Tag: Karim Ansarifard

Official: Ehsan Hajsafi signs with AEK Athens.

Team Melli Captain Ehsan Hajsafy joined the Greek club AEK Athens. HajSafi who traveled to Athens after finishing his season with Sepahan in the 20th edition of the Persian Gulf League, officially signed a contract with the Greek side this evening. The contract of the captain of the Iranian national team with this club is until the end of the summer of 2023.

Hajsafi will be joining Karim Ansarifard in AEK Athens.

Hajsafi (31 years) previously played for Panionios in the 2017–2018 season and played 14 matches scoring 1 goal before moving briefly to 2018 Olympiacos where he played 6 times and scored 1 goal. AEK is one of the three most successful teams in Greek football (including Olympiacos and Panathinaikos), winning 30 national titles. The team is coached by the Serbian Vladan Milojević.

Hajsafi has played 113 games for Team Melli since his debut against Zambia in a friendly in May 2008. He scored 6 goals for Team Melli.

Iran starts with a comfortable win against Hong Kong

Iran defeated Hong Kong 3-1 in the preliminary rounds of FIFA World Cup 2021 in the match held this afternoon in Muharraq Stadium, Bahrain. Iran’s goals were scored by Ali Gholizadeh (23’), Vahid Amiri (61’), and Karim Ansarifard (84’). Hong Kong’s lone goal was scored by Cheng Siu Kwang (85’).

From the onset and a one-sided match, Team Melli took full control of the field, however, they found it difficult to penetrate the solid-packed Hong Kong defense. The solitary goal scored by Gholizadeh was the result of individual skill rather than a team plan.

While the result was quite satisfactory and puts Iran second in the table two points behind Iraq, it was far from polished. In a worst-case scenario, that performance was concerning. The team was clearly short of group practice and coherence. There was a definite deficiency of understanding between players with many passes going astray. The worst of these misunderstandings was upfront between Azmoun and Taremi. None of the very few passes between them, including some unnecessary back heels, were effective. The most concerning issue however was the two forwards body language. There was a hint of frustration and perhaps lack of serious application evident in their game. They were both rightly substituted midway in the second half.

Tactically speaking, Skocic boys could not find a way through the center of defense. In a system where the other team parks the bus, several other solutions, and plans have to be applied, such as dribbling and short fast passes. The inter-passing of the forwards was too slow and too predictable.

A plethora of corners for Iran failed to produce a single goal against the compact Hong Kong Defense.

After the late substitutions, including the introduction of Torabi, Ghoddos, and Ansarifard, Iran played better and managed to score two more goals in the second half.

There are a lot of areas that Skocic needs to be concerned with in this team. Lack of group practice and hence poor understanding between the players is the biggest concern for the next match, however, the commitment and the mental status of key players remains a peril. Matches are not won on history and reputations. Without 100% commitment, it will be difficult to play against mentally tough teams despite being inferior technically to Team Melli.

Iran will meet Bahrain Next. It will probably be the toughest test and a must-win. Psychological preparation is as important as physical for that encounter.

IRAN 3 – 0 SYRIA

Team Melli defeated Syria 3-0 in an international friendly held in Azadi Stadium on Tuesday. Iran scored through Hossein Kanan-Zadegan, Sardar Azmouin, and Karim Ansarifard. The first half ended 2-0

Team Melli scored early in the first minute from a corner played by Ali Gholiszadeh. Central defender Hossein Kanano-Zadegan hit a ferocious header into the top of the Syrian net to open the scoring for Iran. Soon Iran took control of the play and could have easily doubled the scoreline. However, a lazy play by Azmoun who only had the diving Syrian keeper in front wasted a golden chance. After that miss by Azmoun, Syria slowly but surely took control of the game. Their midfield was more energetic than Iran and seem to have pace in the front line. The Iranian defense was solid however and only a brilliant save by Alireza Beiranvand, prevented Syria from scoring.

