AFC Asian Cup 2015

[tabs]

[tab title=”Qualifications Round”]

Date Comp. Home team Away team Final score
06.02.2013 ACQ Iran Lebanon 5 – 0
22.03.2013 ACQ Kuwait Iran 1 – 1
15.10.2013 ACQ Iran Thailand  2 – 1
15.11.2013 ACQ Thailand Iran 3 – 0
19.11.2013 ACQ Lebanon Iran 1 – 4 
03.03.2014 ACQ Iran Kuwait 3 – 2

 

PLAYERS’ STATS

Players Games Goals
Ahmad ALE NEMEH 1
AmirHossein SADEGHI 1 1
Bakhtiyar RAHMANI 1
Ghassim HADDADIFAR 1
Hashim BEIGZADEH 1
Jalal RAFKHAEI 1
Maziar ZARE 1
Mehrdad JAMAATI 1
Mohammad NOSRATI 1
Mohammad NOURI 1
Mohammadreza KHANZADEH 1
Mohsen BENGAR 1
Payam SADEGHIAN 1
Reza NOUROZI 1
Daniel DAVARI 2
Khosrow HEYDARI 2
Mehrdad OULADI 2
Mehrdad POOLADI 2
Reza HAGHIGHI 2
Yaghoub KARIMI 2 1
AliReza JAHANBAKHSH 3 1
Ehsan HAJSAFY 3
Hossein MAHINI 3
Karim ANSARIFARD 3 1
MohamadReza KHALATBARY 3
Mojtaba JABBARI 3
Steven BEITASHOUR 3
Andranik TEYMOURIAN 4
Pejman MONTAZERI 4
Rahman AHMADI 4
Ashkan DEJAGAH 5 2
Jalal HOSSEINI 5 1
Javad NEKOUNAM 5 4
Masoud SHOJAEI 5 1
Reza GHOOCHANNEJAD 5 4

 

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[tab title=”Squad”]

asian-cup-2015-logo-01

Asian Cup 2015 Team Melli Squad

Shirt Number
Player Name

3

HAJSAFY, Ehsan


25-Feb-90
25 years
Sepahan
Defender
60 Caps
3 Goals
3 Ehsan Haji Safi

4

HOSSEINI, Jalal


03-Feb-82
33 Years
Al Ahli (QAT)
Defender
86 Caps
6 goals
4 - Jalal Hosseini

6

NEKOUNAM, Javad


06-Sep-80
35 Years
Osasuna (ESP)
Midfield
143 Caps
37 Goals
6 Javad Nekounam

14

TEYMOURIAN, Andranik


06-Mar-83
32 Years
Esteghlal
Midfield
79 Caps
9 Goals
14 Andranik Teymourian

10

ANSARIFARD, Karim


03-Apr-90
25Years
Osasuna (ESP)
Forward
42 Caps
9 Goals
10 Karim Ansarifard

7

SHOJAEI, Masoud


09-Jun-84
31 Years
Las Palmas (ESP)
Midfield
51 Caps
5 Goals
7 Masoud Shojaei

11

GHAFOORI, Vouriya


20.Sep.87
27 years
Sepahan Esfahan
Defender
1 Cap

21

DEJAGAH, Ashkan


05-Jul-86
27 years
Al Arabi (QAT)
Midfield
14 Caps
4 Goals
21 Ashkan Dejagah

16

GHOOCHANNEJAD, Reza


20-Sep-87
26 years
Al Kuwait (KUW)
Forward
14 Caps
11 Goals
16 Reza Ghoochannejad

8

POURALIGANJI, Morteza


19-Apr-92
22 years
Naft Tehran
Defender
0 Caps
0 Goal

18

JAHANBAKSH, Alireza


08-Oct-93
20 years
NEC Nijmegen (NED)
Forward
7 Caps
1 Goal
9 Alireza Jahanbakhsh

