Al Maktoum stadium ,Dubai. teammelli.com reports   Carlos Queiroz announced some changes in the starting line up for Team Melli against Iraq. The main news is the introduction of Alireza Jahanbakhsh from the start. This is the first time that the Brighton winger plays a competitive game since his hamstring injury in November.   Starting lineup: Alireza Beiranvand Vouria Ghafoori Majid Hosseini Milad Mohammadi Hossein Kanan-Zadegan Roozbeh Cheshmi Omid Ebrahimi Saman Ghoddos Alireza Jahanbakhsh Vahid Amiri Sardar Azmoun  

Dubai: Team Melli star Alireza Jahanbakhsh has declared himself fit and ready to play in his side's group-deciding AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 tie against Iraq at Al Maktoum Stadium on Wednesday.

He is yet to feature in UAE 2019, and hasn't appeared for club side Brighton and Hove Albion since the first week of November, but the star told the-AFC.com he is physically ready to join his Team Melli teammates for the all important clash.

"Thankfully, my condition is great, and I’ve trained with the team in the past couple of days," said the 25-year-old.

"I have no problem to play this game, and I am ready. It’s up to the coaching staff to decide whether they want to use me or not."

While Carlos Queiroz will welcome the return of one of his side's key attacking weapons, even in Jahanbakhsh's absence they have managed to win both of their opening matches, racking up seven goals in the process.

Those emphatic victories over Yemen and Vietnam have sealed Iran's place in the Round of 16 already, but winning the group remains important, as it could deliver a much more manageable set of knockout stage opponents.

A draw is all that's required to achieve that objective for Jahanbakhsh's side, but he insists they will be chasing another win.

"This is one of the most significant games for us," he declared.

"Certainly, when we started the tournament, we wanted to progress one game at a time and, thankfully, the first two games were great. This game is significant because we want to stay top of our group, and because in our path we need the confidence that a good result would provide us." "We’re facing Iraq, this adds to the importance and attractiveness of the game. Both teams have six points, but to be honest, it makes no difference to us."

"It’s one of the games that we must face and it’s one of the games that we’re focusing a lot on. Hopefully, we’ll face it with strength."

The last meeting between the two sides in this competition was their classic 3-3 draw in 2015 quarter-finals in Canberra, with Iraq prevailing on penalties after a chaotic period of extra-time.

Just 21 at the time, Jahanbakhsh's career has gone from strength to strength in the four years to follow, but - even with an Eredivisie Golden Boot and a record transfer to Brighton to his name - it's clear he hasn't forgotten about what was a painful elimination.

"Surely, the events that occurred in that game, us being down to 10 players, and the conditions that we were faced with, made it really hard for us," he said.

"Despite all these obstacles, we played very well against Iraq. I still think we should have qualified for the next stage, but sometimes football doesn’t smile upon us, and we were eliminated.

"However, we’ve entered this tournament with more experience. Surely, our experience at the World Cup can really help us out, with all the games that we’ve had. The current Iraqi team has a couple of players from the last Asian Cup team that eliminated us, so we know their squad.

"We do not want to make any mistakes this time, we want to be completely focused, and be present in this game even better than before, so we can get the best result."

Iran will meet Iraq on Wednesday in the final Group D match to determine who will end up as head of the group. It will be a repeat of the quarter-final of AFC Asian Cup 2015 where Iraq came on top on penalties to qualify for the semi finals. This time round, there will be no penalty kicks. A draw is sufficient for Iran to clinch the table lead. This will be the 27th meeting between the two neighbors since  their first meeting 57 years ago in Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran in 1962.  Iran is on top by a big margin with 16 wins to Iraq's 4.  