Although Beiravand’s one-hand save was brilliant and an eye-candy, his assist for the second goal was an absolute gem. After catching the ball on the edge of his box and with a Syrian player budging him, Beiravand noticed Taremi free in the Syrian half. His world-class hand throws reached Porto’s defender who took the ball nicely towards the Syrian goalkeeper. Ibrahim Alma saved with his extended legs only for the ball to rebound for the onrushing Azmoun who made no mistake with and slotted the ball into the net.

The second half saw a more balanced game between the two teams. Despite gallant efforts by the Syrians, they did not manage to seriously threaten Beiranvand until late in the game when their best attacker Mahmood Al Mawas hit a thunderous shot against the bar the resulting in the ball ricochet into play and cleared by the defenders.

On the hours and as usual, both teams saw many substitutions. The Team Melli midfield was strengthened by the introduction of Omid Ebrahimi. in the 81st minute, Karim Ansarifard scored a brilliant third goal as he got the ball and in one swift Shimmy send two of his markers the wrong way opening the goal for him. His powerful shot was beyond Syrian keeper Ibrahim Alma as he was beaten comprehensively by Karim’s cracker. 3-0 for Iran.

Team Melli introduced two new debutants in this match. Jafar Salmani was the right-back, while Abofazl Jalali was substituted in the left-back position. Both played quite well as it was a successful introduction and should create very tough competition for the senior players.

The only concern in Iran’s lineup must be the midfield. Until the mid-second half, the Iranian midfield players (Hajsafy, Nourallahi , Amiri, and Gholizadej did not create enough chances for the two potent and dangerous forwards of Team Melli. One goal came from a corner and one from an assist by goalkeeper Beiranvand. That is not good enough for a team looking to qualify in a tough World Cup qualifiers group.

Karim Ansarifard joins AEK Athens

Team Melli forward Karim Ansarifard has joined Greek side AEK Athens on a three-year deal, the Tehran Times reported on Wednesday. 

The 30-year-old had penned a three-year contract with Al Sailiya last year but parted company with the Qatari club by mutual consent.

The former Nottingham Forest striker previously played for Greek clubs Panionios and Olympiacos from 2015 to 2018.

He represented Iran at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018.

Ansarifard whose international career started with Osasuna in 2014/15 season, played in the 79 matches Greek league and score 32 goals, initially for Panionios for two seasons and then to Olympiakos Piraeus for two seasons as well. He then moved to Nottingham Forest in 2018.

 

Team Melli falls short in Bahrain

Bahrain once again inflicted injury to Iranian pride by beating Team Melli 1-0 today in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers in the match played at the National Stadium in Riffa.

The solitary goal scored by Bahrain’s Mohammed Al-Hardan in the 65th minute from a penalty kick as a result of a foul committed by Majid Hosseini on the Bahraini player in the box.

It was the first defeat for Wilmots since he took over from Carlos Queiroz. The defeat came right after  14-0 win against Cambodia in Azadi. Team Melli performance was lethargic and lacked creativity. A few of the regular shortfalls were observed once again in this match including some disciplinary issues, surprisingly this time by the Captain of the team Ehsan Hajsafi who was guilty of being temperamental and unnecessary vocal after being awarded a yellow card. Not a good example for a person who should lead by example.

 Azmoun, by now well-known for his hot temperament and poor discipline, was seconds away from receiving two consecutive yellow cards and subsequent dismissal after a vehement protest against the Uzbek referee for not calling a penalty. The Uzbek referee V. Kovalenko seemed to be right on both calls.

The match played in sweltering heat and high humidity, was slow to take shape. Both teams seemed to conserve energy for better endurance. By the 15th minute, both teams players’ jerseys were wet as if were taken fresh out of water. Naturally, the hosts who are used to this sort of weather ¾ of the year managed to acclimatize better under the circumstances.

Marc Wilmots, elected to start with 3 forwards upfront, a plan that did not yield well. Karim Ansarifard, the 4 goal hero of last Thursday, was virtually just a bystander figure who did not seem to have turned up for the game. He was substituted in the 70th minute while Wilmots could have done much better if that substitution was done earlier.

