Tag: Argentina

Iran leads AFC ranking .

Iran continued leading Asia in the FIFA Ranking table published today by the World football governing body in Zurich.

With a total of 716 points, Iran climbed to no 38 in the world , which is its highest ranking in 2015. This was a 3 step climb from last month at 41. Japan  remains second with 621 points and 50th in the world. Korea Rep and Australia maintain their chase to catch up.

Iran’s last match was a disappointing 1-1 draw away to Turkmenistan in the FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers.

Argentina, which beat Iran in the last World Cup , climb at the top of the World Ranking ahead of Germany, while recently crowned Copa America Champions Chile climbed 8 places up to no 11. On March 26th, Team Melli beat Chile 2-0 with Javad Nkounam and Vahid Amiri goals in in NV Arena, St Pölten – Austria as part of the two teams’ preparations for their upcoming official matches.

 

 

Team Melli vs UAE AFC Asian Cup 2015

 

 

AFC

Rank

FIFA

Rank

TEAM Total Points Previous Points Positions Avg. 2015

AVG WGT

2015 Avg.
 1 38 IRN

Iran

716(716.27) 717 3 437.18 437.18
 2 50 JPN

Japan

621(620.98) 623 2 341.48 341.48
 3 52 KOR

Korea Republic

608(607.70) 587 6 371.92 371.92
 4 59 AUS

Australia

559(559.29) 532 4 364.41 364.41
 5 69 UAE

United Arab Emirates

487(487.14) 496 4 245.05 245.05
 6 75 UZB

Uzbekistan

453(452.76) 479 -1 181.07 181.07
 7 77 CHN

China PR

436(436.43) 409 2 271.46 271.46
 8 86 IRQ

Iraq

382(381.99) 381 0 205.01 205.01
 9 92 JOR

Jordan

355(354.72) 316 11 102.61 102.61
 10 92 KSA

Saudi Arabia

355(354.52) 329 6 160.94 160.94

 

 

 

Iran RANKING DATA for 2015

Rank Year Month MP W L D
38 2015 July 2 1 0 1
41 2015 June 0 0 0 0
40 2015 May 0 0 0 0
40 2015 April 2 1 1 0
42 2015 March 0 0 0 0
41 2015 February 4 3 0 1
51 2015 January 0 0 0 0

 

OPPONENTS ranking in the FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers

 

 

AFC Rank World Rank TEAM total Points Previous Points +/-
 12 102 Oman 329 319 -1
25 152 Turkmenistan 167 99 21
 27 154 Guam 163 119 20
 28 156 India 161 161 -15

 

São Paulo considering Carlos Queiroz.

The Brazilian club São Paulo has declared their intention of seeking the services of Team Melli head coach.

The widely popular el globo newspaper of Brazil through their website, el Globo esporte, reported the following:

The Brazilian club São Paulo management interviewed the Portuguese Jose Peseiro on Monday for the vacant job of head coach of the team. The interview was conducted by President Carlos Miguel Aidar and the football vice Ataide Gil Guerreiro.  The interview follows earlier one with Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio, conducted in Medellin on Wednesday of last week. Aidar was impressed, but there are more candidates in his “interview list.”

 Just this week, the President intends to talk to representatives of coach Carlos Queiroz , Peseiro’s compatriot and current head coach of the Iranian team. In April, he resigned his post, but his resignation was not accepted by the Iranian federation.

 Interestingly, Peseiro served as Carlos Queiroz assistant at Real Madrid between 2003 and 2004. The two are close friends.

The relation between São Paulo and Carlos Queiroz was cemented before and during the FIFA World Cup 2014. Queiroz selected the popular Brazilian club for the camp site and was well received by the Brazilians who provided all the assistance for Team Melli.

The good relation between the two sides and the subsequent result of Team Melli against Argentina has increased the popularity of Queiroz in São Paulo club to the extent of considering him for the job of head coach. Queiroz has never coached in Latin America but has expressed his desire several times before the World Cup, while he was publically declaring that he will leave Iran’s job that he wants to coach in Brazil.

