Tag: Egypt

Another Semi-Final heartbreak for Queiroz!

Carlos Quieroz experienced yet another heartbreak in the semi-finals of the FIFA Arab Cup when his team, Egypt conceded an injury-time goal to lose 1-0 to Tunisia.

Queiroz lead Team Melli to two World Cups in Brazil in 2014 and Russia in 2018. He was also the head coach in the two editions of AFC Asian Cups 2015 & 2019 and was on the brink of making the final of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 in UAE before losing heavily to Japan in his last match as the head coach of Team Melli. Queiroz and Iran were denied the trophy that eluded team Melli for over 40 years. On the other hand, this loss to Tunisia in Doha was yet another setback for the veteran coach who does not seem to make it to the finals nor win trophies.

The match which was refereed by Iranian Alireza Faghani was a sell-out.

Faghani whistled for a penalty in the second half for Tunisia, however, after he reviewed the VAR, he changed his decision and canceled the penalty.

Faghani, who was given the tough task of refereeing this highly sensitive and volatile match, succeeded in controlling the match while awarding a yellow card for Carlos Queiroz for continuous encroachments. The Portuguese coach of Egypt continued his bickering even after the yellow card which saw the no-nonsense Faghani return back to Queiroz to give him the last warning pointing to the stand, a place that Queiroz would have ended up if he did not shut his mouth.

Carlos Queiroz will now have the tough task of taking Egypt to the World Cup 2022.

Iran’s Beach soccer qualifies to the Semi Finals

Iran’s beach soccer team made it two out of two wins in the Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup 2019 and qualified for the Semi-Finals.

In today match, held in Dubai , the Iranian national team defeated African champion Egypt 5 – 3 with a dominant performance to keep up the pressure on the rest of the contenders in this current tournament.  In the first period of the match, the two teams were tied one by one and while Egypt took the lead, Iran soon equalized on a single beautiful tactical work and the final kick by Mustafa Kiani.

The second period was played on equal terms. With the game tied  2-2 , Iran took the initiative by further two goals by Amir Hossein Akbari and Mohammad Masoumizadeh, while Egypt scored their third goal. The third period followed with both teams being more cautious, and Egypt, which closed the playing field for most of the minutes, scored. However, the restart of Amir Hussain Akbari’s single goal was compensated by the Egyptians. In the final minutes, a corner kick by Moslem Mesigar, and Amir Hosseinakbari’s fifth goal rattled sealed the match for Iran with a final score of 5 -3.

Hashempour’s team is 2 wins out of 2. Iran’s  Beach soccer had won the first match 7-4 against Mexico. The Iranian team will face Russia in the final group stage match tomorrow evening (Thursday).

 

Iran Beach soccer starts with a victory vs. Mexico

Defending Champions Iran Beach soccer national team played its first match in the Intercontinental Cup 2019 and ended it with a comprehensive win against CONCACAF Champions Mexico.

On Tuesday, in the ninth edition of the tournament of the UAE-hosted intercontinental Beach tournament ,  Hashempour’s Iranian national team defeated Mexico 7-4 in their first match for both teams.

In the first period of the match, both teams scored two goals apiece, Iran’s goals were scored by Mohammad Ahmadzadeh and Mohammad Ali Mokhtari. In the second period Iran, playing a better game than the first, scored two more goals. The goals were scored by Mohammad Ali Mokhtari and Amir Hossein Akbari. The third period of the match further goals were scored by the Iranian side by Amir Hossein Akbari who scored Iran’s fifth goal. Meanwhile, Mohammad Masoumizadeh scored the sixth Iranian goal while the final goal was scored by Mohammad Ahmadzadeh.

 

The full results of the First Round

INTERCONTINENTAL BEACH SOCCER CUP DUBAI 2019

November 5, 2019

Group A Japan   Japan 6 – 4 Italy    Italy
Group A Spain   Spain 2 -2 

(2 -1) PSO

UAE Uae
Group B Egypt   Egypt 3 – 5 Russia  Russia
Group B Iran   Iran 7 – 4  Mexico  Mexico

 

 

The next match will be on Wednesday 19:30 Tehran time when Iran will face Egypt.