5

KHANZADEH, MohammadReza


20-Jan-92
23 years
Persepolis
Defender
7 Caps
1 Goal
sqd-Khanzadeh2013

19

BEIKZADEH, Hashim


22-Jan-84
30 years
Esteghlal
Defender
16 caps
1 goal
19 Hashim Beikzadeh

15

REZAEIAN Ramin


21-Mar-90
24 years
Rah Ahan
Defender
0 caps

1

HAGHIGHI, Alireza


02-May-88
26 years
Sporting Covilhã (POR)
Goalkeeper
6 caps
12 Alireza Haghighi

2

HEYDARI, Khosro


14-Sep-83
30 Years
Esteghlal
Defender
49 Caps
2 Khosro Heydari

22

BIRANVAND, Alireza


23-Sep-91
23 Years
Naft Tehran
Goalkeeper
0 Caps

QUEIROZ, Carlos


01-Mar-53
61 Years
Head Coach
Coach Queiroz

12

FOROUZAN, Mohsen


03-May-88
26 Years
Esteghlal
Goalkeeper
0 Caps

20

AZMOUN, Sardar


01-Jan-95
19 Years
Rubin Kazan
Forward
3 Caps
1 Goal

13

AMIRI, Vahid


02-Apr-88
26 Years
Naft Tehran
Midfield
0 Caps
0 Goal

23

POOLADI, Mehrdad


20-Feb-87
26 years
Al Shahaniya (QAT)
Defender
21 caps
23 Mehrdad Pooladi

17

RAFEI, Soroush


24-Apr-90
24 years
Foolad Khuzestan
Midfield
0 caps

9

EBRAHIMI, Omid


16-Sep-87
27 years
Esteghlal
Midfield
6 caps

[/tab]

[tab title=”Matches”]

Group C

Iran, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar

MATCHES

Sun 11-Jan-15 UAE  4 – 1 Qatar Khalfan IBRAHIM(22′ ) Ahmed KHALIL (37′ , 52′) , Ali Ahmed MABKHOUT (56′, 89′)
Iran 2 – 0 Bahrain E. HAJSAFY (45’+2) , M. SHOJAEI (71′)
Thu 15-Jan-15 Bahrain 1 – 2 UAE Jaycee OKWUNWANNE (26′) Ali Ahmed MABKHOUT (1′) ; Mohammed HUSSAIN (o.g. 73′)
Qatar 0 – 1 Iran Sardar AZMOUN (52′)
Mon 19-Jan-15 Iran 1 – 0 UAE Reza GHOOCHANNEJAD (90+1)
Qatar 1 – 2 Bahrain Hassan KHALID (68′) Seyed Dhiya  SAEED (35′), Seyed Ahmed Jaafar (82′)
11 Jan 2015
  Iran    vs.    Bahrain
2     –     0
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Attendance:  17712
Goals Ehsan Hajsafy,(45+2) , Masoud Shojaei (71′)
 IRAN: Alireza Haghighi:Mehrdad Pooladi, Jalal Hosseini, Morteza Pouraliganji, Vouriya Ghafoori, Ehsan Hajsafy, Andranik Teymourian, Javad Nekounam, Masoud Shojaei (80′ Alireza Jahanbakhsah) , Ashkan Dejagah (89′ Soroush Rafiei), Reza Ghoochannejhad (75′ Sardar Azmoun)
Coach: Carlos Queiroz (Portugal)

BAHRAIN: Sayed Mohammed Jaafar: Mohammed Hussain, Sami Al Husaini (80′ Sayed Ahmed) , Abdulla Omar,Faouzi Aaish, Waleed Al Hayam (65′ Rashed Al Hooti), Hussain Ali Baba, Sayed Dhiya, Abdulwahab Ali, Ismaeel Abdulatif (65′ Abdulwahab Al Malood), Jaycee Okwunwanne.
Coach: Marjan Eid (Bahrain)
Referee:B. Williams
Assistants:M. Cream , P. Cetrangolo
Fourth official: C. Beath
Yellow Cards: Ehsan Hajsafy (IRN) (21′) , Abdulla Omar (BRN((42′)
[divider]
 
