Tag: FIFA World Cup 2018

Biranvand dipping form, a worry for Team Melli.

Just as most Team Melli fan breathed a sigh of relief for having a strong and reliable goalkeeper between the post of Team Melli goal line, Alireza Biranvand has hit his lowest form since joining Iran’s squad.

After years of unceratinity and problems in the goalkeeping post with several changes of goalkeepers, it was apparent that the young Biranvand has displayed the form that augurs well for the future of Team Melli. His reflexes, Aerial command and body frame is a source of confidence for the coaches and defenders alike. It seems all is settled at the back and the guardian of Team Melli during the world cup 2018 would be none other than Alireza Biranvand.

Biranvand kept 17 clean sheets in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers including 12 consecutive clean sheets lasting 1108 minutes. This is a statistic of the highest caliber.

And then, the Syria match!

For the first and last time in Round 3, Iran concedes a goal, in fact two goals against Syria. On both of the goals, Birnavand was the culprit and weak. The second Syrian goal in the added time of the match, was particularly embarrassing as mild shot by Syria’s Omar Al Souma passed between Biranvands wide open legs into the net.

This was the start of a spiral dive in form by Biranvand as Persepolis look exposed with Birnavand in goal. Almost all the goals conceded had a hallmark of bad goalkeeping. The Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal scored 4 goals passed him in the semifinal first leg of the AFC Champions League. In the Persian Gulf League, Biranvand was not doing well either as he was a culprit in several of the goals conceded that resulted in Persepolis dropping from the top spot of the league table.

Branko Ivankovic had enough of the long spell of bad performance by Biranvand and has benched him for the next Persepolis league match; however, the concern remains if Queiroz has still confidence in him. If the last 5 or 6 matches are to go by, Team Melli cannot rely on Biranvand and must find a suitable replacement. Haghighi, who is playing in Sweden now, has been called again. He is the most natural replacement if Birnavand does not improve vastly. In all cases, goalkeeping is once again becoming a worry.

Ramin Rezaeian, finally plays in Europe.

Ramin Rezaeian, a 27-year-old Iranian right-back who had been tested two weeks ago at an internship in the Netherlands, signed a two-year contract with KV Ostend, the Jupiler Pro League

The ex-Persepolis player, who won the Persian Gulf Pro League title, has convinced Yves Vanderhaeghe and the sports team of his value. Rezaeian  has proven that he is also capable of evolving on the flanks .

Rezaeian faced uncertainty and desperation when his Croat coach Branko Ivankovic insisted that he has no place in his team and will not accept him playing for the club under any circumstances. The action by Branko was due to Rezaeian’s poor attitude and professionalism. Despite efforts from a host of people including assurance by Ali Parvin that Rezaeian will be playing in Persepolis this season, The Croat stood firm and Parvin promise was not fulfilled

Rezaeian who was a major part of  Team Melli campaign (19 caps, 2 goals), already guaranteed to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia,  is very popular player in Iran. The number of subscribers to his Instagram account is even more than one million. It is this popularity that has gone to his head and nearly spoiled his career. KV Ostend, is the third team that has inquired about him and gave him trials.

 

Iran qualifies for 2018 World Cup, in sharp contrast to ‘embarrassing’ Israel

Monday’s win over Uzbekistan is celebrated in the streets of Tehran; Israel’s team was booed from the stadium in Haifa after losing to Albania on Sunday

June 13, 2017, 2:02 pm

Monday’s win was Iran’s sixth from eight matches in Group A and took the table-toppers to 20 points, with South Korea in second on 13 ahead of its game against Qatar on Tuesday.

Iran is unbeaten in the group stage and remarkably has not conceded a single goal during the campaign, underlining its credentials as one of Asia’s football giants.

On Monday, it recorded its second win over Uzbekistan on the road to the 2018 tournament in Russia, with Rostov forward Sarder Azmoun first finding the net in the 23rd minute with a right-footed shot from the left of the box following a through ball from Alireza Jahanbaksh.

Iranian players celebrate after winning the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between Iran and Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on June 12, 2017. The victory means Iran has secured a place in the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia. (AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE)

Iranian players celebrate after winning the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between Iran and Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on June 12, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE)

The Uzbeks struggled for momentum and failed to break down the famed Iranian defense, eventually conceding their second goal of the match in the 88th minute with Mehdi Taremi finishing from Azmoun’s pass.

