morocco made their way to Russia, navigating a potentially tricky group.

Reached last year’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final – losing to finalists Egypt.

Star player

Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech (Image: 2017 Getty Images)

A former Netherlands Under-21 international, Ajax playmaker Hakim Ziyech has become an increasingly important cog in the Moroccan midfield under Renard.

Talented and strong – not unlike Spurs’ Mousa Dembele – he has flourished with the Dutch giants since moving into a deeper role.

At 25, he has 13 caps and seven goals to his name. As he enters his prime, he can make this his team.

Hakimi has impressed when called upon at the Bernabeu (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Achraf Hakimi made his senior Real Madrid debut earlier this season and has proven himself a more than able deputy for Dani Carvajal when the Spaniard has been absent.

Born in Madrid to parents of Moroccan descent, Hakimi joined Los Blancos as an eight year old and now, at 19, is beginning to make an impact.

Made his full international debut in 2016 and will vie for a place with veteran Fenerbahce full-back Nabil Dirar for a starting spot.

How they qualified Winners African Group C (round three) ahead of Ivory Coast

Preferred system 4-5-1

Star player Hakim Ziyech (Ajax)

One to watch Sofiane Boufal (Southampton)

Manager Hervé Renard

Odds 250-1

 

Head 2 Head

The two teams have not met recently. Only once previously the team played against each other that was 16 years back with different generations of footballers. That match has no bearings on the encounter in St. Petersburg

 

Date Comp. H / A / N Final score Stadium Attendance
17.Sep.2002 LG CUP H 1 – 1 Takhti Stadium ,Tabriz 20,000

Munir El Haddadi appeals to switch to Morocco

Deportivo Alaves forward Munir El Haddadi has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in his bid to switch allegiance from Spain to Morocco.

CAS said in a statement that Munir had appealed jointly with the Moroccan Football Federation (FMF) after Fifa turned down his request on March 13.

The appeal included a request for a decision by mid-May “in order for the player’s sporting nationality to be decided prior to the commencement of the Fifa 2018 World Cup,” said CAS.

Fifa rules bar players from switching allegiance once they have played a competitive international even if they hold dual nationality.

Munir, 22, made a single appearance for Spain, in a European championship qualifier against Macedonia in September 2014, when he came on as a substitute and played less than 15 minutes.

“This was my decision and I knew what I was doing. Since I was young I have played in Spain and this was my idea,” said Munir at the time. “I spoke with people in Morocco and told them that I wanted to play here instead.”

Munir, who was born in Spain and has a Moroccan father, was raised at Barcelona’s famous youth academy where he made his professional debut and is currently on loan at Alaves.

He has also spent one season on loan at Valencia.

Fifa’s stakeholders committee is studying a proposal to make the rules more flexible in such cases.

Cape Verde’s football federation suggested the rule be relaxed in cases where the player has played only one or two games for his original national side but has no realistic chance of a recall.

“It’s a good time to have a look at this and see if there are solutions, without hurting the integrity of the game,” said Victor Montagliani, head of the stakeholders committee, in October.

Spain and Morocco have been drawn in the same group at the World Cup alongside Portugal and Iran.

“Iran is facing its biggest challenge in history” Queiroz

“We’ve been drawn in the toughest group in the World Cup. Morocco are the best African team and the team’s results in the last two years speak for themselves. They have not conceded goals and claimed the African Nations Championship,” Queiroz said in an interview with Khabar Varzeshi sports daily.

“Spain and Portugal are also favorites to win the title. To book a place in the next stage is the biggest challenge in Iran’s football history,” the former Real Madrid coach added.  

“We will play at the World Cup for our pride, that’s why I am here and I believe that those who don’t back the idea are the people who don’t respect Iran’s football,” the Portuguese coach stated.

“For us, to be in knockout stage means conquering Mt Everest. This is the highest mount in front of Iran’s football and all of coaches and officials must take it seriously,” Queiroz concluded.  

Iran have been drawn in Group B along with Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

The Persians will kick off the campaign with a match against Morocco at Saint Petersburg on June 15.

Team Melli, meanwhile, face Spain in Kazan on 20 June before meeting Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Saransk five days later.