São Paulo FC is the most successful club in Brazilian Football with 18 titles overall.  It is the only Brazilian side that has won the FIFA Club World Cup, titles three times. The Job fits Queiroz wishes perfectly.

Now that the São Paulo offer is in the open, it is unclear what effect it has on the stability of Team Melli and Queiroz himself.

It is no secret that Queiroz is staying in Iran under duress bound by a legal contract. He wants to leave but not with an empty pocket if he unilaterally cancels the contract. Kaffashian has stated earlier that Queiroz has other offers as one of the reasons behind the Portuguese coach intent to quit his job.

Iran maintains Top FIFA ranking in Asia.

Iran climbed two places up in the latest FIFA ranking issued today.

After the European tour where Team Melli defeated Chile and then lost to Sweden , Iran’s ranking in the table improved to maintain the top position in Asian followed by Japan and South Korea. Australia , The AFC Asian Cup holder was ranked 4th.

At world level , World Cup holder Germany continues at the top followed by Argentina , Belgium , Colombia and Brazil.

 

AFC Teams Ranking

Rank Total Points Previous Points +/-   Avg. AVG WGT Avg. AVG WGT Avg. AVG WGT Avg.  AVG WGT
40 IRNIran 689(689.43) 692 2 336.87 336.87 439.32 219.66 250.48 75.14 288.80 57.76
50 JPNJapan 614(613.94) 617 3 335.96 335.96 213.61 106.81 392.56 117.77 267.01 53.40
57 KORKorea Republic 575(575.44) 594 -1 312.46 312.46 217.75 108.87 267.84 80.35 368.81 73.76
63 AUSAustralia 531(531.08) 549 2 272.17 272.17 240.62 120.31 192.79 57.84 403.82 80.76
68 UAEUnited Arab Emirates 501(500.59) 523 1 242.20 242.20 291.77 145.88 277.90 83.37 145.70 29.14
73 UZBUzbekistan 476(476.22) 483 -1 181.07 181.07 303.39 151.69 277.53 83.26 301.00 60.20
82 CHNChina PR 408(408.01) 423 1 245.50 245.50 132.40 66.20 131.43 39.43 284.41 56.88
86 IRQIraq 385(384.76) 353 11 218.68 218.68 119.25 59.63 150.88 45.26 305.95 61.19
95 KSASaudi Arabia 349(349.39) 339 4 118.20 118.20 297.06 148.53 149.41 44.82 189.20 37.84
97 OMAOman 341(341.11) 356 -1 124.70 124.70 242.23 121.11 173.89 52.17 215.63 43.13
99 QATQatar 337(336.65) 300 10 171.62 171.62 160.54 80.27 153.89 46.17 192.94 38.59
103 JORJordan 316(316.20) 326 -2 61.72 61.72 272.08 136.04 241.77 72.53 229.57 45.91
108 BHRBahrain 299(298.85) 319 -4 147.44 147.44 151.92 75.96 120.79 36.24 196.05 39.21
125 VIEVietnam 229(228.83) 220 5 96.12 96.12 119.71 59.86 61.37 18.41 272.19 54.44
126 SYRSyria 225(224.74) 141 26 131.58 131.58 85.69 42.85 86.70 26.01 121.51 24.30

Iran’s Asian Cup chances weakened by poor preparation, says coach Queiroz

Senior sports reporter with The Age

Iran has been touted as one of the favourites to go all the way and take out the Asian Cup, but if you listen to coach Carlos Queiroz their chances have been vastly over-rated.

The former Manchester United assistant manager and Real Madrid and Portugal coach has been in charge of Team Melli since 2011 and led them to the World Cup in Brazil, where they acquitted themselves honourably against Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia.

But on his arrival in Melbourne on Wednesday ahead of Iran’s opening Asian Cup game against Bahrain on Sunday, Queiroz was quick to play down his side’s hopes, saying their preparation had been compromised by a lack of money and had been far from ideal.

Managing expectations: Carlos Queiroz unhappy with Iran's build up to the Asian CupManaging expectations: Carlos Queiroz unhappy with Iran’s build up to the Asian Cup Photo: AFP

When asked if Iran was now a better team with the experience of the World Cup behind it, Queiroz simply said “no” before pausing.

