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Team Melli line up vs. Turkmenistan

Carlos Queiroz announced the lineup against Turkmenistan for today's match in Azadi. Injury and absenteeism has forced into many changes. The new inexperienced line up is expected to have a tough time against the determined Turkmenistan side that has already declared they are playing for all the 3 points in Tehran.   Iran needs a win today to go to the top of the table. Oman has a rest day in this round while India meets Guam later in the day.    

HAGHIGHI, Alireza

HAJSAFY, Ehsan      POURALIGANJI, Morteza      POURGHAZ, Ezzatollah           REZAEIAN, Ramin

TORABI, Mehdi     EZZATOLLAHI, Saeid    EBRAHIMI, Omid

AMIRI, Vahid     DEJAGAH, Ashkan

REZAEI, Kaveh

Iran vs. Turkmenistan : Statistical Preview

[tabs][tab title="Preview"]

IRAN is looking to improve their standing in the group by beating their stubborn and resolute northern neighbors in the FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers match to be held in Azadi on Thursday.

IRN-vs.-TKM-Capture

After their disappointing draw at the start of the competition against Turkmenistan, Team Melli is determined to make amends and grab all the 3 points at home. Turkmenistan itself is still in the running with a chance to qualify and genuinely believe that their team has as good chance as both Oman and Iran to book a ticket to the next round. A win in Tehran, although not a guarantee for qualification, will ensure Turkmenistan stands firm in the table and look forward to get the maximum points of the home games in order to qualify.

Ando vs Guam azadi 1

Iran, surprisingly, never found it easy to beat Turkmenistan. Despite the huge difference in the status of the two countries football, with Iran being champion at all levels with historic achievements, Turkmenistan has not reached anywhere near what Iran has achieved. Yet , all that aside, the Turkmen have always put up a good fight against the Persians as if it is a matter of national pride. The last time the two teams met in Turkmenistan, the host could have come out as winners after starting poorly and conceding an early goal by Sardar Azmoun.

Although Team Melli played well that day and started very strongly, the performance faded away as the match went on. As a result of that , the defence line were caught napping right at the stroke of half time as Ruslan Mingazov punished Iran when he scored passed the hapless Haghighi. The goal was due to poor marking and feeble goalkeeping. It was a disappointing draw for Team Melli. This time Queiroz is determined to change the game plan and take advantage of the home crowd support to go forward with sustain offensive pressure while limiting the guest team's  infiltration into the Iranian box. The game plan is dependent on a strong showing by the midfield feeding the front line while the flanks causing disturbances through those crosses for the forwards.iran guam

The absence of Sardar Azmoun is disappointing, however, Reza Ghoochannejad and Karim Ansarifard are back in the squad and should be more than capable to fill the gap left by Azamoun's absence. Despite Ansarifard's disappointing season and lack of playing time in Spain,  he is a capable forward who can easily bounce back. Ansarifard is enjoying playing football in the Greek league and could turn out to be a game changer given a chance against Turkmenistan.

Team Melli must get it right this time against the tough Turkmen team, a slip up will be costly.

No major changes in the team is expected apart from the non-availability of the 3 injured players.

[/tab]   [tab title="Ranking"] FIFA Rankings

Iran: 43

ranking 1

[divider size="5" margin="20"]

 

Turkmenistan: 121

ranking 2   [/tab] [tab title="Form Guide"]   Form Guide

FIFA World Cup 2018

Asian Zone Qualifiers

table1

[divider size="5" margin="20"]

Iran: W-D-W-D-W

16 JUN 2015 - 18:00 Local time
Sport Toplumy Stadium
Dashoguz
Turkmenistan    TURKMENISTAN    -       IRAN       Iran
1-1
03 SEP 2015 - 19:00 Local time
Azadi Stadium
Tehran
Iran    IRAN         -      GUAM          Guam
6-0
08 SEP 2015 - 19:00 Local time
Sree Kanteerawa
Bangalore
India    INDIA    -    IRAN              Iran
0-3
08 OCT 2015 - 18:30 Local time
Boshar - Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex
Muscat
Oman     OMAN   -   IRAN              Iran
1-1
12 NOV 2015 - 15:00 Local time
Azadi Stadium
Tehran
Iran      IRAN      -        JAPAN        japan flag    
1-1

[divider size="5" margin="20"]

