Month: January 2014

24 teams in AFC Asian Cup 2019

The AFC has announced major changes in the competitions structure.

The major competition of the conteninet, the AFC Asian Cup will feature 24 teams in 2019 edition while AFC Champions League will see a similar number of nations participating according to AFC announcement following a meeting in Muscat where the AFC U-22 Championships were recently held.

The AFC Challenge Cup, which sees participation from lower ranked Asian teams, with winners gaining direct entry to the Asian Cup, will also be scrapped following this year’s edition in Maldives.

Qualification process for the Asian Cup and Fifa World Cup will also be combined at the preliminary stage. AFC Member Associations (MAs) will be split into eight groups with the group winners and four second best teams going forward to the final qualifying round for Fifa World Cup, as well as gaining automatic entry to the Asian Cup. This also increases the number of Asian teams competing in the final round of the World Cup qualifiers from 10 to 12.

The top 24 remaining teams who failed to progress to the final round of World Cup qualifiers, will instead compete for a chance at the Asian Cup in six groups of four teams. However the final round of qualifiers for the World Cup and Asian Cup will remain separate.

Changes have also been implemented for AFC’s club competitions. Assessment criteria for a nation’s AFC Champions League eligibility will now also include national team performances over the previous four years. 30% of the criteria points will be drawn from national team with the remaining 70% based on clubs’ showings.

The top 24 ranked MAs based on this new criteria will get a direct slot in the AFC Champions League group stage. Other criteria such as club licensing, existence of integrity programmes, organization of a professional league, satisfactory facilities and logical support also need to be fulfilled.

The next eight highest ranking MAs will get a direct slot in the AFC Cup group stage while those ranked from 33 to 47 will get a chance to play in the AFC Cup playoff stage.

The new rules will come into effect in competitions from 2015 with assessments taking place this year.

AFC President Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa praised the new changes and hoped for a positive impact.

“Competitions are the main products of AFC and I am happy that it is in the good hands,” he told AFC.com.

“We must market our product and generate income to sustain football across the continent. I am sure that the changes that happen will have big impact in Asian football and will benefit our Member Associations.”

State of Readiness

Six months to go for Team Melli’s first match in FIFA World Cup. The man who counts most at this stage of the game, the coach Senor Carlos Queiroz , is far from optimistic and has little words of encouragement for the passionate Persian fans of team Melli across the globe. Queiroz keeps reminding us not to count on his team chances of making an impact in Brazil. Highlights the problems he has been facing , financially , administratively and culturally that makes his task as mission impossible.  No matter how the ardent fans of Team Melli would find his remarks, some would find it disparaging and gloomy, while some would condemn such remarks in these critical times, realistically speaking , the Portuguese coach is not far from asserting the facts and reflecting the status quo of Iranian football.

[quote cite=”Carlos Queiroz”]”This is our mission impossible once, twice and three times” [/quote]

“This is our mission impossible once, twice and three times,” the 60-year-old Queiroz told AFP in Tehran a few days ago. Words that are far from encouraging, uttered by a person who , in theory at least, should be inspirational , stimulating and preparing his troop for a real battle against the best of the world. True , no one would expect the likes of Teymourian , Hosseini or Ahmadi to stand a real chance against the might of Lionel Messi and his mates, but World Cup is a place where the world remembers the fighting spirits ,   bravery , defiance and honor as much as skills , artistry , wizards  and beautiful goals. Iran can offer plenty of former if not much of the latter, but there seems to be a lose connection, a disparity a sense of loss before the first ball is kicked.

When Queiroz took over as coach, he arrived to find a national federation that was “lethargic, lacking ambition.” As he was quoted in the AFP report. This is only a tiny example of a plethora of complications facing Iran’s football management for decades. Acute lack of management & organizational skills, lopsided channeling of funds, rather than lack of it, and discrepancy between fans expectations and the management objectives are a few of the issues hindering the progress of football in the country. Poor talent management is definitely a major issue.

Reza Ghoocannejad
Reza Ghoocannejad

With so much natural talent, begging to be discovered and nurtured, it is a pity that somewhere along the line of development of footballers; many young players seem to lose their bearings and never reach their potentials.  A prime example is Persepolis forward, Payam Sadeghian , perhaps the hottest talent in Iran’s football at present. A player who has an excellent talent, pace, intelligence and sublime vision. The 22 years old striker is, however, close to self-destruction because of acute lack of discipline on and off the field. Such talents, are carefully handled and treasured elsewhere, but it has not been the case in Iran. Sadeghian, who represented Iran at all age levels, has been disorderly and troublemaker, especially since his arrival at Persepolis. The fault, partially at least, is due to the failure of the system to handle and protect such talents.