15 Jan 2015
 Qatar        vs. Iran
1       –        0
Stadium Australia
Attendance:  22,673
Goal: Sardar Azmoun (51)
 IRAN: Alireza Haghighi:Mehrdad Pooladi, Jalal Hosseini, Morteza Pouraliganji, Vouriya Ghafoori, Ehsan Hajsafy, Andranik Teymourian (89′ Amir Hossein Sadeghi) , Javad Nekounam, Masoud Shojaei (72′ Khosrow Heydari) , Ashkan Dejagah , Sardar Azmoun (62′ Reza Ghoochannejhad )
Coach: Carlos Queiroz (Portugal)
QATAR : Qasem Burhan; Ibrahim Majid, Boualem Khoukhi, Almahdi Ali, Abdelkarim Hassan, Ahmed El Sayed (73′ Meshaal Abdulla) , Karim Boudiaf, Hassan Khalid, Moustapha Trésor Kangambu, Ismaeel Mohammad (60′ Khalfan Ibrahim Khalfan), Mohammed Muntari
Coach: Djemal Belmadi (Algeria)
Referee: Rashvan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Yellow Cards: Almahdi Ali (QAT)(50′), Masoud SHOJAEI (IRN)(57)
[divider]
 
19 Jan 2015
Iran           vs.   UAE
1       –        0
Brisbane Stadium
Attendance:  11,394
Goal: Reza Ghoochannejhad (90+1)
 IRAN: Alireza Haghighi ; Mehrdad Pooladi, Jalal Hosseini,  Morteza Pouraliganji, Vahid Amiri, Khosrow Heydari (63′ Ashkan Dejagah) , Andranik Teymourian, Javad Nekounam, Alireza Jahanbakhsah (57′ Vouriya Ghafoori) , Soroush Rafiei Sardar Azmoun (72′  Reza Ghoochannejhad).
Coach: Carlos Queiroz (Portugal)
UAE : Majed Nasser, Waleed Abbas, Mohammed Ahmed, Mohanad Salem, Abdulaziz Sanqour,  Omar Abdulrahman, Amer Abdulrahman, Habib Fardan Abdualla, Khamis Esmail,  Ahmed Khalil,  Ali Ahmed Mabkhout
Coach:  Mehdi Ali (UAE)
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Yellow Cards: Waleed Abbas  (UAE) (26),  Javad NEKOUNAM (IRN)(36), Sardar AZMOUN (IRN) (45), Mehrdad POOLADI (IRN) (66)
[divider]
23 Jan 2015
                        
Iran        vs.         Iraq
3     –     3 
Canberra Stadium
Quarter Finals
Goals: Sardar AZMOUN (24) 1-0  ; Ahmed Yasin (56′) 1-1 ; Younis Mahmoud (93′) 1-2 ; Morteza POURALIGANJI (103) 2-2 ; Dhurgham Ismail (p)(116′) 2-3 ; Reza GHOOCHANNEJAD (119) 3-3
 IRAN: Alireza Haghighi:Mehrdad Pooladi, Jalal Hosseini, Morteza Pouraliganji, Vouriya Ghafoori, Ehsan Hajsafy, Andranik Teymourian, Javad Nekounam, Masoud Shojaei (46′ Vahid Amiri) , Ashkan Dejagah (83′ Reza Ghoochannejhad),  Sardar Azmoun (63′ Alireza Jahanbakhsah)
Coach: Carlos Queiroz (Portugal)
 IRAQ: Jalal Hassan Hachim ; Salam Shakir, Ahmad Ibrahim Khalaf  , Dhurgham Ismail, Ahmed Yasin (107 Amjad Kalaf) , Saad Abdulameer, Yaser Kasim, Younis Mahmoud, Justin Meram (46′ Marwan Hussein), Waleed Salim, Alaa Abdul AlZahra (65′ Ali Adnan)
Coach : Radhi Shneaishal Swadi (Iraq)
Referee Benjamin Williams (Australia)
Yellow Cards:  Ahmad Ibrahim Khalaf (IRQ)(2′) ,  Mehrdad POOLADI  (IRN)(22) , Ali Adnan (IRQ) (35′), Waleed Salim (IRQ)(90+3), Andranik TEYMOURIAN (90+5),  Ali Adnan (IRQ) (95), Saad Abdulameer (IRQ)(102), Marwan Hussein (IRQ)(120) , Mohammadreza KHAMZADEH (IRN)(120)
Red card : Mehrdad POOLADI (IRN)(42)