Turkmenistan: W-W-L-D-L

11 JUN 2015 - 16:15 Local time
GROUP D
GFA National Training Center
Harmon
Guam   GUAM     -     TURKMENISTAN  Turkmenistan
1-0
16 JUN 2015 - 18:00 Local time
GROUP D
Sport Toplumy Stadium
Dashoguz
Turkmenistan    TURKMENISTAN    -     IRAN  Iran
1-1
03 SEP 2015 - 19:00 Local time
GROUP D
Seeb Stadium
Seeb
Oman   OMAN       -    TURKMENISTAN   Turkmenistan
3-1
08 OCT 2015 - 18:00 Local time
GROUP D
Kopetdag
Ashgabat
Turkmenistan         TURKMENISTAN   -  INDIA           India
2-1
13 OCT 2015 - 18:00 Local time
GROUP D
Kopetdag
Ashgabat
Turkmenistan        TURKMENISTAN  --     GUAM   Guam
1-0
[/tab] [tab title="History"]  

Head-to-head record

Dead Even between the two teams.  
Date Comp. H / A / N Final score Stadium Attendance
16.06.2015 World Cup Qualifier A 1 - 1 Garaşsyzlyk Stadium , Dashoguz 10000
25.11.1996 Friendly H 0 - 1 Azadi - Tehran 15000
28.04.1996 Friendly A 0 - 1 Ishq Abad 30000
26.04.1996 Friendly A 1 - 1 Ishq Abad 10000
05.10.1994 Asian Games N 1 - 1 Hiroshima 7000
14.06.1993 ACO Cup H 2 - 1 Azadi - Tehran 15000
08.06.1993 ACO Cup H 2 - 1 Azadi - Tehran 15000
   
IRAN TURKMENISTAN
P 7 7
W 2 2
D 3 3
L 2 2
GF 7 7
GA 7 7
GD 0 0
  [/tab] [tab title="Players"] IRAN

THE SQUAD

GOALKEEPERS
1 HAGHIGHI, Alireza
AKHBARI, Mohammadreza
2 BIRANVAND, Alireza
3 MAKANI, Sousha
DEFENDERS
4 MOHAMMADI, Milad
5 HAJSAFY, Ehsan
6 HEYDARI, Khosrow
7 POURALIGANJI, Morteza
KAMYABINIA, Kamal
8 KANANI, Mohammad Hossein
9 MONTAZERI, Pejman
MIDFIELD
10 EBRAHIMI, Omid
11 TEYMOURIAN, Andranik
12 EZZATOLLAHI, Saeid
13 TORABI, Mehdi
14 REZAEIAN, Ramin
15 JAHANBAKHSH, AliReza
16 DEJAGAH, Ashkan
17 SHOJAEI, Masoud
FORWARDS
18 TAREMI, Mehdi
19 AMIRI, Vahid
20 REZAEI, Kaveh
21 GHOOCHANNEJAD, Reza
22 ANSARIFARD, Karim
  [divider size="5" margin="20"]   TURKMENSITAN  

Goalkeepers:

  1. Mämmet Orazmuhammedow - «Altyn Asyr»
  2. Sergeý Kuznesow - «Aşgabat»

    • Defense

  3. Serdar Annaorazow - «Altyn Asyr»
  4. Bahtiýar Hojaahmedow - «Altyn Asyr»
  5. Şöhrat Söyünow - «Altyn Asyr»
  6. Mekan Saparow - «Balkan»
  7. Ýagmyrmyrat Annamyradow - «Balkan»
  8. Zafar Babajanow - «Ahal»
  9. Akmyrat Jumanazarow - HTTU

    • Midfielders:

  10. Ahmet Ataýew - «Altyn Asyr»
  11. Umidjan Astanow - «Altyn Asyr»
  12. Guwanç Abylow - «Hazyna»
  13. Suleýman Orazow - «Ahal»
  14. Amir Gurbani - «Balkan»
  15. Serdar Geldiýew - «Altyn Asyr»
  16. Arslanmyrat Amanow - «Almalyk» (Uzbekistan)
  17. Suleýman Muhadow - «Altyn Asyr»