There was very little to differentiate between the two teams as their defences did not have many problems against the opposition forwards. However, the trio Azmoun, Taremi and Ansarifard were quite disappointing. Whatever balls that reached the veteran Bahrain goalkeeper Seyed Mohammaed Jaffar was dealt with by him.

Omid Ebrahimi was the dynamo of the team and most of the offensive moves were started by his excellent distributions. However, Ebrahimi lacked support in the midfield as neither Hajsafi or Mohebi could add value to the schemer in the centre of the field. Wilmots would have been better off adding another specialized midfielder like Noorollahi using four players for better control of the midfield. The flanks did not operate well either as Milad Mohammadi and Ramin Rezaeian were limited in their action.

The defence line was fine but Majid Hosseini committed two critical errors, one of which cost Iran the game. In the first instance, the young central defender left a lot of space for Bahrain forward, but for his poor finishing, the host could have taken the lead much earlier. In the second, his poor position again and lunging at the Bahraini forward, cost the penalty.

The result takes Bahrain to the top of the group along with Iraq with 7 points while Iran with 6 points drops to 3rd. It was more than a disappointing result with several tactical errors observed. Wilmots need to seriously look at his lineup that lacked balanced. This mentality of an all-out offensive game plan must not obscure his vision and should be revisited.  Cracks began to appear early in the match as teams such as Bahrain and Iraq can exploit them.  the Belgian need to go back to the drawing board.

 

Iran’s next game is in one month’s time away to Iraq.

 

Reading into the Cambodia game.

It was a goal festival that has not been experienced by Team Melli fans for a long time. Iran has a long history in annihilating weak opponents through the years however; very few expected to see Cambodia crumble like that. In reality, the team from the Far East is not that terrible to be a punching bag to Iran or any other team. They have two very respectable results in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers so far, a 1-1 draw with Hong Kong and a 1-0 loss to Bahrain both home games.

There were many positives in this Team Melli display. The offensive-minded Wilmots is definitely showing its intent. The way the goals were scored and the clinical finishing was a delight to watch.

THE PRIDE OF IRAN

It is not too hard to observe that Azmoun is turning out to be a prolific scorer and the type of striker who is able to play in such different roles in that position. He has a mix of abilities that put him as a very versatile player. His heading skill, his agility in front of goal, his positioning and use of free space and finally his cool manner in front of the goal were very pleasing for the delighted fans. No wonder he is one of the hottest properties in European football nowadays.

MENTALITIES WOES

While Iran consistently produces high-quality and promising players, especially technically skilled, if there is something they usually lack or lag behind their Europeans counterparts is on the mental side. The common conception and accepted premise that Iranian footballers are more passionate than Europeans could be used as an excuse to justify their bad behaviour during games and training sessions. Their continued arguments with referees and rivals and their lack of consistent concentration during games had led to unexpected results. Against Cambodia, even with such a huge margin of win, those were still evident.

 Queiroz was heavily criticized for his bias towards European Based players In Team Melli. In this particular match with lowly Cambodia, some of the reasons behind the Portuguese mindset was manifested.

Morteza Pouraliganji and Alireza Beiranvand have not experienced the European football although the former had a short unsuccessful spell in a Belgian team (Eupen). It was ironically those two who committed what would have been fatal mistakes that in any other match would have been critical and game-changers. While 12 goals ahead, Pouraliganji launches forward into the Cambodia box trying to score from a header. He lunges inside the box with foot high, in a Karate Kick style and hits the Cambodia keeper right in the chest. The law is very clear, that is dangerous play and an instant red card. However, the feeble Indian referee only awards the Iranian defender a yellow card, perhaps tricked by Pouralganji’s fall to the ground grass-rolling faking an injury from that clash.