He added: “Its worse now. Because we did not have the preparation we should have. “When you gamble too much with a bad preparation your chances are not so high as before.”

Queiroz’s frustration has been fuelled by Iran’s lack of activity since their three World Cup matches – a scoreless draw with Nigeria, a 1-0 loss to Argentina (when Lionel Messi’s late winner proved the difference) and a 3-1 defeat to Bosnia.

Since then Team Melli have played only twice, a 1-0 friendly win over South Korea in Tehran in November and a victory over Iraq by the same scoreline in a friendly in Wollongong last Sunday.

“The only thing which is disturbing for our team is the preparation. My team is not prepared as it should be according to the demands and dreams of the Iranian FA because we struggle with some problems, financial problems, to support the team,” Queiroz said.

“Our expectation was to come here with more camps and more games. You can’t have too much expectations when we only play two games from July until now. Its not enough. But I can count on the spirit of the players and the strong mentality to try to make the right balance.”

Queiroz has probably the strongest CV of all the coaches at this tournament, having spent five years (in two separate stints) as Sir Alex Ferguson’s number two at Old Trafford sandwiched by a spell in charge of the Galacticos of Madrid.

In addition he managed perhaps the sport’s biggest star, Cristiano Ronaldo, in the Portuguese national team during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

South-Africa-friendly-ornado-pirates-2

His pessimism over Iran’s prospects are at odds with those pundits who have rated their form on their World Cup exploits.

Queiroz agrees that if they were at the same level as their Brazilian preparation that might be the case.

“A competition like the Asian Cup is always a very difficult and complex situation for all the teams, especially the ones that come from far away. We are mentally prepared to fight for a win in every single game but our explanation and approach is just to think about the next game.

“We know that without the first game, the second game there is no future. For us it’s a very simple approach: be focussed and concentrate on Bahrain, and that’s it, after we start to think about the next game.

“We have been struggling a little bit with the jet lag [and] the environment is very warm and humid for us.”

Looking back at the World Cup, he believes the Iranians were satisfied by the performances against strong opponents.

iran-korea nov14

“I think the priority, the main goal of our participation, was to bring joy and honour to the country for sure. Iran was not one of the teams that were expected to win the World Cup … we didn’t embarrass ourselves against the best teams in the world.

“The game against Argentina, the second game, when you have Messi on the other side and a referee that didn’t have the courage to do his duties, it was more difficult for us. It was clear and embarrassing for the referee not to give a penalty to Iran. If in that game we had got a draw, I think we at least had deserved it.”

Susic and Queiroz leave posts

fifa.com

Susic and Queiroz leave posts
© Getty Images

Bosnia and Herzegovina are set to begin a new era under a new coach after their FIFA World Cup™ campaign ended on Wednesday, while Iran will also begin their search for Carlos Queiroz’s replacement after not renewing his contract.

Coach of the Balkan team, Safet Susic, has announced he will step down now that the group stage has concluded. Bosnia and Herzegovina, without a chance of progressing before Wednesday’s game against Iran, won 3-1 at Salvador’s Arena Fonte Nova.

“This was my last game at the World Cup,” Susic said to Brazilian newspaper Lancenet. “Unfortunately there will not be another one. Sometimes it is a nice feeling to be free of obligations. I can decide my own fate and this is my answer.”

Susic, who played for Yugoslavia in the 1982 and 1990 World Cups, came under fire for his defensive-minded tactics in losses to Argentina and Nigeria in Group F.

Sometimes it is a nice feeling to be free of obligations. I can decide my own fate and this is my answer.

Safet Susic, outgoing Bosnia and Herzegovina coach

“The win against Iran is scant consolation,” the 59-year-old said. “But I congratulate my players for a display of commitment and passion against a team needing a win to keep alive their hopes of progressing.

Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko scored the Bosnians’ first goal against Iran, and said: “We could have done a better job in the World Cup.”

Despite being Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first appearance at a World Cup finals, much was expected of Susic’s side. The team scored 30 goals and conceded just six to finish top ahead of Greece in their qualifying campaign.