    • Forwards

  18. Serdarali Ataýew - «Balkan»
  19. Didar Durdyýew - «Hazyna»
  20. Berdi Şamyradow - «Aşgabat»
      [/tab] [tab title="Coaches"]  Coaches Iran: Carlos QUEIROZ Despite his almost regular battles with everyone around, Queiroz remains focused on Team Melli and has enjoyed the support of his players. The fan's support seems to be fluctuating and if the attendances at Azadi is a thermometer for the team and the coach ,then it is disappointing. Queiroz has taken Iran to the World Cup finals in 2014 and the Asian Cup 2015 but did not manage to guide the team beyond the first round in Brazil while loosing in a penalty shootout against Iraq in the Asian Cup quarter finals. Queiroz seems to be well versed with his player's abilities and has given the team a boost in selecting young and aspiring players after the Asian Cup 2014. Queiroz has  a tendency to stick to names rather than performance.  The two major shortcomings in this capable coach is, technically where he seems to be unable of turning a bad team performance around as witnessed in the Turkmenistan and Oman matches, while behavior wise, his outbursts and demeanour could be unsettling to the players on the pitch. In all, Carlos Queiroz has what it takes to win this match. Queiroz in Bunyodkar stadium    
  Turkmenistan: Amangylych KOCHUMOV  This local coach has enjoyed success at juniors level. He was the coach of the U-16 team to nearly 10 years. Under the coaching of Koçumow in the International Youth Games of the CIS and Baltic States in 2002 in Moscow, he guided Turkmenistan, into the quarter finals. It was considered as an achievement and Koçumow was appointed as head coach of Turkmenistan national team. He does not lack any confidence and is tactically an astute coach. He believes in solid defense from the days of his Soviet playing years. He has built Turkmenistan around that philosophy and thus it has worked for him as the opponents find penetrating that Turkmen defence to be hard. Koumachov TKM coach [/tab] [tab title="Referee"]
Officials

Referee: KIM Dong Jin (KOR)Referee-KIM Dong Jin (KOR)
Assistant Referee 1: CHOI Min Byoung (KOR)
Assistant Referee 2: BANG Gi Yeol (KOR)
Fourth Official: Aziz ASIMOV (UZB)
[/tab][/tabs]  

Team Melli needs more self-Belief.

Ahead of the two games against Turkmenistan and Gum 12th and 17th November 2015, Team Melli needs more self Belief than what is being displayed.

When some of the staff or players of Team Melli start talking about the difficult match against Guam and Turkmenistan, the fans need to tighten their belt again and keep Valium tablets on the side while watching these two matches.

In what is becoming a ridiculous show of pitiable self-confidence, several player and official have been talking about the match in Guam match as a difficult and challenging one!  That is a major sign of worry if Guam is suddenly a team that Iran has to fear. Today, Afshin Peyrovani , who is the Sports Manager of Team Melli, a new title that was bestowed upon him by the demand of Carlos Queiroz, has been whining and moaning about Guam federation which is allegedly trying everything possible to weaken Iran’s resolve ! Peyrovani was talking about player’s difficulties in getting Visa’s and the refusal of the authorities to grant the Iranian side permission to operate a charter plane to Guam. So , these  are the type of things that is supposed to make Guam Team Stronger and Iran weaker in their encounter, according to him!

Karim Ansarifard who has just joined the Team Melli camp after her scored the winning goal for his team in the Greek league, stated after today’s (Monday) training that “both matches are not easy and we must have full concentration on these two matches.”

Complacency and over confidence is certainly something that is quite undesirable in football and something that Iran teams does not want in any match , but if Guam is a difficult team , although they have been hammered 6-0 last month by our players, then there is something not right in the mind-set of Team Melli players. Being the top team in Asia and having the aspiration for qualifying to FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, means a winning mentality and requires a confidence and poise that should prepare the players to defeat the number 155 team of the world in FIFA Ranking with ease and style, not buy stuttering and pretext generation.

We hope that the players are mentally and emotionally prepared for the two matches. Any slip up in Tehran or Guam could be costly. Queiroz has enough artillery and cavalry to defeat both teams with a good margin. It is what is in their mind that could be worrisome at times and could fail them, otherwise Team Melli has enough skills, the right mix of experience and youth energy, the pedigree and power to win this group comfortably.

Sardar Azmoun could be out for two weeks!

According to FC Rostov website , Sardar Azmoun has suffered an injury during his team's game against Dynamo Moscova in round 14th of the Russian League. Azmoun came as a sub in the 76th minute but was later declared as injured. The club site confirmed that their Iranian center forward will be out for at least two weeks.

There is no word from Team Melli camp on the status of Azmoun yet.

Brazil wins the Grand Prix Du Futsal 2015

Host Brazil defeated Iran 4-3 to win the title in final of the Grand Prix du Futsal 2015 .   The full packed arena was stunned when Iran took the lead through Ghodrat Bahdorani , however that Iranian lead did not last more than a minute when Diego equalized for the host and defending champions.