HEAD 2 HEAD

H / A / N	Matches	W	D	L	GF	GA	+ / -
H	11	8	1	2	18	8	10
A	3	2	1	0	4	1	3
N	12	6	4	2	16	10	6
Total	26	16	6	4	38	19	19

  Match Date: 16 January 2019

• This is the seventh encounter between Iran and Iraq at the Asian Cup. Only one fixture has been played more frequently at the tournament (8 matches between South Korea and Kuwait).
• Iran have won four of their six previous Asian Cup encounters with Iraq (D1 L1, penalties excluded), scoring in all six of those encounters. However, their last encounter saw Iraq beat Iran on penalties in the quarter-finals of the 2015 edition (3-3 a.e.t., 7-6 on pens).
• Iran are unbeaten in 19 group stage games at the Asian Cup (W15 D4), a run that stretches back to 1996, when they lost 2-1 to Iraq.
• Iraq will be looking to finish the group stages unbeaten for just the second time in the Asian Cup, last doing so in 2007 when they went on to win the tournament, defeating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final.
• Iran’s Sardar Azmoun is the first player to score three goals in the 2019 Asian Cup, he has already netted more than he did in the 2015 edition (2).
• The most common result in the 26 matches played between Iran and Iraq ended up 2-1

 

Table of Asian Cup

Asian Cup	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	+ / -
Total	6	4	1	1	12	6	6

 

Results in Asian Cup

Country	Date	Round		Score	Venue	Attendance
Australia	23.Jan.2015	Quarter Finals	N	3 - 3	Canberra Stadium , Canberra.	18,921
	Sardar AZMOUN (24), Morteza POURALIGANJI (103), Reza GHOOCHANNEJAD (119)
Qatar	11.Jan.2011	Group D	N	2 - 1	Rayyan Stadium , Doha	10,870
	Gholamreza REZAEI (41), Iman MOBALI (84)
Lebanon	18.Oct.2000	Group A	N	1 - 0	Municipal Stadium ,Sidon	8,582
	Ali DAEI (77)
UAE	07.Dec.1996	Group B	N	1 - 2	Al Maktoum Stadium , Dubai	20,000
	Ali DAEI (pen.) (77)
Iran	04.Jun.1976	Group B	H	2 - 0	Aryamehr Stadium, Tehran	50,000
	Nasser NOORAEI (45),  Hassan ROWSHAN (57)
Thailand	09.May.1972	Group A	N	3 - 0	National Stadium, Bangkok	5,000
	Hossein KALANI (34), (70), (78)

 

IRAN vs IRAQ FULL MATCHES LIST

Date	Comp.	H / A / N	Final score	Stadium	Attendance
23.01.2015	Asian Cup / Quarter Finals	N	3 - 3	Canberra Stadium , Canberra.	18,921
04.01.2015	Friendly International	N	1 - 0	WIN Stadium, Wollongong, NSW
11.01.2011	Asian Cup	N	2 - 1	Rayyan Stadium , Doha	10,870
01.10.2010	WAFF / Semi Final	N	2 - 1	King Abdullah Satdium - Amman	10,300
25.06.2007	WAFF / Final	N	2 - 1	International Stadium , Amman	8,000
16.06.2007	WAFF / Group B	N	0 - 0	International Stadium , Amman	5,000
04.10.2006	Others / LG CUP	A	2 - 0	King Abdulla Stadium , Amman	1,000
23.06.2004	WAFF / Semi Finals	H	2 - 1	Azadi Stadium, Tehran	15,000
13.08.2003	Others / LG CUP	H	0 - 1	Azadi Stadium, Tehran	20,000
05.09.2002	WAFF / Semi Finals	N	0 - 0	Al Abbassyin  Stadium , Damascus	2,000
12.10.2001	World Cup Qualifier	H	2 - 1	Azadi Stadium, Tehran	90,000
07.09.2001	World Cup Qualifier	A	2 - 1	Al Shaab Stadium, Baghdad	60,000
18.10.2000	Asian Cup	N	1 - 0	Municipal Stadium ,Sidon	8,582
07.12.1996	Asian Cup	N	1 - 2	Al Maktoum Stadium , Dubai	20,000
22.10.1993	World Cup Qualifier	N	1 - 2	Khalifa International Stadium, Doha	30,000
05.11.1989	Peace & Friendship Tour	N	0 - 0	Kadhma Stadium , Kuwait City	8,500
04.06.1976	Asian Cup	H	2 - 0	Aryamehr Stadium, Tehran	50,000
29.08.1975	Olympics Qualifier	H	1 - 0	Azadi Stadium, Tehran	80,000
13.09.1974	Asian Games / Semi Finals	H	1 - 0	Azadi Stadium, Tehran	85,000
09.05.1972	Asian Cup	N	3 - 0	National Stadium, Bangkok	5,000
07.03.1969	Friendship Cup	H	2 - 1	Amjadiah Stadium,Tehran
07.03.1966	Friendly International	H	2 - 1	Amjadiah Stadium,Tehran
03.01.1964	Olympics Qualifier	A	0 - 0	Sahat Al Kashafa , Baghdad	20,000
12.12.1963	Olympics Qualifier	H	4 - 0	Amjadiah Stadium,Tehran	25,000
03.06.1962	Friendly International	H	1 - 2	Amjadiah Stadium,Tehran	12,000
01.06.1962	Friendly International	H	1 - 1	Amjadiah Stadium,Tehran	10,000