That was seriously uncalled for play by Pouralaiganji especially when the team is a dozen goal ahead. Such gamesmanship emphasizes the poor disciplinary issues with Iranian defenders. Thankfully the Cambodia keeper continued after clash after he was attended to but it could have been much worse, at least it looked like it on TV replay. Remember Japan match not so long ago in the Semi-Final of the Asian Cup?  The same Pouralaiganji disregarded his duty of marking the Japanese winger and instead he and 4 others of his teammates ran towards the Australian referee trying to force him to whistle against Japan team. The professionalism and discipline of the Japanese were so evident as the winger, without any Iranian players to bother him,  calmly controlled the ball crossed it inside the box where his forward Osako was waiting with only one marker a few feet from Beiranvand (the rest of the defenders where still haggling with the referee) to head the ball home.

The poor code of behaviour was repeated earlier in the match with Cambodia by Beiranvand who unnecessary plunged into Cambodia forward who was going nowhere but to an acute impossible shooting angle, yet the Cambodian won a penalty thank to the clumsy Beiranvand tackle.

In both cases, there was little common sense and sanity applied by the two Iranians. That needs to be undertaken lightly by Marc Wilmots else eccentrics like this can prevail if he does not force upon the player the sense discipline.  Queiroz has done an excellent job in that department, Wilmots needs to continue on that path and dispense from niceties when addressing these issues else he will soon find himself losing control.

PERFECT DEBUTS

The two debutants Mohammed Mohebi and Mehrdad Mohammadi scored three goals between themselves. The former was a starter as he replaced Ashkan Dejagah who hurt himself during the warm-ups before the match. Mehrdad Mohammadi joined his twin brother, Milad in the last part of the game yet he put his name on the score sheet with an immaculate finish.

GOAL OF THE YEAR

Ahmad Nourallahi opener was a great goal in all aspects. Power, accuracy and direction. From 25 meters the Persepolis midfielder hit a scorcher which was in itself worthy of winning any game.

ANSARIFARD, FINALLY!

Karim Asarifard, despite so much promise, when he first joined Team Melli, has not been the prolific scorer that many hoped he will be. Perhaps his countless number of club changes had played its role in the less than an optimal career. However, in the match against Cambodia, he showed real quality and killer instinct in front of the goal. He helped himself to four of them, now if he can only be a consistent player, his value will really be high for Team Melli.

TAREMI DISAPOINTED 

Mehdi Taremi is another good finisher, but he is unpredictable. He can score beauties but he can also have comical moments shooting wild off the mark balls. His display was average and if there are any areas that he needs to improve, it is his shooting accuracy. Although he was credited two goals, one of them was clearly an own goal by the Cambodia defender.

Team Melli starts with a comfortable win vs Hong Kong.

Team Melli defeated host Hong Kong 2-0 in its first match of Group C in the Qualifying rounds of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers China 2023. The match played in front of 14,000 cheering fans at Hong Kong Stadium in So Kon Po was marred by political protest including jeers while playing the anthem.

The goals were scored by Sardar Azmoun and Karim Ansarifard.

In hot and humid conditions which were interrupted in both halves for a minute compulsory cooling break, Team Melli had main challenge seemed to be the weather conditions rather than the strength of the opposition. Hong Kong which came into the match with one point from a draw in the first round against Cambodia was no match for Iran

In the first, with the majority of ball possession, Team Melli went into the lead at the 23rd minute when Ansaifard tees the ball for Azmoun to volley into the far corner of Hong Kong keeper. The goal was a result of some fine work initiated by Ramin Rezaeian on the right-wing.

Karim Ansarifard could have scored a spectacular goal himself when he hit a powerful scissors kick that ricocheted off the bar with the keeper helpless.

In the second half, Team Melli continued where they left off with even more possession and a barrage of corners. The result was another goal scored by Karim Ansarifard once again thanks to some fine work and cross by Rezaian from the right flank. As time was passing, the packed defences of the host and the instance of Team Melli to penetrate a pretty packed box did not lead to an increase in the tally.

Team Melli could not add to the score further despite several good opportunities were created including a late Sardar Azmoun attempt that the Hong Kong Keeper saved well.