But such setbacks have not prevented Team Melli from displaying some level of respectable football in its history. In fact the Iranians usually excel under pressure. There is no reason why World Cup 2014 should be any different. In his reign , Queiroz impact on the teams tactics has not been eye catching. Team Melli has played with a solid defensive strategy which is not too attractive to watch. Queiroz biggest impact has been his success in attracting players with dual nationality. Dejagah and Ghoochannejad who were instrumental in Team Melli’s qualification to the finals of the world cup, are in the team thanks to Queiroz’s efforts.

The more serious concerns are still lingering. Iran could end up in Brazil with the weakest preparation program of all the 32 teams. Lack of friendly games, shortage of funds, compressed local league season and other issues are still making it difficult for Queiroz. The fact that he is leaving by the end of July 2014, when his contract expires, does not inspire either as lack of motivation by the Portuguese coach could be an issue. What can be said six months before the kickoff , though , is that all is not too well with Team Melli but it is business as usual.

No one can remember an ideal preparation for Team Melli for major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup or the AFC Asian Cup, but that has never seemed to dilute the fighting spirit, enthusiasm and resolve of the Iranians.

Queiroz weighs up Iran’s World Cup ‘mission impossible’

AFP

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz told AFP he hopes his side can overcome poor preparations to make an impact at the World Cup finals in Brazil, but admits that the draw has left them facing a huge task.

Iran, who are known among fans as ‘Team Melli’, will be competing in their fourth World Cup finals after previous appearances in 1978, 1998 and 2006 and will face one of the favourites, Argentina, in Group F along with African champions Nigeria and dark horses Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“This is our mission impossible once, twice and three times,” Queiroz, the 60-year-old who took charge as head coach in April 2011, told AFP in Tehran. “But that is what makes the tournament attractive.”

Iran are Asia’s top-ranked team but Queiroz acknowledges that his squad, made up largely of home-based players, lacks the quality needed to make a serious impact.

Instead, a meeting with a side like Argentina and their star man Lionel Messi, is simply to be enjoyed with the pressure off.

“You have to pay millions of dollars to play a friendly match against Argentina, but my players have won this game with their sweat,” he said. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to face a team that plays with that player (Messi) who is not human.”

As for their chances of qualifying for the last 16, Queiroz says they have “a duty to try our luck” even if it seems like “an unrealistic dream.”

At least the Portuguese himself is not short of experience, having been coach of Real Madrid and assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. In 2010 he coached his native Portugal at the World Cup in South Africa, taking them to the last 16 where they lost 1-0 to eventual winners Spain.

Taking Iran that far would be an enormous achievement, especially as his preparations for this year’s finals are a daily struggle in a country whose access to the global banking system has been cut due to international sanctions. As a result, a scheduled training camp in Portugal was cancelled in September due to a lack of funds, and Queiroz admits Iran are some way behind in their plans.

“We lost six months. I hope we will be able to find a solution as nothing is clearly scheduled for the moment,” he said, bemoaning the lack of financial support.

“Football is in Iranians’ blood”

But despite the difficulties, Queiroz believes the passion for the game in Iran can help them spring a surprise or two in Brazil.

“Iranians have football in their blood and soul. You don’t need to promote football through marketing here,” he said of a country that has enjoyed considerable success at youth level as well as in futsal and in beach soccer. “It is amazing to see that — with so few resources and capabilities — the federation has achieved so much.

“With its potential, imagine what Iran could achieve if it had the resources of Qatar.”

When Queiroz took over as coach, he arrived to find a national federation that was “lethargic, lacking ambition.” He tried to make changes, including bringing in Iranian players with dual nationality, such as Daniel Davari of Germany’s Eintracht Braunschweig, Fulham midfielder Ashkan Dejagah, Dutch-Iranian striker Reza Ghoochannejhad and, most recently, American-born right-back Steven Beitashour of San Jose Earthquakes.

However, his efforts were met with skepticism.

“In a conservative society like Iran, it is not easy to talk about reform and change of habits. It is not easy in Iran, not easy in other parts of the world. “We cannot be competitive without international experience. The only thing here similar to professional football is that at the end of the month, players get their salary.

“But my commitment to Iranians is to make them happy. This is our World Cup, this is our time to tell the world that Iran is a football country.”

For now, his focus is purely on the World Cup, but Queiroz admits that he has unspecified “offers” on the table for when his contract runs out on July 31.

Team Melli maintains top Asian ranking.