Iran, which has seen its ranking rise from 108th in the world in 1995 to its current 30th, has played in the World Cup finals four times in the past – in 1978, 1998, 2006 and 2014.

Iranians celebrate on the streets of Tehran early on June 13, 2017, after their national football team won the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between Iran and Uzbekistan. Iran become the third team assured of a berth in the 2018 World Cup finals along with hosts Russia and Brazil (AFP PHOTO)

Iranians celebrate on the streets of Tehran early on June 13, 2017, after their national football team won the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between Iran and Uzbekistan. (AFP PHOTO)

So successful has Iran proved in the qualifying games that it has become only the second team to secure its place in the finals, after five-time World Cup champions Brazil. Russia, as host of the tournament from June 14 to July 15, 2018, is given an automatic spot.

Supporters of the Iranian national football team cheer during the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between Iran and Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on June 12, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE)

Supporters of the Iranian national football team cheer during the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between Iran and Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on June 12, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE)

Iran’s remarkable progress to the 2018 finals contrasts sharply with Israel’s form.

Sunday’s defeat in Haifa by Albania leaves Israel in joint third place in Group G, with no prospect of making it to Russia, and a battle now merely to finish in third place and thus secure a more favorable qualifying path for the 2022 tournament.

Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz of the Iranian national football team celebrates with players after winning the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between Iran and Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on June 12, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE)

Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz of the Iranian national football team celebrates with players after winning the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between Iran and Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on June 12, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE)

Ranked 55th in the world, Israel has qualified for the World Cup finals only once, in 1970.

The Israeli team came into Sunday’s game having beaten Albania 3-0 in their last encounter. It was the hot favorite to win the home game, but fell to a heavy defeat in its poorest performance of the qualifying campaign to date.

While Iran’s victory prompted celebrations in the streets of Tehran, the Israeli team was booed off the field by its own fans, and newspaper headlines on Monday morning called its performance a “Disgrace,” an “embarrassment,” and “one of the biggest humiliations” in national soccer history.

Albanian forward Armando Sadiku (C) celebrates after scoring during the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification football match between Israel and Albania in Haifa on June 11, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX)

Albanian forward Armando Sadiku (C) celebrates after scoring during the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification football match between Israel and Albania in Haifa on June 11, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX)

Israel had the first shot on goal, with Bibras Nacho’s shot tipped over the bar by Albanian goalkeeper Thoma Strakosha. But Armando Sadiku managed to put the ball past Israeli goalie David Goresh in the 22nd minute. Sadiku scored again a minute from half time with a shot from 25 yards out.

Team Melli on track for the Uzbekistan match

Team Melli is on course in preparation for the crucial match against Uzbekistan on Monday.

FIFA announced the name of the referees for the match. Ahmad Abu Baker Said Al Kaf from Oman will be assisted by Hamed Suleiman and Abu Baker Saleem. The fourth referee is Omar Mubarak all from the Sultanate of Oman.

The Omani referee was the fourth official in 4 matches in the recent FIFA World Cup U-20 championship 2017 in South Korea. He was not assigned any matches to referee. His last international match was in Sydney on 27th March 2017 refereeing the match between Australia and UAE which the host won 2-0.

Meanwhile, the FFIRI has encouraged the fans not to go to Azadi Stadium in matchday unless they carry a ticket on hand. The ticket sales for the match against Uzbekistan is all on-line through a dedicated website. No tickets will be sold on the match day from kiosks.

FIFA was given assurance by the FFIRI and the security authorities that strict measures and tight security will be implemented on match day following the terrorist attacks Parliament and the Ayatollah Khomeini mausoleum a few days back.

Carlos Queiroz is relying on his team’s solid defence with a perfect defensive record of not conceding a goal since the opening match, while he will be deploying  a powerful offensive line up front to unsettle the Uzbek defenses. Azmoun has been in top form , while both Ansarifard and Ghoochannejad had their best ever forms playing in Europe. domestically , Mehdi Taremi has been the best Iranian forward and the league’s top scorer.

To supplement the forwards, Jahanbakhsh and Vahid Amiri will be feeding the attackers with their runs and crosses on the flanks , leaving Dejagah and Ezzatollahie to cover the middle of the field.