• ONLY INTERNATIONAL FIFA MATCHES

Abu Dhabi

teammelli.com reports

Team Melli ensured qualification to the next round with its second win in as many matches after defeating a tough Vietnamese team 2 - 0. Both of goals were scored by the prolific Azmoun .

The match held in Al Neheyan Stadium in presence of a sizable crowd of 10,841 Vietnamese and Iranian fans in a gorgeous atmosphere and perfect weather. Both sets of fans start cheering from the beginning to the end.

As expected , Team Melli was in full control of the match leaving very little for the opposition who were obviously depending on long balls to penetrate the solid Iranian defense. The pacey Vietnamese forwards.,  however failed to create any scoring chances.

The midfield trio consisting of Dejagah, Ghoddos &, Ebrahimi manged to spread the game and have a tight grip on midfield. They also opened up Vietnam defenses with their through balls.

In 25th minute Azmoun lashed a powerful shot Dang Van Lam in Vietnam goal with a good reflex parried to corner.

The first goal was scored by Sardar Azmoun header from a perfect cross by Saman Ghoddos after the Amiens player was nicely set by Vouria Ghafoori pass on the right flank. Taremi, Dejagah and Ghoddos all has shots at goal in 1at half.

The half finished 1 -0 but Azmoun himself could have easily scored a hat trick.

In the second half, with a close score, Vietnam played more offensively looking to get back into the game. Their effort was nearly rewarded but for Alireza Biranvand's timely interception of Nguyen Cong Phuong on the 51st minute.

That Vietnam attack was the first real offensive move of the 2nd half. However, Team Melli's response was swift. The next move saw Azmoun creating a space to shoot, he did that with some venom. Vietnam keeper again deflected the ball in the path of Taremi , but the Al Gharafah forward rebound shot flew skyward.

On the hour, Queiroz made two substitutions, Ahmad Noorallahi replaced Amiri and Mehdi Torabi came in for Taremi.

Torabi's impact was immediate. It took him 5 minutes to create a chance for Azmoun. After receiving Torabi's pass,  the Rubin Kazan forward created space and with clinical finishing he shot into the far corner of on Vietnam goal.  2 - 0 for Iran.

Saman Ghoddos was a true fighter in this match and was one if the stars of the match with his assist. Torabi is a breath of fresh air with pace, agility and finesse. He also had an assist as a second half substitute.  Kanani-zadegan played very well in the center of the defence.

Overall it was a solid performance by Queiroz players.