In the latest FIFA Ranking , Iran maintained its position as the Top Asian team ahead of Japan an Korea Rep. , despite dropping one position to 34th in the

world. Romania is in 33rd rank while Cape Verde Islands is only below Iran. Nigeria who is in Group F of the FIFA World Cup 2014 has dropped 4 positions and lies in 41 position below Iran. The other teams in the group Argentina and Bosnia have maintained in their position 2 and 19 respectively.

Rank Team Pts +/- Pos
31 Egypt 748 10 Up
32 Costa Rica 743 -1 Down
33 Romania 734 -1 Down
34 Iran 727 -1 Down
35 Cape Verde Islands 726 4 Up
36 Panama 722 2 Up
37 Scotland 717 -3 Down
38 Armenia 716 -3 Down
39 Venezuela 715 -3 Down
40 Mali 703 5 Up
41 Nigeria 701 -4 Down
42 Peru 698 -3 Down

 

Asian Ranking

Last Updated 16 Jan 2014 m Next Release 13 Feb 2014
Jan 2014
Rank Zone Rank Team Pts +/- Pos
34 1 Iran 727 -1 Down
48 2 Japan 641 -1 Down
53 3 Korea Republic 581 1 Up
56 4 Australia 571 2 Up
63 5 United Arab Emirates 548 8 Up
65 6 Uzbekistan 546 3 Up
72 7 Jordan 504 -7 Down
73 8 Saudi Arabia 487 14 Up
79 9 Oman 440 6 Up
92 10 China PR 376 0 Equal

Kaveh Rezaei’s hat trick not enough for Iran

A second half hat trick by team Melli’s center forward Kaveh Rezaei against Kuwait was not enough for Iran to qualify to the next round.

In the match played on Thursday , Iran U-22 beat Kuwait-U22 3-1 in Muscat , Oman in the final game of group C in the AFC Asian U-22 Championship 2014.

Japan routed Australia 4-0 in the other game that was played at the same time of Iran-Kuwait game, to qualify for the next round along with Australia. Both Iran and Kuwait were eliminated.

In a match which was totally dominated by Team Melli U-22 , the Iranians did everything but finish their attacks in the first half. The hero of the match was undoubtedly the Kuwaiti goalkeeper who saved many goal bound shoots from Iranian forwards. In the second round the trend continued as the first with the Kuwaiti’s having nothing to offer but sit back and defend. However , Rezaei managed to score in the 62nd minute with a flying header after the Kuwaiti goalkeeper again parried in front of Kaveh Rezaeh who cleverly headed into the goal. Rezaei scored his second 5 minutes later in a similar circumstances before completing his hat trick in style with a curved shoot on to the far corner of the Kuwait goalkeeper in the 81st minute. Kuwait scored a consolation late in the added time.

Kaveh Rezaei
Kaveh Rezaei

For all his effort , Rezaei’s fine scoring record in this tournament , could not save Iran. 5 goals from 3 matches is a record to be proud of but the Japanese with a convincing win in their decider match against Australia, sealed the feat of Iran. It was a bitter end for Team Melli U-22 under Human Afazeli who took over only a few days before the start of the competition after Alireza Mansourian resigned his post as a coach.

 

 

Team Melli U-22 lose against Australia.

Team Melli U-22 faltered against Australia in its second match of the AFC Asian U-22 championship as they went down 1-0 in Muscat’s Royal Police stadium.

The performance of the team was in sharp contrast to the first game against Japan when they showed grit , and skills against the opponents.

Against an organized Australian team , Team Melli U-22 was facing a physically strong , highly organized and motivated players. The Iranians were poorly disciplined tactically and by conduct , played emotionally and insisted on individual plays rather than team work. There was far too many dribbles, even the goalkeeper Biranvand dribbled like his teammates. Despite having a better percentage of ball possession , there was far too many shortcomings in the team to produce a winning performance.

With this result , which qualifies Australia, it looks like Team Melli is in a precarious position. Even a win against Kuwait in the last match of the group , which is by no way a forgone conclusion , might not be enough for the team to make it to the next round.

In the other match of the group , Japan and Kuwait drew 0-0.

Details
Published: 15 January 2014

Muscat: A goal from Petros Skapetis put Australia into the quarter-finals of the AFC U-22 Championship with a 1-0 victory over Iran in Group C at Royal Police Stadium on Tuesday.

The Australian forward latched on to a loose ball on the 56th minute and fired home after Iranian goalkeeper Ali Reza Beiranvand could only parry defender Curtis Good’s header following a corner kick.

And although Iran threw on two more forwards in an attempt to restore parity, they were unable to breakdown a very organised Australian side, who might have scored again through midfielder Stefan Mauk in the final minutes of the match.