This competition is considered to be the most prestigious beach football event after the FIFA World Beach Soccer Cup under the supervision of FIFA and the World Beach Games held by Anouk (National Olympic Committees).

Hashempour: “We will show our strength once again”

Defending champions Iran are determined to claim back-to-back Intercontinental Cup crowns and equal Brazil and Russia at the top of the records


Defending champions Iran have landed in Dubai with the mission of reediting the 2018 crown and equalling Brazil and Russia as the most decorated sides at the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup records. After clinching the Bronze Medal at the last World Beach Games in Qatar just a couple of weeks ago, the team feels in the perfect mood to take on such a challenge.

Grit, talent and perfect teamwork, plus the support of their passionate fans, give Abbas Hashempour’s team all the necessary ingredients to go all the way in this year’s competition, taking place in Kite Beach between the 5th and 9th of November.

Only the most powerful teams take part in the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup, so we are fully aware of how difficult it is to prevail in such a competitive arena. Russia, for example, is a team that can do real harm on you if you are not fully focused and fight fiercely every single second of the game. But we also are, as we have repeatedly shown, capable of winning any team in the world. This is what we have in our minds and our hearts, and we will try our best to beat all our opponents and reach the final”, Iran National Coach Abbas Hashempour explained.

The tough opposition will not be the only obstacle for Iran to accomplish their mission, though. The Persian side will be missing one of the key players, 2018 Rising Star Mohammad Moradi, due to injury, and some other players will also be back in competition after injuries, that leaves a question mark on their outcome during the coming days, but coach Hashempour believes the collective strength will help the team overcome these setbacks.

As the defending champions, the Iranian side will have all the eyes put on them, but this is not something the team is concerned about. “Everyone will be expecting a lot from us, but we are determined to show everybody why we are the champions. We want to demonstrate again how powerful we are”, the coach admitted.

Iran were drawn in Group B together with also-favourite Russia, Egypt and CONCACAF champions Mexico and will be making their debut, precisely, against the Azteca side (Tuesday 5th of November, 8:00 pm). That will mark the first step in their road to reediting the crown and claiming their third Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup.

Carlos Queiroz contract offers

The head of the Algerian football federation, Khidir al-Din Zatshi, has categorically denied that his federation had any contacts with the Portuguese coach, Carlos Queiroz , for the purpose of taking over the job of head coach of National football team of Algeria instead of the local hero , Rabih Madjir who was sacked last month.

“I have not contacted the Portuguese coach of Iran Carlos Queiroz to offer him the job of the national team coach and I am also not aware of anyone from my federation carrying out such contacts” Zatshi, confirmed in a short interview with (Al-Nah’ar) newspaper.

There has been various reports of such contacts recently which the Iranian media has also carried over.

On the other hand, Al Arab newspaper has reported that Carlos Queiroz has turned down an offer from the Egyptian FA to train its national football team to replace the Argentine, Hector Cuper.

No further details were given.

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.

FIFA RANKINGS: IRAN STILL LEADS THE RANKING.

Team Melli dropped one spot to 24th in the latest edition of the FIFA Rankings….

Team Melli had achieved a tremendous feat by leading Asian Zone for over two years. With international football largely taking a backseat in the off-season, Iran have dropped one spot.  The next match against South Korea promises to be a challenging one and a valuable points  earner in FIFA ranking.

 

FIFA/COCA-COLA WORLD RANKING

Rnk Team Points +/- Positions
23
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland
NIR
897 0
24
Iran Iran
IRN
893 0
25
Egypt Egypt
EGY
866 0
LAST UPDATE: 10 August 2017

Iran has 893 points, ahead of Egypt (866) and one spot below Northern Ireland (897)

Japan (696) continues trailing Iran in the second spot of the AFC zone , while Australia (691) and South Korea (674) are behind the leaders.