“I feel sorry for those we have disappointed,” Susic said. “We should have done better by the quality of our players but now is the time for this team to look forward to [UEFA] Euro 2016 qualifiers. We lacked experience and cool heads at crucial moments in the opening two games but I cannot complain about effort. That’s just football.”

It will not be much consolation but Susic and his team won the admiration of outgoing Iran coach Queiroz: “Congratulations to Bosnia,” he said. “With all due respect to Nigeria and Argentina, the best team in the group (Bosnia) didn’t qualify. They have great players and they played at another level to us. My players went to their physical and mental limits against Bosnia, but it wasn’t possible to get the result.”

Iran had held Nigeria to a goalless draw in their opening before falling 1-0 to Argentina. They still had a chance to progress to the Round of 16 heading into Wednesday’s match but they came up well short in their final game.

Queiroz, meanwhile, will seek a fresh challenge after coaching Iran for three years. “I’ve shown my commitment to this project, but I haven’t received any new contract offer,” the former Manchester United assistant coach said. “It’s been an honour for me to work for Iran, I’ve fallen in love with the country.

“But you can’t have a marriage when only one side wants to commit. I waited for them to make an offer, but I haven’t received anything, so I’ve come here to say ‘thank you’ to those who gave me the opportunity to do this job. I will always have Iranian football, my players and the fans in my heart.”

Iran slump out of World Cup with disappointing defeat to Bosnia

Argentina played their part and won in Porte Alegre, yet Iran could not rouse themselves to take advantage and progress at Nigeria’s expense. Iran needed a win by a couple of goals to finish second, but goals are evidently not their speciality.

For more than 80 minutes it looked like they would fail to trouble the scorer for a third match in succession, and in the end said a meek goodbye to the tournament, allowing Bosnia to record a convincing first win at their first World Cup finals even if their overall experience was soured by a poor refereeing decision.

It was Edin Dzeko’s wrongly disallowed goal against Nigeria that Bosnia feel changed the course of their World Cup, and though the consolation was entirely hollow once his side had been eliminated after two games, at least the Manchester City striker registered a goal that did count.

After seeing a shot on the turn clear the bar and a header saved by the goalkeeper in the opening minutes, Dzeko came back down the pitch in search of the ball and was successful with a longer range attempt midway through the first half. Picking up the ball from 40 yards out from Miralem Pjanic, the Roma midfielder who initiates most of Bosnia’s attacks, Dzeko carried the ball forward then cut inside to make room for a left foot shot that found Alizera Haghighi’s bottom left corner with some precision. Perhaps the goalkeeper should not have been beaten from outside the area by a low shot that was less than thunderously struck, yet Dzeko aimed for exactly the right area.

201406251312475798689

Having barely crossed the halfway line by that point, Iran almost managed to equalise within a minute when the lively Masoud Shojaei crashed a shot against Asmir Begovic’s bar. Reza Ghoochannejhad was unable to accept the rebound but was in an offside position anyway. Interestingly the goalline technology replay was triggered, even though the ball had clearly rebounded back into play. A no-goal verdict was duly returned, though the suggestion that the ball had gone anywhere near the line was misleading.

While there is no doubt Iran can defend well – they proved that against Argentina – it is their attacking efforts that are often stodgy. They could theoretically have reached the round of 16 for the first time here, depending on Nigeria losing their final group game, though even when a goal behind they never drove forward with the sort of intensity that might have been expected.

They have scored only one goal in this tournament and it is not difficult to see why – they are much too conservative. It would have been amusing to have been a fly on the wall in the Iran dressing room at half-time when Carlos Queiroz, of all people, was presumably telling his players it was time to throw caution to the wind.

Iran did get forward a little more in the second half without looking entirely convincing. Ashkan Dejagah spent far too much of his time being pulled up for offside, as if unfamiliar with operating in such an advanced role. The television reaction shots of Iran supporters in the crowd showed disbelief and dejection when Pjanic’s well-taken second goal put the matter beyond doubt, but Queiroz and his players were hardly in a winning position before that.

At no time in this World Cup have Iran been in a winning position, and when Pjanic just about stayed onside to accept Tino Susic’s pass and elegantly slip the ball beyond the goalkeeper after an hour, they paid the price for lack of adventure.