“We knew it would be a hard and physical game but I’m happy with the performance of my players” said Australia coach Aurelio Vidmar.

“We need to get a bit more composure, especially through the midfield, as the game got very stretched at times. But overall, I’m very pleased.”

While Iran welcomed back defender Vahid Esmaeilbeigi and midfielder Morteza Pouraliganji to the side from suspension, Australia coach Vidmar swapped almost his entire starting line-up from the 11 that began the 1-0 over Kuwait on Sunday.

“Every team has the same amount of players, our philosophy is to give everyone an opportunity.

“we wanted everyone to each get a full game, and we’ve achieved that so far,” explained Vidmar.

“There’s no first team or second team, I’m just trying to build one team.”

In a tight first half with chances at a premium, one of Vidmar’s changes, striker Adam Taggart, had his side’s first effort on goal inside the first 10 minutes as his free-kick from just outside the penalty area went narrowly over the crossbar.

Taggart was the most likely source of a breakthrough for Australia in the first period and on the 23rd minute he sent another curling shot drifted wide.

In between those strikes by the Australia forward, Mehdi Shiri went close for Iran with a deflected effort that goalkeeper Aaron Lennox pushed out, and a swerving long range effort that was just off target.

Australia came out fired up for the second half, however, and in the first minute after the restart Andrew Hoole’s penetrating run down the right side was followed by a shot from the right winger that needed to be punched clear by an alert Beiranvand at his near post.

Centre-back Good was then forced to leave the field for treatment to a nasty gash above his eye following a clash of heads, and with the big centre-back off the field, Iran had their best chance to open the scoring as Kaveh Rezaei slipped in Benham Barzay for a low shot from inside the penalty area that was parried wide by Lennox in the Australia goal.

But with Good back on the field sporting a mass of white gauzing around his injured forehead, it was Australia who took the lead.

Awarded a free-kick in a central area on the 55th minute, Hoole skimmed a low shot off the turf that was pushed out for a corner by the Iranian custodian.

But from the resulting set-piece, a hurtling blur of bandages in the form of Good powered a header on target that Beiranvand could only parry as far as the waiting Skapetis, who hooked the ball into the gaping net.

In a bid to seek an equaliser, Iran brought on strikers Arsalan Motahhari and Seyed Miri and it was the former who had his side’s best chance with a low shot into the arms of a sprawling Lennox following good work from Rezaei.

Australia dominated possession for the remains of the second half, although Motahhari had time for another effort at the death but this time his shot from the edge of the penalty area went wide of Lennox’s right-hand post.

With a lengthy seven minutes of stoppage time added due to Good’s extended treatment, Maulk could have put the game to bed, but a good save from Beiranvand prevented the second half substitute from doubling the advantage.

“It was a physically demanding game and we can say a game of small differences. Australia is a great team, very organised with a fighting spirit,” said Iran coach Human Afazeli.

“A big difference was that Australia used almost 11 new players, and we couldn’t do that as we have only 20 players in our squad and three of them are goalkeepers.

“I want to praise my players, they showed fantastic effort. I am satisfied with their efforts, they did a good job.”

[divider]

AFC U-22 CHAMPIONSHIP 2013
FINAL ROUND

14-01-2014 17:00 GST
Royal Oman Police Stadium, Muscat, OMAN
[Attendance]     250
IRAN     0     1     AUSTRALIA
0      Half time    1
MVP: SHAHRYAR SHIRVAND
Referee:     KIM JONG HYEOK (KOREA REPUBLIC)

Lineups
IRAN: 1 ALI REZA SAFARBEIRANVAND , 2 VAHID ESMAEILIBEIGI , 3 SHAHRYAR SHIRVAND (C), 5 MOHAMMAD AMIN HAJMOHAMMADI, 13 AHMAD ZENDEHROOH, 23 MEHDI SHIRI [16 FARDIN ABEDINI 62′], 6 MORTEZA POURALIGANJI, 14 SHAHAB KARAMI, 19     BEHNAM BARZAY [11 SEYED PEYMAN MIRI 71′], 20 EHSAN PAHLAVAN [17 ARSALAN MOTAHHARI 84′], 9 KAVEH REZAEI
HUMAN AFAZELI (Head Coach)

AUSTRALIA: 1 AARON LENNOX ; 3 CURTIS GOOD (C),4 CONNOR CHAPMAN , 6 JOSHUA BRILLANTE , 8 RYAN EDWARDS [17 JAKE BARKER-DAISH 80′],13 SCOTT GALLOWAY, 16    REECE CAIRA,21 ANDREW HOOLE, 23    PETROS SKAPETIS [9 DYLAN TOMBIDES 90′], 10 ADAM TAGGART [7 STEFAN INGO MAUK 86′], 11 CONNOR PAIN
AURELIO VIDMAR (Head Coach)