FIRST HALF

Brazil then took the lead through No 14 Rodrigo to make it 2-1, before the star of the team Falcao made it 3-1 on counter attack. Falcao cleverly steals the ball from Tayyebi and goes one on one with Iran keeper beating him with a delicate placement of the ball into the net. Iran stood well against the Brazilians , with some solid defending. They matched Brazil in all departments however luck abandoned Iran with at least 3 balls hitting the woodwork and bouncing back. Brazil took a  COMFORTABLE 3-1 lead into the second half with their players oozing with confidence.

SECOND HALF

In the second half, the story was completely different. Iran started very strongly in similar fashion to the first , however an own goal after they failed to capitalize on a quick counter attack , was met by a swift Brazilian counter. The ball from a atme cross hit an advancing Iranian player and eluded the keeper into the goal.  A gaol against the run of play , Joy for Brazil and a heart-break for Iran. Brazil were leading Iran 4-1 now and early in the second half too. Their players were looking forward to a leisurely quarter of an hour left. Iran, however, had other ideas. The second half could have  easily been labeled  as "Iranian domination". The young Team Melli futsal players displayed some brilliant footwork , teamwork and splendid show of force. Some of the finishing was disappointing especially during the counter attacks however , they persevered in this half , dominated and were nothing short of magnificent.  Iran dominated Brazil in front of their own fans. Very few teams have ever done that in futsal.   Iran domination bore fruit soon: 10:30 left . when Mahdi Javid scores for Iran. Javid slams the ball into the roof of the Brazilian goal making the score 4-2. The host is feeling the heat now with the crowds going quiet. 6:50 left: Brazil goalkeeper sees red ,  after he denied Iran's Tayyebi a scoring chance on a 1 to 1 situation. The reserve keeper responded with a brilliant save to deny Iran a third goal.. 3:29 Iran scores with Hossein Tayyebi from a rebound after a quick counter attack. Brazil keeper saves the initial the shoot but parries the ball ahead of Tayyebi who took it with a vengeance and scores the rebound in the net. Brazil lead is cut to one with score standing at at 4-3 Brazil Coach had to take a time out to ease the full court  pressure by Iran. Coach Mohammad Nazemolshari'e of Iran opts for power play but the Brazilians under so much pressure mange to keep the Iranians at bay with some hard defending. When the final whistle blows, the arena becomes alive with a rapturous Brazilian fans celebrating the most difficult win for the champions in this tournament.  

Conclusion

This was one of the most brilliant performances of Iran's futsal in the last few years despite the loss. Dominating with some slick footwork and solid defending was a delight to watch. The Iranian coach , Mohammad Nazemolshari'e to his full credit, chose to attack the Brazilians at home and the players responded in style. So , Brazil once again wins the Grand Prix title with the aid the woodwork and some favorable refereeing decisions. Iran stands proud second with some work in progress.  

Grand Prix du Futsal 2015

Final Match

Full Time

Brazi  4-3 Iran

Brazil: Diego , Rodrigo , Falcao , (O.G.)

Iran:  Ghodrat Bahdorani, Mahdi Javid, Hossein Tayyebi

     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IRAN to meet Brazil in the 2015 Futsal Grand Prix

Iran Futsal team continued its brilliant performance in Brazil with a hard win to maintain its perfect record in the the tournament.

In the semifinal of Grand Prix du Futsal 2015 , Iran defeated Paraguay 2-0, from goals by Mahdi Javid and Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh, to book a berth in the final.  This will be the third final of Grand Prix in the history of Iran's national futsal team, which was runner-up in 2007 and 2009, losing both times to the host Brazil. The Iranians achieved this feat with a 100% success rate at the Grand Prix in 2015, with four wins in four games.

Iran Paraguay semifinal grand prix futsal (Photo: Ricardo Artifon / CBFS)
Iran and Paraguay made the first semifinal of the Grand Prix 2015 (Photo: Ricardo Artifon / CBFS)
Iran was the better team throughout the match, but only managed to open the scoring at the end of the first half. The goal scorer was Mahdi Javid who shot from the right deceived the Paraguay keeper. Outnumbered, Paraguay went to all out attack in the second half, getting to work with the ward Tutu as goalkeeper-line in the final minutes. Two minutes from the end, Juan Salas had a chance to tie, but the keeper Kalamalabadi  saved Iran . To put the final nails in the Paraguayan coffin, Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh took his chance in a swift counter attack sequence and made it  2-0 for Iran confirming its place in the final.

Iran Futsal to the semi-finals of 2015 Grand Prix.

