OLYMPICS 2008

TEHRAN, Team Omid had enough chances to win three matches, but due to extremely poor finishing and horrible defending finally lost their last, due to Australia's victory in Jordan meaningless, Olympic qualifier by 2-3 to Saudi Arabia. Vinko Begovic's team got eliminated from the first round of qualification for the 2008 Olympic games with just five points from six matches.

Iran were the slightly better team, however, without posing any real threat to Saudi Arabia's goal, but the visitors, who had sent a depleted team to Tehran after already having secured their spot in the next and final round, went ahead against the run of play in minute 26. Milad Meydavoudi's amateurish turnover in midfield gave the Saudis the chance to catch the Iranian defense off-guard with a long ball and Noub, slightly disturbed by Nazifkar, kept his cool and beat Sousha Makani in Iran's goal to mark the lead.

Meydavoudi almost made up for his mistake two minutes later, but his good left-footed shot went over the bar. Youngster Vahid Amraei, today playing behind the lone striker Shahram Goudarzi, should have equalized a minute later, but curled his shot from promising position wide. Six minutes later Nazifkar failed to get his header from close range after an Adel Kolahkaj-freekick on target.



Amraei missed a golden opportunity 36 minutes into the match, when he got in possession after a great long pass from Kolahkaj and a short run and excellent pass from the overall disappointing Goudarzi, but his shot went over the crossbar. Midfielder Mostafa Chatrabgoon's shot after a good serving from the lively rightback Ali Hamoudi suffered the same destiny two minutes afterwards.

Iran and Amraei were very unlucky one minute before the halftime whistle, when the 18-year-old striker's shot after a great combination hit the goalpost.
Saudi Arabia created their just second chance of the game in first half's injury time, but Saeid's shot went narrowly past the post.
Second half started with the miss of the season, when Goudarzi somehow managed to head a great Hamoudi-cross past the open goal from very close range (47').

Amraei didn't do much better three minutes later, when he was inscened by Goudarzi's square ball but hit the ball straight at the goalkeeper.
Iran's U23 was reduced to ten men in minute 64, when the already booked Chatrabgoon was sanctioned for an obvious dive, but also Saudi Arabia rightfully lost a player due to a suspenision six minutes later.

While Amraei missed another good chance after 65 minutes, Ahmed doubled Saudi Arabia's lead in the 72nd minute when he won his duel inside the area against leftback Ebrahim Mohammadi and scored with an all but powerful shot.
But Iran this time had the perfect response. Adel Kolahkaj directly hammered a freekick into the goalkeeper's corner just two minutes after Ahmed's goal and Goudarzi scored the equalizer with a nice shot after a good dribbling just moments later.

However, Saudi Arabia got stronger and Ahmed twice had the chance to restore the lead, but was denied by an excellent Makani-safe (78') and didn't get his shot on target (82') after a counter attack. In minute 83, Makani denied another good shot, but was caught totally off-guard by skipper Al Ghannan's shot into the near corner from outside the box after the following corner.

Kolahkaj missed Iran's final chance of the game with a shot going inches wide, while the guests could have even increased the lead through Saeid, but the midfielder's powerful shot came off the woodwork (90').

Team Omid's final match once more showed the shortcomings which have lead to Iran's early elimination. The number of individual errors by the young players was simply far too high and the team lacked tactical discipline as well as goalgetters upfront who could finish the created chances more efficiently.

Iran U23 - Saudi Arabia U23 2-3 (0-1)

Olympic Qualifier, Round 1, Tehran

Goals:
0-1 Noub (26')
0-2 Ahmed (72')
1-2 Kolahkaj (74')
2-2 Goudarzi (75')
2-3 Al Ghannan (83')

Iran's lineup: Makani - Hamoudi, Hamidi, Nazifkar, Mohammadi (76' Rassouli) - Kolahkaj, Chatrabgoon - Taheri (32' Papi), Amraei, Meydavoudi (60' Hajisafi) - Goudarzi

Suspensions: Chatrabgoon (64' / Second booking / Dive) - Abdulaziz (70' / Second Booking / Foul)