Yellow Cards: CHAPMAN (AUS) 23′, HAJMOHAMMADI (IRI) 38′, GOOD (AUS) 49′, KARAMI(IRI) 78′

[divider]

Group C

 

Teams
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
PTS
AUSTRALIA 2 2 0 0 2 0 2 6
JAPAN 2 0 2 0 3 3 0 2
I.R. IRAN 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1 1
KUWAIT 2 0 1 1 0 1 -1 1

Iran and Japan play a thriller in Muscat.

Muscat
In a thrilling encounter Iran U-22 and Japan U-22 drew 3-3 in the Group C of AFC Asian U-22 championship.played in Oman Police stadium in Muscat.

Iran started the scoring through Behnam Barzay with a nice finish on he 5th minute, before Japan quickly responded with the equalizer two minutes later. Japan then took the lead on the on the half hour  for the teams finished the first half and going into dressing room with Japan leading 2-1

In the second half Kaveh Rezaei scored two quick goals , one from a penalty on the 49th minute , then the young Saipa forward scored a world class goal in the 55th, when he escaped his two markers while his back was to the goal and made a half turn before shooting in the upper left corner of the Japanese goal

Japan equalized 10 minutes later through Nakajuma by aiming at the far corner of Biranvand’s goal.

With this result , both teams shared the points while Australia managed to beat Kuwait 1-0 earlier in the day to lead the table with 3 points.

The match highlighted the two different schools of their respected countries football. The Japanese , organized , systematical and emphasis on teamwork, while Iran

came out as physically stronger , individually skillful and offensive minded. Iran managed to have control of the ball despite the Japamses trying to crowd the midfiled. Human Afazeli did a fine job varying the  tactics of the team from some free flowing football to route one , confusing the opponents and pressing them hard.

The fast paced game was full of action and to the credit of the two teams, none was content with a draw and both played offensive football. The Iranians were caught off guard several times by their over emotional football with some uncalled for tackles resulting in accumulation of yellow cards, the worst of was the one awarded to goalkeeper Biranvand.

While Iran was offensively strong , there was a few question marks on the goalkeeper and the defense. Biranvand , who was brilliant for his club in the league was guilty of ball watching on two of the 3 Japanese goals.

Match highlights

4′  Shehab Karami wastes a brilliant chance to score.
6′  Barzay scores  from a nice pass from the left 1-0
8′ Harakawa scores on the first Japanese offense. Poor covering from Biranvand left him ball watching 1-1

16′  Hajmohammadi shoots wide over the bar in front of an open goal from Kveh Rezaei nicely executed corner kick.
24′ Iismaelzadeh hits the bar after a string of beautiful passes.
30′ Japan scores after afrom and a brilliant individual run. Japaneses scorer passed Iran defenders with ease.

49′ Rezaei scores from a penalty 2-2
55′ fantastoc goal  by Kaveh Rezaei with 180 degree turn  shots to the ceiling of Japan’s , world class goal 3-2
56′ Shariyar Shirvand blopcs what seemed to be a certain Japan goal.
62 Pahlavan , the substitute , hits a ferocious shoot which the Japanese keeper parries with difficulty. .
65′ Japan scores. A diagonal  ball  from the left , leaves Biravand standing still watching the ball into the net.

 

 

JAPAN – IRAN
3 – 3

Half time score 2-1

12 January 2014
1st AFC Asian Championship
Royal Oman Police Stadium , Muscat
Attendance : 304

Referee:FAHAD JABER AL-MARRI (QATAR)

Scorers
BEHNAM BARZAY(Iran) 7′, HARAKAWA RIKI (Japan) 9′ , ASANO TAKUMA 30′ , KAVEH REZAEI 40′(Pen)& 55′, NAKAJIMA SHOYA 66′

Lineups
JAPAN    
1 KUSHIBIKI MASATOSHI ; 2 KAWAGUCHI NAOKI (13 YAJIMA SHINYA 60′), 3 YOSHINO KYOHEI,5 NISHINO TAKAHARU (C),6 YAMANAKA RYOSUKE , 7 HARAKAWA RIKI ,8 ISHIGE HIDEKI (4 MATSUBARA KEN 60′),9 SUZUKI, 10 NAKAJIMA SHOYA,16 ASANO TAKUMA (14 ARANO TAKUMA 78′), 20 UEDA NAOMICHI