[/tab]

 

[tab title=”Highlights “]

 

Articles, match descriptions and news-clips.

 

[spoiler title=”Routing of Lebanon ” style=”fancy” icon=”chevron-circle”]

Iran 5-0 Lebanon

Published on Wednesday, 06 February 2013 23:11

nekonam celebrates 300x200Tehran: Captain Javad Nekonam scored a hat-trick as three-time champions Iran opened their AFC Asian Cup 2015 qualifying campaign in style with a 5-0 win over 10-man Lebanon in Tehran on Wednesday.

Standard Liege’s Reza Ghoochannejhad also netted twice at Azadi Stadium to open his international account as Iran gained revenge over Lebanon having lost last year’s FIFA World Cup qualifier 1-0 in Beirut.

With two teams from each group securing automatic qualification for the 2015 finals in Australia, Kuwait – who entertain Iran at the end of March- join Iran at the top of Group B after beating Thailand 3-1 in Bangkok.

“I appreciate the effort from my players; they kept fighting and never gave up. We were able to highlight the gap between Iranian and Lebanese football,” said Iran coach Carlos Queiroz.

“After we lost at home to Uzbekistan we needed to do something to relieve the pressure and we were able to beat Lebanon 5-0 which will alleviate the negative atmosphere.

“I opted to substitute Ashkan Dejagah and Reza Ghoochannejhad for two less experienced players as we had already achieved the result and I wanted to give the opportunity to some of the young players.”

Iran had to wait until midway through the first half to open the scoring as Mojtaba Jabari fed Ghoochannejhad for the Belgium-based striker to fire past Lebanon goalkeeper Abbas Hassan for his first international goal.

Anderanik Teymourian and Fulham midfielder Ashkan Dejagah both went close for Iran as the half progressed, with Hassan Maatouk creating Lebanon’s first real opportunity after 31 minutes.

But in first half stoppage time Iran finally doubled their lead as Nekonam (pictured) converted from the penalty spot.

And Iran’s third arrived just after the hour mark as Nekonam again netted from 12 yards after Nour Mansour had been sent-off after picking up a second yellow card for a foul on the lively Dejagah inside the penalty area.

Ghoochannejhad’s second international goal extended the lead soon after as the striker converted from close range before Nekonam’s deflected strike with 10 minutes remaining sealed the win and his hat-trick.

“We didn’t travel here to win, a single point from the tie would have been enough, but the way the game played out caught me off guard,” said Lebanon coach Theo Bucker.

“We lost concentration after both penalties and we were unable to get it back.”

[/spoiler]

[spoiler title=”A disappointing draw for Team Melli” style=”fancy” icon=”chevron-circle”]

Kuwait City: Kuwait and Iran edged ahead of Lebanon in Group B of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Kuwait SC Stadium on Tuesday. Despite being on the back foot for much of the first half, the visitors took the lead just before half-time when Masoud Shojaei capitalised on some sloppy defending to put his side ahead. But Kuwait stepped up the pressure in the second half and they rewarded when Fahad Awad kept his cool to convert from the penalty spot with 14 minutes left. The result meant that both sides moved up to four points, one ahead of Lebanon, who downed Thailand 5-2 in their Group B match in Beirut last Friday. Iran lead the section on goal difference after they trounced Lebanon 5-0 in their opener while Kuwait only managed a 3-1 away win in Thailand.