 

 

AFC

Rank

World Rank Teams Total Points Previous Points Positions

change

 1 24 IRN   Iran 893(893.03) 893 -1
 2 44 JPN   Japan 696(696.23) 684 2
 3 45 AUS   Australia 691(690.52) 689 0
 4 49 KOR   Korea Republic 674(673.85) 662 2
 5 59 KSA   Saudi Arabia 601(600.62) 601 2
 6 64 UZB   Uzbekistan 579(578.69) 579 1
 7 74 UAEUnited Arab Emirates 459(458.52) 459 1
 8 77 CHN   China PR 447(446.79) 441 0
 9 78 QATQatar 433(432.51) 435 1
 10 80 SYR   Syria 423(422.63) 423 2

Third place for Iran in the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup 2015

Team Melli Beach soccer Team defeated Egypt on penalties to win the third place in the 2015 edition of Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup Dubai. Iran relies on defense and clutch penalties for 3rd Place

The 2(3)-2(2) penalties win for Iran over Egypt was stressful for the fans of each country and the players, but the general population were thrilled with a cracker of a match. Neither team scored in the opening frame, adding to the on the sand drama. To make the match even tastier was the fact that regular time and an extra three minutes could not provide a winner. The victory was breathtaking for the Iranians and heartbreaking for the Egyptians as Egypt led throughout but a last minute goal from Iran sent the game into an extra frame, then the penalty shoot-out went the way of Iran. The triumph puts Iran in 3rd Place after a great Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup Dubai. Egypt clawed their way to 4th Place and they very well could have earned 3rd or even higher. 

The Iranian and Egyptian rivalry goes beyond the pitch but all that was forgotten when the players stepped on the pitch, though the high-energy desire to win did not leave the players’ minds. Egypt began mounting their attacks very early and they had the Lions of the Atlas scared, but the Pharaohs did not get the initial goal or goals they were hoping for, in part because of the stellar play from Hosseini, the Iranian  goalkeeper. Things settled for Iran, though not the pace, and they pushed Egypt to the brink of ceding a goal on many ocassions, but the back-and-forth play made for a spectacular viewing experience.  The goalies made sure and put on a show for the fans and the score was 0-0 when the clock struck zero, signifying the end of the first frame. The next goal, which would be the first in the match would be a huge advantage for the scoring team but the African side and the Asian side were not able to get that elusive goal in the first minutes of the middle frame. The goal came it was a perfect strike from M. Samir just before the halfway point in the match, and the score sat at 1-0 for the Egyptians going into the final minutes of the period. Iran found their equalizer shortly after the Egyptian goal but the rest of the period went scoreless and the match went into the final period tied at 1-1.

The tension was everywhere as the final frame began with no clear cut winner, not even an advantage for either team, and the fans and players were feeling the tension. The score sat at 1-1 until M. Abdelnabi scored his first on the day and put the African side up 2-1 early in the frame. Egypt was not intimidated by the very established Iranian side, who many of which had selected to win this tournament, and they, Egypt, stuck to their game plans and were able to hold down the Asian team. The score did not shift as the clocked moved towards the middle of the frame and the Egyptians were getting anxious that the number were moving too slow. Egypt needed their keeper to keep Iran off the board again, and in the first half of the period he did a splendid job and kept the score at 2-1 for his team with the end of the match drawing near. All that changed when Iran erupted for their second goal, tying the game at 2 with one minute left. The teams rushed the net on both ends, looking for the deciding goal but the goal did not come and the game went into the three minute extra frame. The rapid extra period went scoreless and the teams headed into a penalty shoot-out.

Goals: 1-0: M. Samir, min. 7 (2); 1-1: A. Akbari, min. 5 (2); 2-1: M. Abdelnabi, min. 10 (3); 2-2: F. Boulokbashi, min. 1 (3).

Penalties: A. Naderi: Make; M. Samir: Make; M. Morshedi: Make; A. Aboserie: Make; A. Akbari; Make; Hassane: Miss.