EGURAMORI (Head Coach)

IRAN    
1 ALI REZA SAFAR BEIRANVAND ,3 SHAHRYAR SHIRVAND (C),5 MOHAMMAD AMIN HAJMOHAMMADI, 23 MEHDI SHIRI, 16 FARDIN ABEDINI, 13 AHMAD ZENDEHROOH, 10 AFSHIN ESMAEILZADEH (20 EHSAN PAHLAVAN 54), 14 SHAHAB KARAMI, 11 SEYED PEYMAN MIRI(17 ARSALAN MOTAHHARI 71′), 19 BEHNAM BARZAY,9 KAVEH REZAEI

HUMAN AFAZELI (Head Coach)

Yellow Cards:

Japan [1]: Matsubara 77′

Iran [6]: Abedini 21′, Shirvand 44′, Rezaei 55′, Shiri 86′, Biranvand 87′, Motahhari 90+1′

[divider]

the-afc.com

Muscat: An early contender for AFC U-22 Championship goal of the tournament from Shoya Nakajima was the pick of the bunch in a high-scoring encounter between Japan and Iran that ended in a 3-3 tie in their Group C fixture at Royal Police Stadium on Sunday.

Both sides were off the mark before the game had even reached the 10 minutes mark with Benham Barzay’s opener for Iran quickly nullified by a reply from Riki Harakawa.

Takuma Asano then put Japan ahead five minutes before the interval as the action continued at a furious pace.

The break did nothing to calm an appetite for goals with Iran striker Kaveh Rezaei bagging a brace within 10 minutes of the restart to restore Iran’s lead before Nakajima’s long range strike capped off the scoring in a thrilling contest.

“It was a tough but open game, we both scored a lot of goals and conceded a lot,” said Japan coach Makoto Teguramori, whose side will face Kuwait in his side’s next fixture on Tuesday.

“However, considering the lack of preparation, the ability of my side to score and give a tough game, was a positive factor.

“In terms of goals conceded we will need to make adjustments. My players had a good feeling and as we play more we’ll improve. The Iran coach said this was his B team, I don’t think it was a B team at all!”

Iran flew out of the blocks in the opening minutes, swarming over a tentative Japan right from the kick-off and it took forward Rezaei just four minutes to impose himself on the game.

He first played in Shahab Karami who blazed over, before playing a part in the move that led to Barzay’s opener, with the forward finding himself with space to turn and shoot in the penalty area with Japan’s defence all at sea in the seventh minute.

The goal shocked the young Blue Samurai into action as Iran’s lead lasted just two minutes as Harakawa stepped inside two challenges on the edge of the penalty area before curling the ball into the corner past an unsighted Ali Reza Beiranvand who was left motionless on his line by the ball’s vicious swerve.

From then on the match opened up into a pattern of pulsating back and forth attacks from both sides.

Nakajima shot wide when played through just after the 20 minute mark, while Iran reposted almost immediately with a deft combination between Afshin Esmaeilzadeh and Seyed Miri that resulted in the former slamming a shot against Masatoshi Kushibiki’s crossbar from 16 yards out.

With both sides attacking at will, space began to open up at the back and as Iran pushed forward in numbers, the ball broke to Asano who found himself one-on-one with Beiranvand and he clipped adroitly over the goalkeeper to give Japan the lead.

Musashi Suzuki had a good chance to add a third goal when put through on goal with under 10 minutes of the half remaining but the midfielder was denied by the Iranian custodian who dived bravely at his feet to avert the danger.

The second half continued much the same as the first period with both teams attacking with gusto and it took just two minutes after the restart before Iran restored parity as a coming together in the box between Japan captain Takaharu Nishino and Rezaei resulted in a penalty which the latter coolly converted high to the goalkeeper’s left.

And the irrepressible Rezaei then put his side in front after 55 minutes with a powerful shot from just inside the penalty area that curled into the top corner.

Although the Iranian number nine’s strike was a fine effort, it only took 10 minutes for the diminutive Nakajima to go one better with a spectacular shot from distance that arrowed into the top corner.

With the furious tempo the match had enjoyed for over an hour, it was understandable that the pace began to drop as a raft of substitutions took place, although there was still time for one final chance as a free-kick from substitute Shinya Yajima flew just inches wide of Beiranvand’s right-hand post.

“I think it was an acceptable start for our team, especially against a competitive and well-organised team like Japan, considering this was the first time this lineup played together,” said Iran coach Afazeli Human, who will take on Australia on Tuesday.

“For us, I think, the good starts we made to both halves are something we can build on. We didn’t come to draw, we wanted to win and so did Japan, that’s why it was so open.”