Playing their first home game of the qualifiers, Kuwait began the match well and they had a number of chances to break the deadlock in the first half as Hamad Al Enezi and Bader Al Motawaa missed good opportunities. Having failed to make the most of their chances, the hosts were stunned when Iran took the lead right at the end of the first half. Ashkan Dejagah made a strong run down the right flank but his cut-back from the byline appeared to be too close to goalkeeper Nawaf Al Khaldi, who sprawled on the floor to gather the ball. However, it slipped loose from his grasp and defender Hussain Fadhel’s weak clearance only went as far as Mojtaba Jabari, who crashed his shot against the angle of post and crossbar. The ball rebounded to Shojaei who volleyed it back towards the Kuwait goal where Al Khaldi made a valiant effort to stop the effort but could not prevent it from crossing the goalline. Iran tried to defend their lead after the interval and they frustrated the Kuwaitis until the home side were awarded a penalty in the 76th minute for a foul on Abdulhadi Khamee by captain Javad Nekounam.

Fahad Awad made no mistake from the spot, sending Iran goalkeeper Rahman Ahmadi the wrong way to ensure that honours were shared between the two sides although Kuwait coach Goran Tufegdzic felt that his team should have won after playing the better football throughout the match. “We were the better side in the first half but our forwards did not have their best day and they missed several chances. But at the same time we didn’t deserve to concede a goal because we were the better side,” said the Serbian. “We made some changes in the second half and we increased our attacking options in order to get back into the game. We managed to score the equaliser but we needed more concentration and luck to get the three points.” Iran coach Carlos Queiroz, meanwhile, opted for a cautious gameplan that nearly paid dividends.

We started the game with a cautious approach as we wanted to stop the enthusiasm of our opponents who had the advantage of playing at home and in front of their fans,” said the Portuguese. “We managed to take the lead at the end of the first half and we continued with our good performance in the second half although a defensive mistake gave Kuwait the chance to equalise with a penalty. “We are still at the start of the qualifiers and the chance is open for all the teams in the group.”

[/spoiler]

[spoiler title=”Team Melli’s struggle against Thailand” style=”fancy” icon=”chevron-circle”]

 

Iran vs. Thailand
Iran vs. Thailand

Tehran: Jalal Hosseini and Reza Ghoochannejhad struck in a devastating three-minute spell midway through the second half as Iran beat Thailand 2-1 on Tuesday to move two points clear at the top of Group B in the AFC Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers. Despite dominating the match at the Azadi Stadium, the home side were frustrated by the Thais until centre-back Hosseini broke the deadlock in the 67th minute and Ghoochannejhad tapped in a second shortly afterwards, Teerasil Dangda pulled a goal back for the visitors with 10 minutes left but despite missing a few chances to put the game to bed, the Iranians still picked up the win to move up to seven points from three games, two in front of second-placed Kuwait, who drew 1-1 at Lebanon earlier in the day.

 

Despite the win, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz lamented the disjointed performance of his team, who had not played an international match since a 1-0 win over Korea Republic in a World Cup qualifier in June. “I think after four months without preparations and friendlies, it was natural to see our team put out a dull performance in the first period when there was an obvious lack of organisation. However, our players gradually got better and they improved all the way through the match to the end,” said the Portuguese. “For sure, it was not a good game for us and also the result did not exactly show the effort we put into the game as we missed a couple of very good chances and Thailand’s goal was an accident. “But tonight’s match should be regarded as a wake-up call for Iranian football as there is no football team in the world who can survive after staying four complete months in the absolute wilderness.”