The Hong Kong players resorted to some rough play with the Japanese referee showing 4 of the host players a yellow card. It could have been many more thant that.

In general it was a comfortable win by Team Melli with minimal effort. The weather was a factor in less than optimum performance and true attacking football. Despite the shy Hong Kong offensive attempts, the Iranian defence was solid as they turned Beiranvand role into a spectator in the majority of game time.

There were some shortfalls in Team Melli performance that Marc Wilmots will definitely address in the next few weeks. The major issue is the failure to take advantage of dead-ball situations. Despite double figures of corners, none of them created any serious scoring chances as the host defenders and the keeper had little difficulties in defending them. There were no variations in the corner kicks, and no attempt to use wide player plus the ball delivery was of low quality, that is until Dejagah was substituted in late in the match and took the corners much better.

The occasional sloppy play by team Melli players and several delays in passing was another area of concern that could be very well punished by the stronger teams.

The two best players today were Karim Ansarifard and Ramin Rezaeian. It is difficult to choose one over another as both played quite well and were instrumental in the two goals. It is not difficult to choose the worst player of the match though, as Alireza Jahanbakjhsh continued his dismal performance during the match. With little or no contribution to the match, it was quite surprising that Wilmots allowed him to play for 88 minutes. His replacement, Dejgah made a big impact in only a few minutes. This leads to many genuine questions on how Dejagah was left out of the squad initially, yet a non-performer like Jahanbakhsh was picked to start the match.

In the other match of the group today, Bahrain managed to beat Cambodia 1-0 in Phnom Penh to lead the group with 4 points in two games. Iran is second with 3 points.

Krim Ansarifard in the Qatar Star League

The former Nottingham Forest player and Team Melli centre forward, Karim Ansarifard signed a 2-year contract with Al Sailiya Sports Club in Doha.

Al-Sailiya SC is managed by the Tunisian Sami Trabelsi and Ansarifard is the only non-Arab player in the squad which is mainly formed of north African and Sudanese players.

Last season, the club ended the season in a very respectable 3rd position behind champions Al Sadd and runners up Al Duhail. This was one of the best rankings of Al Sailiya in Qatar Star league. Ansarifard, whose contract with English Championship club Nottingham forest has run out, had a few good seasons in Greece before moving to England and the disappointment of Nottingham Forest. In 2017/18 season, the 29 years old Ansarifard played in the Greek League for Olympiakos Piraeus where he scored 17 goals in 26 matches. However, in England, Ansarifard only managed 3 goals in 12 matches without securing a starting place in the line up of coach O’Neil.

Nottingham Forest had to endure a lot before managing to secure the signature of Ansarifard last season after eventually getting his work permit sorted out, but after all that effort the striker was to warm the bench for most of the season!

England has never been a successful playing ground for Iranian internationals and despite the small number of them playing in England, none of the Iranians managed to claim success. Jahanbaksh, the Top Scorer of the Eredivisie, was bought by Brighton for a record fee, but he could not score a single goal in the Premier League or other competitions with his team in a full season. It is to be noted however that Jahanbakhsh only played 19 games for Brighton missing many due to injury and then the AFC Asian Cup 2019 while he was away with Team Melli.

Mehdi Taremi’s hat trick spells doom for Syria

Team Melli started a new era under coach Marc Wilmots with an empathetic 5-0 win against the tough Syrian National team in Azadi Stadium on Thursday.

In a day full of positives, Mehdi Taremi scored a stunning hat trick including a goal with a reverse scissors kick each side of Alireza Jahanbakhsh goal and debutant Allahyar Sayyadmanesh . It seems that the absent of the top Iranian forward of the season, Sardar Azmoun , Saman Ghoddos and Ashkan Dejagah was not much of a concern for Team Melli.

Jahanbakhsh scored the opener with a clever slotted ball finish, while the teenager made his debut minutes earlier scored the fifth goal to seal the match and mark a memorable day for Team Melli.