The starting line up for the Vietnam match which will start in one hour time has been announced.   Alireza Beiranvand Vouria Ghafoori Morteza Pouraliganji Hossein Kanan-Zadegan Ehsan Hajsafi Omid Ebrahimi Saman Ghoddos Ashkan Dejagah Vahid Amiri Sardar Azmoun Mehdi Taremi  

Abu Dhabi Teammelli.com reports. Iran pre-match press conference was held in Al Nehayan stadium on Friday afternoon. Large number of reporters filled the conference room which began with a short statement by Iran head coach, Carlos Queiroz who was accompanied by his vice Captain Masoud Shojaei. Queiroz expressed his admiration of Vietnam team and specifically credited their wonderful coach for the progress of the team. He recognized that Iran has a difficult match in front of them tomorrow, but he is ready and well prepared as always. He has no injuries and is glad to know that for each position he has 4 players competing for a place in the lineup. All our energy is on the game against Vietnam Q. After the strong showing against Yemen, can the same result be repeated. A: We know what to do but not easy to play the same with each team. This is sport of football not theater. It is tough game especially with a team like Vietnam. They have played lots of matches and seem to have together. They have a great coach. Q we realize that there are no easy game , but is he thinking of goal difference in this match? A. No, not thinking of goal difference. As a leader I want to share fundamental values with my players. our foundation is respect for the opposition that is the basic principle that we operate on. Q Vingada has been observed with the squad. In which capacity or role? A. I always try to surround myself with the best in the business. In my career I tried to build a good network of expertise to support me and my team. Iran faces financial sanctions and the death of money makes it difficult to attack the professionals. Fortunately I have good friends who can help without any financial reward expected. I am very fortunate in that matter to have Nelo Vingada on my side. We are pleased with his contribution for free. Another person that deserves the mention is Dr Craig from Australia who is a great support for the squad. If you want to progress you should have 2 good teams , one good team on the pitch, and another good one outside it in form of coaching and support team. We are a good family, the players are like family. Of course, I have my own family but this team is another family to me. Q what is your opinions of Vietnam after Iraq match. A I mentioned earlier that I have a lot of respect for them. I was more impressed with the team after Iraq game. When Vietnam was leading it was due to positive and progressive football they were playing. I was not surprised with what I saw . The result was not fair for Vietnam, a draw would have been a fair result. In any case It is a warning for us not to take them lightly. I was lucky to see them play against Iraq. Q . Perhaps it is not the right time to ask, but we heard that you are going to Colombia? A. This is neither the place nor the time to ask such question, this press conference is about our game versus Vietnam and I request that the media respect that. I have a job to do and my job is up to the end of this tournament. The federation and the sport Minister deem that my contract should be up to this Asian Cup. That is what is on the table now. Q.

Abu Dhabi teammelli.com reprts.

Team Melli continued training for the upcoming match against Vietnam. On Thursday, the designated training facility for Team Melli was the cricket ground which is not far from the main stadium in Abu Dhabi and the team hotel.

The next training session on Friday will be held at the match venue, Al Neheyan stadium.

As the media is only allowed 15 minutes to observe the training, most of this time is spent on warm up and muscle stretching exercises. No tactical work is carried out in presence of the media.

Injury situation Alireza Jahanbakhsh was the only concern for the team, however, he has trained fully and expected to be ready for Vietnam match. Queiroz might opt to start him on the bench on Saturday.

The players are following their coach on their media statements on the matches and sticking with the party line. Nobody is taking about finals or lifting the trophy at this moment while the team only focuses on the next match.

The pre match press conference for the Vietnam match will be carried out in the Al Neheyan Stadium followed by the last training session before the Saturday match.

General view

This edition of Asian Cup is the closest in history despite the two large results by Iran and Saudi Arabia. Less known teams are flexing their muscles and giving it all. Turkmenistan was a real match for the mighty Japanese and even led the 4 times champions 1 - 0 at half time from a ferocious long-range shot, however, individual mistakes and lack of concentration by the Turkmen defense allowed Japan to come back from behind in the Second half which ended 3-2.

Jordan is the first team to qualify for round 16. Continue reading "AFC Asian Cup 2019 notes." →