Even when Ghoochannejhad finally opened their World Cup account with eight minutes of the competition remaining – Bosnia were waiting for an offside flag that never came – Avdija Vrsajevic hit back within a minute to restore a two-goal winning margin. Fair enough, Iran had a hard luck story after their Argentina defeat, yet even that does not match the one Bosnia can tell.

Uninspiring Team Melli bids farewell to the World Cup 2014

Team Melli lost its very slim chance of qualifying to the second round of the World cup when it was defeated by Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 at Arena Fonte Nova Salvador.
Bosnia goals were scored by E. Dzeko 23′ M. Pjanic 59′ and A. Vrsajevic 83′ while Iran scored through Reza Ghoochanejad 82′ assisted by Javad Nekounam.

The only consolation in this match which  Bosnia-Herzegovina controlled without much effort from the word go , as if it is the team that requires 3 points to qualify , is that Iran finally scored a goal to save some blushes and by no one more deserving than the hardworking Reza Ghoochannejad.

Miralem Pjanić congratulated on scoring Bosnia second goal

In the first sign of lack of ambition by Carlos Queiroz in a match that Iran desperately needed to win and score goals to qualify for the next round, Queiroz elected to stick to the same line up that played the last match against Argentina. Shojaei , probably the worst of Iran performers , once again was selected to start over Heydari and Jahanbakhsh.

With the match progressing , it was evident the Iran lacks the fire power, ambition and skills to challenge the Bosnians. The defense that operated so marvelously in the last two matches , crumbled against Bosnia with simple mistakes and lack of pace by the defenders. Traces of fatigue was clear on the defenders.

up front in the offensive line where Team Melli really needed to deliver, the lack of organization lead the two front players Dejagah and Ghoochannejad to fall in offside trap in numerous cases. Whatever crosses from the flanks by the backs of Team Melli were easily handled by the towering Amir Begovic in goal for Bosnia.  Begovic who is one of the better goalkeepers in the English Premiere League is a master at catching them. The crosses which continued in the second half when Heydari replaced Shojaei,  aimed at the two forwards, mostly ended up with Begovic and with ease. Such futile game plan is indicative of the failure of the coaching team of Iran to properly analyze the opposition.

Overall , it was a disappointing performance and result for Iran , however , not entirely unexpected either. The biggest surprise was the lack of ambition by the team as a unit. There were far too many factors against Team Melli in this match to win it and qualify ahead of Nigeria. The undue pressure on the players, fatigue , lack of stamina , lack of quality players , organized and high quality of Bosnia players and a definite lack of ambition by the coach were far too much odds for Iran to register a win.

Initial reports from several TV panels mostly indicate that Iran’s defeat was a result but the disappointing part was the ;lack of fighting spirit and the defensive organization that Team Melli made a name of itself.

 

World Cup 2014 Group’F’: How can the teams qualify?

Ahead of the final round of fixtures in Group F, we look at the various permutations.

Argentina – Qualified

Lionel Messi’s late goal over Iran last week booked a place for the Argentinians in the last 16.  A draw over second place Nigeria will see them top Group F.

Nigeria – Must draw with Argentina

A draw between Nigeria and Argentina will work well for both teams as the South Americans will win the group with the Africans guaranteeing their place in the knock-out stages. A win for Nigeria over Argentina will see them top Group F, sending Argentina into second place.

Iran – Need to beat Bosnia-Hercegovina and require Argentine win over Algeria, with a superior goal difference

After losing to Argentina in the cruellest fashion last week, the Iranians now rely on them to triumph over Algeria whilst making sure they beat Bosnia-Herzegovina in the process. Even then, Iran will need a superior goal difference to advance.

 Bosnia-Herzegovina – Out

With two losses from two games, Bosnia-Herzegovina are guaranteed to be spectators following the conclusion of the group matches.