How Carlos Queiroz turned Iran into Asia’s best World Cup hope

The former Manchester United coach eased the Iranians through qualification but they now want tangible finals success, something that has always eluded Team Melli

Sardar Azmoun, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Reza Ghoochannejhad
 Sardar Azmoun, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Reza Ghoochannejhad. Composite: Getty Images, AFP

The only one of the dozen names on Fifa’s shortlist for 2017 men’s coach of the year not working in Europe was Tite, who ensured Brazil were the first qualifier for the 2018 World Cup. Iran were second but that was not enough for Carlos Queiroz, who has now led three different national teams to four World Cups. He may have to wait for success at the World Cup to turn eurocentric heads.

That means finishing above two of Portugal, Spain and Morocco in Russia to progress to the knockout stage at the fifth time of asking. If there is any Asian team that can manage that then it is Iran. For four years Team Melli have been the highest-ranked national side on the continent, for just a little less time they have been the best on the pitch, too.

In Brazil four years ago Queiroz, whose six years as number two at Manchester United in the previous decade was split by a season in charge of Real Madrid, had the team well-organised in a tough group containing Nigeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina. A last-minute piece of Messi magic ended Iranian dreams of a first second-round appearance at the fourth attempt but Team Melli picked themselves off the floor. Now they are just as tight at the back but have more options going forward, younger overall but with more international experience.

Nine of the 23 who went to Brazil were based overseas but mainly spread around the Middle East and the second tiers of the big European leagues. The figure will be higher this time around, the leagues and performances are better and the players more active.

The winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh could mount a case – when he is not busy scoring and creating for AZ Alkmaar – to be the best player in the Netherlands this season. The £9m quoted a year ago in response to reported interest from Burnley, Watford and Bournemouth would be considerably higher now, especially with Napoli also monitoring him. The fleetfooted forward Reza Ghoochannejhad managed 19 goals for Heerenveen last season while the striker Karim Ansarifard has almost a goal a game for Olympiakos.

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Sardar Azmoun is one of Asia’s biggest stars at 23, has already scored in the Champions League for Rubin Kazan and has been linked with Liverpool. Young midfielders Saeid Ezatolahi in Russia and Saman Ghoddos of Östersund are looking forward to making the next step up the European ladder and a successful World Cup can’t do any harm.

The improvement was there for all to see in qualification for this summer’s finals. Qualification for Brazil was in doubt until the final whistle of the final game which blew to bring relief, Iranian gestures and swear words at the rival bench and South Korean bottles flying down from the terraces. There was no such drama this time. The road to Russia was pleasantly boring – words that do not usually go together in this football crazy country. Qualification quickly became a foregone conclusion and was made official with two games to spare.

Iran did not lose and did not even concede until the 10th and final game. It was vindication for Queiroz who took the reins in 2011, months after guiding Portugal to the last 16 in South Africa. The 65-year-old not only has everything running exactly how he wants on the pitch, he can be busy off it too.

Whether due to his nature, Sir Alex Ferguson’s nurture or cold calculation – or a combination of all three – he likes to keep everyone on their toes by creating tension. In qualification for 2014 he quarrelled with rival coaches, but these days his ire is focused closer to home. There was a big fallout with Iran’s coach from the 2006 World Cup, Branko Ivankovic, now in charge of champions Persepolis, which led to Queiroz resigning amid accusations that the Iranian Football Federation (IFF) was not giving the support he needed.

Officials in Tehran can find it all a little bewildering but know that Queiroz brings success. At least two of the other four Asian qualifiers were curious as to whether last January’s resignation was genuine. It wasn’t.

He is also vocal when it comes to preparations, warning the federation to ensure that all that can be done is being done. Before Brazil four years ago international isolation made it difficult at times to arrange decent games. Sanctions also made it tough for the IFF to receive monies owed from abroad and so afford the overseas training camps that Queiroz wanted. Preparation for Russia has improved but there is still some way to go. Togo, Panama, Venezuela, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia and Sierra Leone present decent opposition but do not really compare to Brazil, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Colombia, who have been lined up by fellow Asian qualifiers Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia. No wonder Queiroz talks of these Asian powerhouses enjoying “World Cup credit cards” that provide automatic access.

Despite the tough draw, Iran are looking forward to this June and showing the world what they are made of. If all goes well, a host of talented players may get the chance to move to bigger clubs in bigger leagues, a ready-to-take-off domestic market with a large, young and passionate population may just get the spark and investment it needs, and Queiroz may just get the recognition he deserves.

 

Since you’re here …

Ali Alipour, challenging for a place in Team Melli.