Team Melli U-19 finishes in style.

Iran’s U-19 team outscored their European opponents 3-2 to win its last match in the alentin Granatkin Memorial Tournament played on Sunday n St Petesburg Peterburgsky Stadium.

Team Melli scored  through Fathian (18), Bazaj (34) and  Sohrabian (40),

The match  against Greece concluded Iran’s participation in this tournament winning the 5th place match.  Iran played five matches winning four of them while losing one in the group stages.

 

Match № 38

The match № 38, match for the 5th place, tenth tournament day

I.R.IRAN – GREECE 3:2 (3:0)

January 12th, 2014, St. Petersburg, Peterburgsky SCC, 300 spectators

Referees: Ivan Saraev, Kirill Bolshakov, Konstantin Averyanov

Goals: Fathian (18), Bazaj (34), Sohrabian (40), Neumann (47; 51, pen.)

I.R. Iran: Amini, Joudaki (c), Sohrabian, Hosseini, Sarlak, Aghaei (Ezzati, 88), Bazaj (Hashemi, 81), Seyyedi (Baghdadi, 90), Haghnazari (Soleimani, 84), Moharrami (Moghtadaei, 90), Fathian (Salimi, 65), Niazmand

Head coach: Ali Dousti Mehr

Greece: Kotsaris, Saliakas, Toufas, Oikonomou, Gialamidis (Kanavetas, 59), Tzanoulinos, Fasidis (Tsolakidis, 46), Koulouris, Neumann, Deligiannidis (c), Ktistopoulos

Head coach: Theodoros Pachatouridis

Yellow cards: Gialamidis (27), Bazaj (35), Toufas (38), Neumann (58), Joudaki (72), Tzanoulinos (75)

Red card: Hosseini (50)

Best players: Golibolagh Yousef Seyyedi, Marios Tzanoulinos

 

Photo-icon-h24Photos >>>

 

After match comments

Head coach of the team I.R.Iran Ali Dousti Mehr:

– I want to thank the organizers of the tournament. It is difficult to keep a good level of the tournament with so many teams and tough schedule, I realize it. We say thank you from our team and ask to invite us again. Your tournaments help us much. We hope that our team left only best impressions last year and this time. Talking about this match, we asked our players to follow the coach’s instructions and obey the discipline as on the pitch and off it.

– You started second half with a good advantage 3:0. Had your players decided that the result was done and came to the second half relaxed?

– Don’t forget that we played in the minority. The mistakes of players of this age are more obvious, plus their emotions. There are not professionals still; they will be able to manage with it in future. But now they are playing with such moments. They can score 5 goals and stop playing, but then it is a problem to come back to the game. But also they can spend the whole match with a good speed and performance but without scoring. It is obviously difficult to play 10 to 11 and show good football, finding the strengths for the offence. It is a good experience: we can understand the points we have to work at.

– Have you studied the playing of team Greece before the match? They won St. Petersburg and saved the match against Azerbaijan on the last seconds.

– Yes, we know the Greeks play by the scheme 4-1-4-1, and that they have strong, tall, robust players. Players with good physics can play football. And now they won the second half 2:0, though they could have won 4:0. But our analyzing their playing led us to the triumph. Though, again, playing shorthanded it was rather hard to accomplish. But we didn’t see their performance during the whole second half, because we didn’t allow them to play. And losing one player affected our playing very much.

– But when you were ten and missed two goals the team rushed forward, pushing the opponents from its goal area. And in the end you were making substitutions, setting the Greeks off tempo. So you had forces? And the tactics was to keep the winning score by all means?

– Yes, sure, while we had forces we tried not to allow the Greeks to play sharp. But the forces soon were over, for we were only ten. So I had to make substitutions in order to keep the players fit. And there was some kind of cunning. Many do so to kick the clock. We were to decide something, to add something new and to slow down the Greeks’ playing, because our players were not so fast anymore.

Head coach of the team Greece Theodoros Pachatouridis hasn’t attended the press conference.

AFC U-22 Championship: Group C Preview

 

Published: 12 January 2014

Muscat: Japan coach Makoto Teguramori is banking on his young side developing a winning habit starting at the AFC U-22 Championship with victory in the competition a crucial step on the road to future success.

Boasting a flawless record in qualifying in which Teguramori’s attack-minded Blue Samurai were second highest scorer, the former Vegalta Sendai coach emphasised the significance of the 16-team tournament to his side’s development.

“Since the first day I was nominated for this position, I have always said this tournament was important for the development of our young generation of players,” said Teguramori.