Dejagah: Iran will be going for goals

Dejagah: Iran will be going for goals
© Getty Images

There are two sides to any successful team and, for 181 minutes at Brazil 2014, Iran have been near-flawless in one. Certainly, few defences at this FIFA World Cup™ have been as disciplined or well-drilled as Carlos Queiroz’s, and it took a goal out of nothing – a moment of pure Lionel Messi inspiration – for all their diligence to be undone.

That flash of Messi magic denied the Iranians a second successive clean sheet, and according to Ashkan Dejagah, there is an inevitability to their campaign having been built on such foundations. As he told FIFA.com: ” We don’t have players like Messi, [Sergio] Aguero and [Angel] Di Maria, so we need to focus on making ourselves as well-organised as possible The shape of the team, making sure we’re tough to get through defensively, is something that has been very important for the coach in the build-up to this tournament.

“He’s spent a lot of time on the training field making sure that we have that we’re compact and ready to take on the best teams in the world. Neither Nigeria nor Argentina had many chances against us and, realistically, that’s the only way we can go about things. If we played a really open game against players like Messi, they would have killed us.”

He’s spent a lot of time on the training field making sure that we have that we’re compact and ready to take on the best teams in the world.

Iran’s Ashkan Dejagah on coach Carlos Queiroz

Opening up and going on the offensive has, though – thanks to Argentina’s No. 10 – gone from being a dangerous option to being Iran’s only option. Anything but victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina will, after all, dash any lingering hopes of reaching the last 16, which makes finding a way to goal the key challenge.

“The fact we’ve not scored yet is something we need to put right,” acknowledged Dejagah. “I think we were really unlucky against Argentina though. We had a lot of chances and it was one of those games where everyone in the team did their job and played well. It’s hard when you lose a game like that, although you have to stand back and give credit to Messi. It’s times like those, when games are really tight, that the great players show how important they are. But we can still take positives and be proud of our performance.

“I actually thought I’d scored in the game against Argentina – that header I had, I thought it was in for sure. But again, you have to applaud their keeper for a really fantastic save. I think a goal will come for us though. We definitely have players who can score and I think we were more dangerous in our second game compared to our first.

“Hopefully this third match will bring another step up. We’ll definitely be going for goals and we still have a chance to go through, I’m sure of that. What we need to do is take the good things we’ve done so far, improve a little bit in other areas and give everything to beat Bosnia. If we do that – and I think it’s a game we can win – we can still qualify.”

Having come up against most of his upcoming opponents either in the Bundesliga or the English Premier League, Dejagah knows better than most that the debutants boast plenty of individual talent. However, the 27-year-old Fulham midfielder – who represented Germany at youth level before declaring for Iran – is relishing his first experience of the World Cup, and has no desire to join the Bosnians in heading for home.

He said: “Being at this World Cup has the highlight of my career, for sure. Every footballer wants to play at this tournament and, here in Brazil, with the atmosphere, it’s even more special. I’m really enjoying it. And, believe me, I really want to make sure we stay here for as long as possible.

Dream of a young Boy fulfilled.

 

Nearly twelve years ago , a 14 years old boy by the name of Alireza Haghighi had a dream. His dream was to become like his hero Ahmadreza Abedzadeh , Team Melli’s goalkeeper and one of the heroes of the 1998 Iran World Cup team that clinched the only victory of Iran in the World Cup so far.

 The aspiring tall boy, with lots of dreams and not short of confidence either was part of the Iran boys team when he was interviewed by Jam ‘e Jam magazine. In one emphatic sentence Haghighi made his ambition quite clear, he said that he is planning to become like his hero Ahmad Abedzadeh and play for Team Melli in the World Cup. How prophetic this young by was.

Haghighi was not all talk either but quite a skillful goalkeeper with remarkable reflexes and towering presence over the players of his age. The Persepolis young keeper went on to represent the National Team at all ages levels. He went on from boys to youth to Olympic teams and finally the Full Team where he has made 8 appearances so far.