Ali Alipour, with sterling performances in the Persian Gulf League and the AFC Champions league has finally convinced Carlos Queiroz to pick him for Team Melli squad.

Iran is preparing for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, where they are grouped with Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Born in Ghaem Shar on 11th November 1994, young Alipour grew up in the wrestling champions breeding province of Mazendran This northern province, where the tradition wrestling rules  supreme, has produced countless number of world class wrestling champions and Olympics medals winners, however, this young man was determined to be a champion in a different sport, his beloved football.

Alipour started playing football with with Nassaji Mazandaran in 2011 in the lower leagues before making his dream trip to Tehran and joining Rah Ahan in 2013. . He first made his professional debut in 2012 at the age of 16 with Azadegan League club Sang Ahan.

In his two years in Rah Ahan, Alipour hardly managed to set the stage alight scoring only 3 goals in 25 matches.

However, it was in Persepolis, where he started to make a name for himself. He started as a sub for the club but steadily went up the pecking order until he became a fixed player and a prolific scorer. On May 2015, Alipour became a cult hero .  

On May 15, 2015 Alipour scored in the Tehran derby against Esteghlal, making him the youngest ever player to score in the famous and iconic Derby, with only 19 years of age. 

It was only a matter of time for Queiroz to recognize the talented center forward who has a knack of scoring fancy goals. The AFC Champions League is a testament for this talented 22 years old. Under Branko Ivankovic , the Persepolis coach, Alipour has thrived and continues to develop to a classy forward.

His selection to Team Melli will not give him a guarantee of playing time as the competition is stiff up the front. With Sardar Azmoun, Reza Ghoochannejad who is playing his best season in Holland, Karim Ansarifard enjoying similar success in Greek league ,  Alireza Jahanbakhsh continuing his excellent form and finally Mehdi Taremi , now in Qatar Star League, Alipour is far from being assured a place in the World Cup squad, let alone playing in the world biggest football show.

Alipour, however, remains a potential winner and a hard worker with talent and pace and good enough to seriously challenge for a place in the Team Melli.

Spain prepare for Team Melli by playing Egypt!!

The Spanish has said that Spain has finalized 3 games as part of its preparation for the FIFA World Cup according to the Spanish newspaper AS 

 

The World Cup plan The Federation has practically closed the preparation plan for Spain for the FIFA World Cup in Russia. The first friendly match will be on Friday, March 23, against the current world champion, Germany, in Düsseldorf. Four days later, on the 27th, Spain will play another game of throne. The agreement is very close to play with Argentina, although the albiceleste is asking for a million and a half dollars for the match and that can be a stumbling block. The match would be played in the Metropolitan Wanda or the Villamarín.

In Las Rozas. Against what has been done in the last decade, Julen Lopetegui has decided not to prepare the World Cup outside of Spain and the preparation camp will be concentrated in Las Rozas until the team arrival in Krasnodar, base camp in Russia, on June 8, a week before playing the first game of the group stage of the World Cup, against Portugal in the city of Sochi.

Against Egypt. Spain will play two friendlies in Spanish territory, on May 29 and June 5, and another on the 9th of the same month,  in Krasnodar. It negotiates with countries that can serve as sparring for the World Cup rivals. The favorites are Italy (to prepare the game against Portugal), Ivory Coast (Morocco) and Egypt (Iran)!. 

It seems someone has got his compass totally wrong in the Spanish FA. They could do with the Google Map to show them the distance between Iran and Egypt who have very little commonality in footballing term and game plan.

Statistical Analysis of Team Melli 2017

 

Team Melli had experienced one of its most successful years in recent history. 

 

Under the guidance of the Portuguese Head Coach Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz, Team Melli played a total of 10 matches in 2017 of which,  half  was as part of FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Qualification rounds in the Asian Zone.

in 2017 Team Melli continued its strong showing in the World Cup qualifiers and ended up qualifying for the finals with two rounds still to play.

There were more achievements to be proud of on field performance and results by Team Melli. The first was the completion of all the matches in both rounds of qualifications undefeated.

 5 matches in the World Cup qualifiers were played in 2017 on the top of 13 played since 2015  without a single defeat.

The defensive record was second to none  as Team Melli conceded only 5 goals in its 18 matches . Only 3 teams managed to score against Iran throughout the qualifiers, Turkmenistan, Oman and Syria. 