There are no injuries worries to report in the squad , however , Ashkan Dejagah is short of match practise and made a short appearance for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga following a long injury. Ramin Rezaeian is without a club after he was sacked from Persepolis , nevertheless the defender form was quite good against Montenegro in the recent 2-1 win.

 

Morale boosting win for Team Melli against Montenegro.

Team Melli defeated Montenegro 1-2 in a friendly International match in the capital city Podgorica on Sunday.

Team Melli was camping in Austria, before travelling to Montenegro for the match. Both Iran and Montenegro are preparing for the FIFA World Cup2018 qualifiers next week.

Iran played a goalless draw against Montenegro three years ago before the World Cup. The Montenegro team has performed well in the current World Cup qualifying rounds with good results such as the win against Denmark in Copenhagen.

According to Queiroz at the pre-match press conference, Montenegro game style is similar to Uzbekistan and that is his reasoning behind arranging this match.

Iran and Uzbekistan’s national teams will play Azadi Stadium next week with Team Melli looking for a win to seal their qualification for the second consecutive World Cup.

Team Melli line up against Montenegro included : Alireza Beiranvand, Morteza Pouraliganji, Pejman Montazeri, Saeid Aghaei, Ramin Rezaeian, Saeid Ezatolahi (Ezzaat Pourqaz) Ehsan Hajsafi (Ali Karimi) Ashkan Dejagah (Reza Ghoochannejhad) Mehdi Torabi, Karim Ansarifard (Milad Mohammadi) and Sardar Azmoun (Ehsan Pahlavan)

Iran played the final ten minutes of the match short of one player after the expulsion of Morteza Pouraliganji for a second yellow card.

In the tenth minute Sardar Azmoun scored for Iran again after 8 months dry run. Aghaei sent a long ball to Rezaeian who headed towards Torabi and the quick and artistic move of  Mehdi Torabi was effective in gifting the goal to Sardar Azmoun.

After the goal, Montenegro took the majority of possession and threatened Team Melli several time. Biravand in goal was a saviour and prevented the collapse in the first half. However in the 31st minute the hosts scored the deserved equalizer through their star player  Jovetic the ex- Manchester City player and currently playing for Seville in the La Liga.

Saeid Ezatolahi powerful shot from a free kick, the header against the bar by Azmoun were among the two most serious attempts by Team Melli to take the lead again. Montenegro had several chances too but the half ended in a 1-1 draw.

In the second half, the substitute Ali Karimi’s cross and followed by Ramin Rezaeian header, once again to Sardar Azmoun , set up the second goal for Team Melli. The young striker has increased his goals tally to eighteen with this brace.

The host once again had most of the possession but to no real threat on the solid and tight Iranian defence.

Apart from the dismissal of Pouraliganji , the match went According to script that Queiroz wanted it

The game ended 2-1 as Asian top ranked team in the FIFA rankings, gathered valuable points to add for next months.

Queiroz once again, gave two players their debut. Saeed Aghaei and Ehsan Pahlavan made their first appearance for Team Melli and played quite well against the organized Montenegro team.

Both of them were encouraging.

Queiroz gave a chance for seventeen players in the match and utilized his full quota under the rules. Many fixed players did not get a chance to play including the likes of Jahanbakhsh, Taromi, Shojaei, Amiri and Jalal Hosseini.

The make-shift team of Queiroz has proved that he has managed to create two parallel teams capable to compete at the highest levels in any match. So that injuries and suspensions, without prejudice to the team, does not affect the overall performance.

This was a morale boosting win against a European team away from home.

Weather , a serious concern for Team Melli vs. Syria

Selection of Malaysia as the venue for Home matches of Syria seems to be an act of haste or desperation. Malaysia , a country whose fan have consistently showed disregard for Asian football , in the region of 10 to 12 hours flying from the Middle East , and worst of all , in the height of the rainy season , is not exactly an ideal venue for a World Cup qualifier.

The Syrians could not have made a worst choice , but then again , it is not as many countries have volunteered to host the political outcasts with politics rather than anything other factors playing a major role in limiting the worn-torn country’s choice.