Haghi--young

In December 2011, the Russian Club Rubin Kazan sent a transfer request to Persepolis for Haghighi. By 2012 Haghighi has signed a 4 years contract with the Russian Premier League club.  For the whole season, however,  Haghighi was not able to dislodge Kazan main keeper and eventually he was loaned back to Persepolis on July 2013 for a 5 moth contract. He marked his return by playing in Hazfi cup but that was about it. This was not a completely good move for the aspiring keeper who wanted to be the No. 1 goalkeeper for Persepolis but Daei preferred the Brazilian Nelson over Haghighi much to the annoyance of the Iranian. Relations between Daei and Persepolis on one side and Haghighi on the other   deteriorated with the news taking the rounds that Daei has sacked Haghighi his reserve keeper and asked him not to attend training for being a disturbing  element and unsettling influence on the rest of the team.

Haghighi returned back to his club Rubin Kazan. In an attempt to rescue his season , Rubin Kazan arranged another load deal with a struggling second division Portuguese club called Sporting Covilhã who were fighting for survival and drop to the obscurity of Portugal’s third division.

haghighi portugal

Haghighi had no choice but to agree to the deal in order to maintain his form and play regular competitive football. Of course it was a far cry from the chance of playing a role in a famous Russian club that has even defeated Barcelona in a Champions league match once  or play with Persepolis against Esteghlal in front of 100,000 fans in Azadi. The obscurity of second division Sporting Covilhã  has threatened to send Haghighi into Oblivion until Queiroz came calling!

 

Haghighi (26 years old) was named in the origin 30 players list that was sent to 2014 FIFA World Cup. Raised eyebrows were aplenty to this peculiar selection by Queiroz. In reality, Haghighi did not even play one single league match since January 2012 in Iran or Russia, to justify his selection. His only competitive in Iran while on loan was two Cup matches against unknown non-league teams.

 

While Queiroz was bemoaning the fact that none of Team Melli players have European Champions League experience, it was a bizarre act for him to select a player who had no league action at all in two seasons, expect for the 12 matches he played in Portugal lower division.

 

The icing on the cake was Alireza Haghighi’s inclusion in the final 23 players list to Brazil.

 Iran's goalkeeper Haghighi fails to save a goal by Argentina's Messi during their 2014 World Cup Group F match at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte

In the first match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup , the selection of Haghighi against Nigeria, made many fans nervous, but that young boy’s dream has already been fulfilled and there was no turning back. Haghighi Kept a clean sheet. His performance was solid enough for Queiroz to pick him up again this time in a much more demanding task of defending his goal against the likes of Higuain , Aguero , Di Maria and the great Lionel Messi of Argentina.

In truth, Haghighi played magnificently well against one of the title contenders , made a great save against Higuain early on and was minutes away from keeping a memorable clean sheet except for that great Messi. Fate was not on his Iran’s side as the Barcelona hero Messi scored in the injury time and he made the difference. Haghighi could not be blamed for that goal either.

 

The story of the young boys coming good continues.

 

 Alireza Haghighi Team Melli record 

 

2002                  Iran U-15             7            

2004–2005          Iran U-17             5            

2005–2006          Iran U-20             6            

2006–2010          Iran U-23             4

 

 [divider]

 

publico.pt

Tehran Tarantula.

In football, the nicknames go beyond the mere reflection of the physical aspect, and sometimes even replace the baptism names. The “Five Violins”, a name that Tavares da Silva created the famous advanced line of Sporting 1940s, refers to a total harmony between performers, the “Black Panther” of Eusebio’s evokes physical power and speed. These are the best known Portuguese football. In South American football, many goalkeepers are “el gato”, which gives an idea of ​​agility, field players can be “cholo”, “flaco”, etc..Maradona Maradona and his name will always be synonymous with his own, but some people have created a religion around Maradona and you call God.

One of the most famous nicknames in the history of world football who won the Lev Yashin, the great Soviet goalkeeper. He was the “Black Spider”, not only because they always wore black (and dressed, from head to toe), but because it was an agile, athletic and seemed to have more than two arms outstretched keeper. Seeing the Argentina-Iran last Saturday, which ended with the Argentine 1-0 victory, another work of art by Lionel Messi, I felt like inventing a nickname for Alireza Haghighi, Iran goalkeeper who plays for Sporting da Covilhã and only failed to stop the big shot of the Argentine “Flea” of Barcelona. Here it is, with alliteration in “T”: the Tehran Tarantula.