On the same token, the mighty Koreans with their European based players and Uzbekistan ,one of the tough opponents, China and Qatar failed to score home or away against Team Melli

The fans enjoyed Team Melli scoring 36 goals in the qualifiers too,with Sardar Azmoun being the star scoring 11 goals.  Mehdi Taremi was second highest with 8 goals in the qualifiers.

Team Melli also enjoyed the highest ranking in FIFA’s system on July 2017 reaching 23rd place in the world. In AFC ranking ,Iran continued at the top of Asian table for the 4th year running. 

Qualification to the World Cup was achieved with a remarkable 7 points lead over second place nemesis South Korea.

 

The FIFA WC Qualifier 2018  Table

Asian Zone – Round 3 group A

  Team MP W D L F A D P
1
Iran 10 6 4 0 10 2 8 22
2
Korea Republic 10 4 3 3 11 10 1 15
3
Syria 10 3 4 3 9 8 1 13
4
Uzbekistan 10 4 1 5 6 7 -1 13
5
China PR 10 3 3 4 8 10 -2 12
6
Qatar 10 2 1 7 8 15 -7 7

 

 

Matches

OVERALL TABLE

  P W D L GF GA GD %
Official 5 3 2 0 6 2 4 60%
Non-Official 5 4 1 0 8 3 5 80%
 Total 10 7 3 0 14 5 9 70%

 

 

FIFA RANKING 2017

World Asia Date Month MP W L D
32 1 2017 November 2 2 0 0
34 1 2017 October 2 1 0 1
25 1 2017 September 2 0 0 2
24 1 2017 August 0 0 0 0
23 1 2017 July 2 2 0 0
30 1 2017 June 0 0 0 0
28 1 2017 May 0 0 0 0
28 1 2017 April 2 2 0 0
33 1 2017 March 0 0 0 0
32 1 2017 February 0 0 0 0
29 1 2017 January 0 0 0 0
      10 7 0 3

 

[box title=”

Ranking Data

” style=”bubbles” box_color=”#c8c8ba” title_color=”#0d0c0c” radius=”6″]Team Melli highest FIFA world ranking was on July 2017 where it reached 23.

The lowest year ranking was registered on October 2017 where it reached 34

Average ranking of 2017 is : 29 [/box]

 

PLAYERS records 2017

The highest goal scorer:

Sardar AZMOUN

6 Goals (8 matches)

1 goal scored for every 60 minutes played

Goal rate = 75%

The most minutes played:

Morteza POURALIGANJI

 776 minutes

The most matches played:

Saeid EZZATOLLAHI

10 matches

 

Full stats of players 2017

Name Start Subst. total Goals Yellows Reds Miutes
ABDOLLAHZADEH, Ahmad  2  1  3       169
AGHAEI, Saeed  2  1  3       228
AMIRI, Vahid  3  6  9       373
ANSARI, Mohammad  2    2       149
ANSARIFARD, Karim  4    4  2     300
AZMOUN, Sardar  5  3  8  6  1   479
BIRANVAND, Alireza  9    9    1   774
CHESHMI, Rouzbeh  2  3  5       254
DEJAGAH, Ashkan  5  1  6  1     338
EBRAHIMI, Omid  2  3  5       271
EMANI, Akbar    2  2       78
EZZATOLLAHI, Saeid  9    9    1 1 705
GHAFOORI, Vourya  5    5       407
GHODDOS, Saman  2  2  4  1     217
GHOOCHANNEJAD, Reza  3  3  6       294
HAJSAFY, Ehsan  7    7    1   511
HOSSEINI, Jalal  2  2  4       313
JAHANBAKHSH, AliReza  7  1  8  1  1   532
KANANI-ZADEGAN, Hossein  1    1       76
KARIMI, Ali  3  3  6       349
LAK, Hamed  1    1       91
MAZAHERI, Rashid    1  1       46
MOHAMMADI, Milad  5  1  6    1   501
MONTAZERI, Pejman  3    3       273
PAHLAVAN, Ehsan    1  1       27
POURALIGANJI, Morteza  9    9    2 1 785
POURGHAZ, Ezzatollah    2  2       18
REZAEI, Kaveh  1  2  3       148
REZAEIAN, Ramin  5  3  8       506
SHOJAEI, Masoud  2  1  3    1   168
TAREMI, Mehdi  6  1  7  3  2   525
TORABI, Mehdi  2    2       182