Alireza Biranvand
Alireza Biranvand

Iran has to endure a tough time in Tunku Abdelrahman stadium, where the pitch is also not too ideal. Chances of thunderstorm and torrential rain, similar to the one against Papua New Guinea’s match exists and threatens to spoil the match. In that  last match played in Malaysia , the last 15 minutes should have been abandoned due to the water-logged pitch. But as the match was a friendly, all stakeholder decided to carry on with the job in nearly impossible conditions.

This weather pattern could repeat itself today against Syria adding to the concerns of Carlos Queiroz. One of the critical positions that is in the head coach top priorities is the goalkeeper. Sousha Makani , is the most experienced of the 3 keepers however, he is never been a reliable and competent custodian of goal. Many questioned his return to Team Melli , but Carlos Queiroz has his own unorthodox means in player’s selection.

Makani might well be the keeper for the match ahead of Akhbari in the absence of the excellent Biranvand who is not available.

Makani played against Papua New Guinea but it was far from a testing match. The Syrians , despite the dearth of goals scored, are a much more serious opponents and seem desperate to break the jinx against Team Melli.

IRAN v QATAR – Match preview

 
IRN-vs-QAT

AZADI STADIUM , TEHRAN

01st September 2016

Matchday 1

 

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Iran and Qatar first met in December 1988 in Doha during the AFC Asian Cup 1988. That match resulted in 2 -0 win for Team Melli with Karim Bavi and Farshad Peyous scored Iran goals in Al Ahli Stadium.

First win for Qatar came after the fifth attempt when Team Melli under Mayeli-Kohan was going through a turmoil period in their quest to qualify for the World Cup 1998. In Doha, while needing a win to qualify directly to the World Cup , Iran lost to Qatar 2-0. That resulted in dismissal of Mayeli-Kohan as the head coach of Team Melli.

 The two teams have been meeting regularly in regional and Continental competitions including WAFF, AFC Asian Cup , FIFA World Cup.

Qatar has always been a tough opponent for Iran and the results have been close bar a one time 6 -1 drubbing by Team Melli in WAFF competition in 2008.

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 shojaei-vs-qatar-Asian-cup-2015
[box title=”

NUMBER OF WINS

” style=”soft” box_color=”#c8c8ba” title_color=”#0d0c0c” radius=”5″]Team Melli played Qatar 20 times. From the first official match between the two teams, it took Qatar 9 years to register its first win against Team Melli.[/box]

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NUMBER OF GOALS

Scored by Team Melli players against Qatar in 20 matches. Average of 1.6 goals per game while conceding 15 goals in total for an average of 0.75 per game.15

1-English-Numeral-3945-large Number of losses of Team Melli vs Qatar in Official matches. That loss was in November 1997 in the qualifying rounds of FIFA World Cup 1998. That is 18 years ago and has not been repeated again.
 

Legionnaires

Throughout the years , Qatar leagues has been a popular destination for Iranian players. It was the very first step in professionalism for a lot of them. Even before the rich Qatar Star League was established , players like Hamid Derakhshan , Farshd Peyous , Karim Bavi and later on Ali Daei , Karim Bagheri  and Ali Karimi were attracted to play in Qatar. Lucrative contracts , easy life style , large Iranian expatriate community and secured future was the main reasons behind this attraction.

With the introduction of a full-fledged rich professional league in Qatar under the full support of the government, Qatar Star League QSL attracted the best of Iranian footballers many of them preferring it to European league.  Ali Karimi transfer from Bayern Munich started the ball rolling. Currently, Ashkan Dejagah, Masoud Shojae, Morteza Pouraliganji, Mohammad Noori, Mehrdad Pooladi, Javad Nekounam, Mojtaba Jabbari and Pejman Montazeri make their living in the QSL
    iran guam taremi azmoun goal celebration
Qatar stadium
 KHALFAN2

IRIFF arranges a charter flight for Team Melli

IRIFF is to arrange a charter flight for Team Melli for their trip to Southern China. 

Team Melli is scheduled to play away to China on 6th September 2016 , 5 days after meeting Qatar in Azadi Stadium. ” the federation has managed to secure a charter flight for Team Melli for the long trip to Southern China .” IRIFF’s official  Gholamreza Behravan said . “This will reduce the burden of traveling and connection flights and will ensure that the players get enough rest before the match.”

IRIFF usually refrains from using charter flights due to cost, and uses commercial flights for Team Melli travels. However, in cases of difficult logistics, like the flight to Turkmenistan for the World Cup qualifiers, the federation has restored to charter flights while the air force has also supported the federation in some cases by providing military transport planes.