Not many teams in the world can claim a 5 goal margin win against Syria, a team with physical strength and mental toughness that has been passed on for generations.

Despite having most of the ball possession, Team Melli did not really threaten Ahmad Madania in the Syrian goal. It took a cleaver steal from Alireza Jahanbaksh, who had a season to forget in the English Premiere league, right inside the Syrian box and a clever shimmy followed by an accurate ball to the far end of Madania for Team Melli to strike on the half hour.

7 minutes after Jahanbakhsh’s goal it was the turn of Mehdi Taremi to start recording a historic match for himself, a match that he will cherish for a long time. The opener for Taremi was the result of a clever back heel pass by Ansarifard slicing open the tough Syrian defence for Taremi to receive the pass, take his time to round the keeper and slot the ball in.

The first half finished with a 2 goals lead for Team Melli. At no time in the half was there any indication that this will be an easy win for Team Melli as the physically strong and tough tackling Syrians gave little breathing space for the host.

The tough tackling had its first casualty, though in Majid Hosseini who was tackled hard and fell on the ground with a suspected dislocated shoulder in the second half. Kanani-Zadegan took Hosseini’s place in the central of defense.

Mehdi Taremi was on the roll as he scored his second in a spectacular fashion. The type of goals the fans love to watch and the TV to broadcast over and over again. His overhead scissors kick wrong footed the Syrian keeper whose desperate attempt failed to stop the ball hitting the net. The Al Gharafa forward scored his second and Iran’s third goal.

From this moment, it became clear that the Syrians were deflated. 3-0 was a big margin for such a proud and never says die team. They have never been beaten by an Iranian team with a 3 goals margin and although they have not given up per se, there were signs of gaps developing in their midfield and defense while the star forward Omar Al Somah had very little support up front.  The Syrian defensive cover work seemed crack sometimes too easily.

Team Melli took full advantage of that and Taremi, once again was on the score sheet. His third was scored with a nice header from an acute angle. The fully stretched Madania managed to touch the ball but it had too much pace and Taremi completed his hat trick. Iran 4 Syria 0

And the icing on the cake was a perfect introduction of young Esteghlal forward, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh. On the 79th minute Ansarifard was withdrawn to be replaced by Sayyadmanesh who has yet to complete his 18th birthday to make his debut.

Two minutes later, a clever through ball and perfectly timed run by the debutant, created a one to one situation with Syrian keeper. Allahyar though, seemed to get his bearing all wrong and mildly shot wild of the advancing keeper.

However, just before the end of regulation time, a corner by Hajsafy was met by towering the Sayyadmanesh who jumped and headed powerfully into the net. A beautiful goal indeed and a perfect curtain raiser for one of the future stars of Iranian football.

All in all, it was a 10 out of 10 performance by Team Melli and a perfect start fot the Belgian Marc Wilmots. Apart from the introduction of Sayyadmanesh this team was the legacy of Carlos Queiroz. However, there is a marked change in the philosophy between the former Team Melli coach who was an avid believer in tight defenses and the philosophy of the new regime as clearly stated by Wilmots in his pre-match press conference.

Wilmots team will be playing offensive football but not forgetting the delicate balance between going on all-out attack and reasonable strong defense.

One thing that Queiroz has created in this team though and has to be credited for it, is creation of a strong team with plenty of options in every position. It will Make Marc Wilmots job that much easier.

Team Melli vs China: players rating and performance review.

It was yet , another majestic display by Team Melli under the guidance of Carlos Queiroz. against China. Team Melli has not only enhanced its reputation as a team that can play modern and beautiful football, it also laid a solid claim and are the Chief contender for the title of AFC Asian Cup 2019.

Yet, neither Queiroz nor any of his players are talking beyond the next match. It is a wise and measured move but it does not mask the fact that from what we have seen in the last two weeks, Iran is the best team that has dominated its opposition and won matches deservedly on merit and perhaps with a class above the rest.