Japan are placed in arguably one of the toughest groups of the tournaments alongside Australia, Iran and Kuwait, with Teguramori’s team beginning their campaign against Iran at the Royal Oman Police Stadium in Group C on Sunday.

“It’s extremely important for my young team to compete against other strong nations,” said Teguramori. “It’s important to win for the team’s attitude to prepare and win. It’s important to get into the experience of winning tournaments.

“As this squad consists of a generation that didn’t play as well at U-19 level, so players want to pay back those emotions from unsuccessful tournaments by showing a fighting spirit in this tournament.”

Teguramori’s opposite number, Iran coach Afazeli Human, was full of admiration for his opponents, highlighting the superior make-up of their side.

“At the moment, the Japan football team has a mixture of individual quality and teamwork. That is the possible way to grow, when you have a mixture,” said Human.

“If you have good individuals not in the team that is a problem. If you have a good team but no top individuals, that’s also a problem. Japan has both great individuals and a great team.”

Human’s team earned their place at the AFC U-22 Championship by winning their qualifying group, and although their squad in Muscat lacks some of the stars that led them to the finals, Iran will have the striking talents of forward Kaveh Rezaei who top-scored for the side during qualification. However, they will have to make do without defender Vahid Esmaeilbeigi and midfielder Morteza Pouraliganji against Japan due to suspension.

“We are here to stay in Oman as long as possible,” added Human. “We will also focus on the quality and mentality of the players – the most important thing in this tournament is to get the last steps for a pro’s life.”

In the opening game of Group C, Australia will take on Kuwait with coach Aurelio Vidmar expecting his Olyroos squad to savour the opportunity of top level international fixtures.

“It’s important to have competitive games, we don’t play enough international football at youth level, so for us this tournament is very important,” said Vidmar.

“We expect tough games and we’re going to be competitive. We’re here to get experience into young bodies and young careers, that’s the most important thing for us. The more games they get the better.

“We haven’t had the opportunities for camps or friendly games throughout the year. It’s not going to be perfect, but if the attitude is right, then we can go a long way.”

Kuwait’s coach Jorvan Vieira concurs with his Australian counterpart that the AFC U-22 Championship provides a good opportunity for competitive matches for his youthful charges.

Vieira has already tasted national team success in an AFC continental competition after guiding Iraq to a famous victory at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup and will be hoping his side that includes two members of his senior side, forward Faisal Al Harbi and defender Fahad Al Hajeri, can get the team off to winning ways in Muscat.

“Our target is the same: provide real experience for the young players,” he said.

“Players only get real experience when they are exposed to, and participate in, matches and according to the results they can get.”

Ghalenoei condemns “Navad” TV show.

Tehran.

Amir Ghalenoei, the ex-Team Melli coach and the current coach of league leader Esteghlal club, has severely criticized “Navad” TV show and its anchor, Adel Ferdowsipour, for exposing wrongdoings of Iran’s football players and officials.

In the aftermath of “Navad” uncovering of the Shisha smoking by several players and officials of Team Melli U-22 in a Kish Island hotel, where the team was camping for the friendly match against South Korea,  the results of which lead to the suspension of the persons involved , Ghalenoei accused Navad and Ferdowsipour of attempting to discredit footballers and tarnish their name by publicizing their wrongdoings while ignoring their charity works.

Ghalenoei pointed at the recent function when his team’s players visited a hospital specializing in artificial; limbs operations, which did not receive any publicity, according to Ghalenoei.

“When my players do any type of charity work , similar to what Sepahan , Fajr Sepasi  and Tractorsazi players do , it is not reflected in the media , but a few young players smoking Shisha gets much attention” Ghalenoei moaned “Why do they have to highlight such wrongdoing? If only a few people knew about such misdemeanor , and I say that as a person who is totally against smoking , now 20 million knows about it, thanks to Navad ”  referring to the number of audiences that regularly watch “Navad” every week.

“Navad” is a weekly sport show hosted by Adel Ferdowsipour. It is the most popular TV show on IRIB TV network by a large margin and the show that creates substantial advertising revenue for the network due to this immense popularity in Iran. Ferdowsipour, through his bold and skilful investigative journalism has created a large fan base making him arguably, the most influential person in Iran’s complex football politics. But his influence and popularity is not shared by many people in Iranian football circles. Navad and Ferdowsipour is loathed by officials, coaches and players who are exposed or investigated for their misconducts., High profile club bosses and coaches such as Daei and Ghalenoei are regular critics of Ferdowsipour, but the same people who criticize Navad , do not hesitate to use the program as a tribune to advertise their own causes.