After a disappointing first half, the Iranians picked up their game after the interval but they were continually frustrated by the Thai defence and goalkeeper Sinthaweechai Hathairattankool and the Thai defence until they finally made the crucial breakthrough midway through the half. An Iranian corner was half-cleared and as the Thais attempted to push up, the ball was played back towards the edge of the box where Hosseini neatly sidestepped a challenge before chipping the ball to the right of the sprawling Sinthaweechai. Buoyed by the goal, the hosts added a second just three minutes later after some fine work on the left flank by substitute Karim Ansarifard who surged past a defender before sending a low cross to the far post where Ghoochannejhad easily tapped home.

 

The Thais made things interesting in the closing minutes when Narong Jansawek gained possession on the edge of the Iranian box with 10 minutes left and laid it off for Teerasil, who rifled it into the top left corner past a static Rahman Ahmadi. But the Iranians should have sealed victory in the 85th minute through Mohammad Reza Khalatbari, whose fierce effort from 10 metres was brilliantly turned over the crossbar by Sinthaweechai. While the Iranians are flying high in the group, the Thais remained rooted to the bottom with no points from three games. “We came to Tehran to get at least one point to give us something to build on for our return match in Bangkok but things didn’t proceed as we expected,” said Thailand coach Surachai Jaturapattarapong. “Now, we have to use all our chances in the best way possible at home to try to get a point. But Iran are an Asian powerhouse who have already qualified for the World Cup and so the return match will also be difficult for us.” ”

[/spoiler]

[spoiler title=”Thailand is no match for Team Melli” style=”fancy” icon=”chevron-circle”]

Asian Cup 2015 (Qs) MD4: Thailand 0-3 Iran

Published on Friday, 15 November 2013 22:50

Bangkok: Three-time AFC Asian Cup winners Iran took a big step towards qualification for the 2015 finals in Australia with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Thailand on Friday.

The Asian powerhouses, who have already booked their passage to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, outclassed the home side at a steamy Rajamangala Stadium with goals from Ashkan Dejagah, Reza Ghoochannejhad and Alireza Jahanbakhsh

And the victory took unbeaten Iran to 10 points two games remaining in Group B, with Thailand still without a point and facing almost certain elimination.

“We go to Lebanon next week with 10 points which was our goal. I think it will be enough to qualify for the Asian Cup finals,” said Iran coach Carlos Queiroz.

“It was a good game for us tonight, especially in the first half. We were 2-0 up and had control of the game after 45 minutes.

“We slowed down a bit in the second half and played with less energy and speed. My players know there is a long trip to Lebanon.

“We came here with the right attitude, very professional. I am very happy with the attitude of my players.”

Thailand had a huge let off after just seven minutes with Iran defender Pejman Montazeri – up for a free-kick – scooping the ball into the grateful arms of Thai goalkeeper Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool from just six yards.

Iran looked by far the more potent force and Sinthaweechai did well to parry a good effort from midfielder Mojtaba Jabari in the 27th minute.

But the opener was delayed by just a minute with Fulham’s Dejagah, who had been a constant menace down the right wing, finding the target with a well-struck shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Iran continued to press and added a second in the 43rd minute with striker Ghoochannejhad taking advantage of poor defending by Thailand to lift the ball past Sinthaweechai.

Thailand battled for every ball but had no answer to the guile and pace of Iran and failed to create a single clear-cut chance in the first half.

Iran lacked the same intensity in the second half allowing the Thais to be more adventurous and substitute Datsakorn Thonglao – surprisingly left out of the starting line-up – forced goalkeeper Mohammad Davari into his first real save in the 73rd minute.

But after Thailand substitute Phawadon Suwanchart was sent-off in injury time, Iran rubbed salt into the host’s wounds with Jahanbakhsh scoring his side’s third goal.

“My players were not so fresh tonight and faced a lot of stress. Physically and tactically they were way ahead of us. We must develop and improve our tactics and technique,” said Thailand coach Surachai Jaturapattarapong.

“The next generation of players must develop these skills otherwise we will not get better.

“We will play for pride in the final two games and we will be looking to win them both.”

[/spoiler]

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[tab title=”Gallery “] Pictures, video, images

 

Iran vs. Bahrain Melbourne 11th Jan 2015

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