Behravan also said that IRIFF has requested that the match date against  South Korea on 11th October to be changed because it falls on Tasooa, a day before Ashoora. However, Behravan , admitted that chances of this happening and getting the nod from AFC and FIFA is quite remote. Such change in the carefully arranged and tight schedule of FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers will result in disruption for all the teams in the group and not only the two teams concerned. That raises the question of why ask in the first place if it is not a practical request?

On the league program. Behravan said that “after round 4 of the league, we will have to pause to allow Team Melli to prepare for the Qatar match. The team will conduct a training camp in Italy before playing against Qatar in Azadi.”

Azadi stadium is becoming a full seater.

The Minister of Youth and Sport inspected the ongoing work in Azadi stadium to convert the jewel of Iranian crown into a full seater venue.

FIFA has put a partial ban on the stadium due to the fact that the higher level section was consisting of concrete slab and spectators had to suffer being seated on such a rough surface. That ban reduced the capacity of Azadi stadium to less than half.

The Sport Ministry managed to fork out a budget to upgrade the stadium especially since Iran is involved in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers starting next September. 

Mr. Mahmoud Goudarzi spoke to the media after concluding his inspection tour and assured the public that the seats will be ready before the match against Qatar on September 1st. “We have been promised the delivery of the stadium 10 days before the match. I am confident that we will have all the seats ready by then”. “The stadium capacity will be reduced to 78,116 all seated.” the minister declared.

Asked about the request by Carlos Queiroz to move the Team Melli practise sessions to Azadi Stadium , the Minister declined such request and said that “Azadi is a venue for matches and not a practise ground. The football federation must find a suitable place for Team Melli to practise”. Responding to another question from a reporter on whether this Stadium will be handed over to Esteghlal and Persepolis, Mr. Goudarzi rediculed such claims “This is meaningless. This stadium belongs to the people of Iran, it makes no sense at all to hand it over  such a grand venue to two clubs only”

 Goudarzi said that by the instruction of the President, a technical team has been inspecting the stadium to check the safety level and problems of water seepage and accumulation. This team has already carried out the inspection and are in the process of finalizing its recommendations and report.

 

Queiroz “We will request to move Qatar match to Tabriz”

Team Melli head coach suggested that the first match against Qatar in the final rounds of FIFA World Cup 2018 should be moved to Tabriz’z Yadegar Imam  stadium because of friendlier atmosphere!

“I have asked Mr. Taj to move our match against Qatar to Tabriz because they treat us much better there.”  Queiroz said in a statement to the press after the conclusion of the Team Melli practise session in Azadi this afternoon.  Iran has always played major Team Melli games in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium. The last time a match was played in Tabriz was 16 years ago. A decision to move to Tabriz, would should surely antagonize Queiroz fans in Tehran. Queiroz did not mention how he figured out the friendlier atmosphere in Tabriz while he never experienced playing there with Team Melli.

Queiroz who is never far from controversy , hostility and a battles against his alleged enemies, also had some harsh words for the Manager of Azadi sport complex. He accused the person without naming him of being an enemy of Team Melli  and treating his squad with contempt.! 

It is believed that this idea of moving to Tabriz is more directed to the alleged bad treatment of the stadium  management rather than the fans sentiments.

Queiroz said that he will be taking 24 players to Macedonia for the friendly international in Skopje. The final list has not been produced yet pending health report and injury condition on couple of the players.

Queiroz also said that he will present a comprehensive report on the new Team Melli kit to Mehdi Taj , the head of IRIFF , however he declined to disclose any details. Team Melli has just changed its kit to a little known Italian kit supplier.

When confronted by a journalist about his broad and repetitive accusations, a defiant Queiroz admitted that but said “I know that I have been repeating the same things over and over again for a few years now, but as long as these people (…) are there and acting hostile , I will talk. No body can stop me from talking against them and exposing them!”

It is clear that no one seems to dare to stop the Portuguese from trash talking , and it is also clear that many are tired of his rhetorics, however , what really matters is how he will lead his team in the World Cup qualifiers. The competition is tough but Iran is well capable of making the trip to Russia if the Portuguese plays his cards right and not come up with the excuses such as Qatar and China are rich and investing!