China was well beaten by Team Melli and much credits should go for one player, Sardar Azmoun. The Ruben Kazan forward was on a mission and he succeeded by mixture of strength, skill and determination. The Chinese defense, in truth, had a big role in the defeat of their team with some poor defending and suspect decision making.

China, however, was not a minnow team and did not lack the skills required at such level of football. They are guided by one of the world best and famous coaches in Marcello Lippi. A world Cup winner and a coach who has a trail of trophies behind him. Queiroz, on the other hand, out foxed the master in every department and his team came out a clear winner.

Queiroz has masterfully rotated the team for this tournament. He is the envy of the rest of the teams in UAE because he is spoiled for choices in every department. The absence of Vahid Amiri was not even felt. Hopefully , the same will be true against Japan when Mehdi Taremi will be missing due to his suspension.

Team Melli dominated the center and at times defended deep. their teamwork was a delight to watch. On my occasions, the series of short and fast passes interchanged between the players intimidated the Chinese who were chasing shadows. Despite the fact that most of the goals came either from long balls or route one followed by a Chinese defense blunder, that doe not hide the fact that Iran was the better team in all departments.

To be able to take advantage of the opposition mistakes , you need the quality player to do that. Team Melli had the right quality to punish mistakes by opposition defenders.

If there were some negative points, they were the same ones that were mentioned in other matches too and that is the wastefulness of the forwards, particularly Mehdi Taremi. It is very difficult to criticize a player who scored one goal and provided an assist for another, but Taremi was really appalling when he missed an open goal from a few meters after the ball was given to him on a plate by a perfect header from Kanani-Zadegan. It was a shocking miss!

Overall, it was an emphatic win in the quarter final of the AFC Asian Cup. Now……Bring on Japan.

PLAYERS RATING

  • Alireza Beiranvand (7.5): Hardly tested but when required he did his job perfectly.
  • Milad Mohammadi (7.5):  Routine day, defensive work was excellent, however, limited venturing forward to neutralize possible opposition fast breaks.
  • Morteza Pouraliganji (8): Another solid performance. His strong tackling and marking left very little space for the Chinese forwards.
  • Ramin Rezaeian (6.5): Improving with every match despite the fact that Queiroz wise squad rotation is not giving Rezaeian regular starting place.
  • Hossein Kanani-Zadegan (7.5): Only his second start of the tournament, however, he was as good as any of the regular players. When called upon for offensive work on corners, he nearly assisted in a goal but for Taremi’s profligate finishing from close range.
  • Omid Ebrahimi (7.5): Another solid exhibition of sheer power and tenacity. His defensive duties were executed perfectly. Strong and reliable as a holding midfileder. Tireless runner with great stamina.
  • Ashkan Dejagah (8): Continued where he left off. His vision, ability to find players on flanks and timely dribbling made a big impact on the game. Although he did not assist in the goals, his domination of the center of the park was excellent.  
  • Alireza Jahanbaksh (7.5): Continues his recovery and put up a good shift against China. Substituted in the second half.
  • Ehsan Hajsafy (7): Had a quiet game in the midfield zone. Nearly scored from a long range shot from outside the box, but the Chinese keeper saved it with full stretch.
  • Mahdi Taremi (7.5): Scored a goal and provided an assist for the third, however, he is still clumsy and wasteful. A player in his class should not miss an open goal, and that reckless challenge on a Chinese player cost him a yellow card and a suspension. Many rough edges to his game.
  • Sardar Azmoun (10): The best of the lot. A really great performance by Sardar capped with an assist and a goal. He was on turbo mode today running at the Chinese defense and creating havoc. He could have score more goals too.

 

Substitutes 

  1. Saman Ghoddos (7): Proving his quality every time he comes on. He does need to have more playing time to reach the peak of his performance and improve his teamwork.
  2. Roozbeh Cheshmi (7): Had a decent game and stuck to the script.
  3. Karim Ansarifard (8): In his short spell on the field, he scored a beautiful goal which proves that he can be a clinical finisher. He needs to deliver more frequently to dislodge Taremi.