IRAN'S FUTSAL TEAM QUALIFIED TO THE SEMI-FINALS OF GRAND PRIX Du FUTSAL 2015. 

On Friday , Iran easily defeated Uruguay 7-3 to book its rightful place in the semi final against Group A runners up Paraguay.

Iran's futsal team easily defeated Uruguay 7-3 to qualify for the semifinals of the Grand Prix of Brazil 2015. It was Iran's 3 win in as many matched in the groups round. 

In a colorful party, held Friday in the Brazilian city of Uberaba, Iranian footballers have dominated the Latin American team from the start,  achieving their goal powerfully by advancing to the next round of this tournament. The victory of the Iranian team's two previous added 9 points thus leads the group B of the Grand Prix of Brazil 2015, followed by of Colombia and Uruguay with 3 and 0 points, respectively. Angola is in fourth place in the group without a point. The Iranian team in the previous two matches, defeated rivals  Colombia, 4-1 and Angola, 7-0. The Persian team will face  second place in Group A of this international competition.
Iran Futsal Team in Brazil
  The tenth edition of the Grand Prix of Futsal 2015 opened on November 4 in Uberaba and will run until 8 March. This event serves as preparation for the Iranian team for the World Cup 2016 soccer, which is to be played in Colombia with the participation of 24 countries. It is recalled that in the latest ranking of the national teams of football, Iran ranked sixth worldwide and first in Asia. 

 

Table and Results

 

FIRST ROUND  - 04 November 2015

(01) 14.00 Paraguay 3 x 6 Guatemala (02) 16.00 Uruguay 4 x 2 Angola (03) 18.45 Brasil 11 x 2 Zambia (04) 21.00 Colombia 1 x 4 Iran

 

SECOND ROUND - 05 November 2015

(05) 13.45 Zambia 2 x 6 Paraguay (06) 16.00 Uruguay 2 x 6 Colombia (07) 18.00 Brasil 9 x 0 Guatemala (08) 20.00 Iran 7 x 0 Angola

 

THIRD ROUND -  06 November 2015

(09) 16.00 Iran 7 x 3 Uruguay (10) 19.45 Guatemala 3 x 5 Zambia (11) 18.30 Angola 0 x 1 Colombia (12) 21.00 Brasil 3 x 1 Paraguay

 

 SEMIFINAL - sáturday - 07 November 2015 

(13) 13.00 Iran x Paraguay (14) 16.00 Brasil x Colombia

(15) 18.00 Guatemala x Uruguay - 5th/6th position (16) 20.00 Angola x Zâmbia - 7th/8th position

 

FINAL - Sunday- 08 November 2015

(17) 08.00 loser (13) x loser (14) - 3rd/4th position (18) 11.00 winner (13) x winner  (14) - 1st/2nd position

 

CHAMPION  WINNER  (18)

Brasil Futsal Grand Prix: Iran downs Angola 7-0

Iranian national futsal team thrashed Angola 7-0 in Group B of the Grand Prix 2015 on Friday.

Farhad Tavakkoli and Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh netted a brace each. Ghodrat Bahadori, Ahmad Esmaeilpour and Hamid Ahmadi also were on target. Iran started the event with a 4-1 win over Colombia. Iran will play Uruguay on Friday. Group A consists of host Brazil, Paraguay, Guatemala, and Zambia. The international tournament takes place in Uberaba, Brazil from November 4 to 8. Iran has finished in second place twice out of nine editions.

Big 2nd period propels Russia into final

 

Old school and new school to battle for final

Russia is back in the final while newcomers Tahiti earned the right to vie for the Cup and Iran and Egypt ready for 3rd Place Match

  Iran lost the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup Dubai 2015 semi final 4-1 against Russia on Friday. The 4-1 win for Russia over Iran was so loud that it was nearly impossible to think about anything but the first-class beach soccer that was on display. The two sides began by racing up and down the side and from side to side, trying wear out the other team and score as many goals as possible, but the goals did not come in the first period, they did however in the second. Though they only came for the Russians, but that did not matter to half of the fans, or the Russian bench for that matter. The Asian side was not able to overcome the four second period goals, three coming from Makarov alone. The win was a rebound for Russia as they lost their last group match, but it was still the Russians' third win in four games, and it puts them in the final against Tahiti on Saturday. Iran had won two straight coming into this match but they will need to revamp their offense if they hope to beat the feisty Egyptian side in the 3rd Place Match on Saturday.   Russia and Iran may not be rivals due to a lack of proximity but they are rivals nonetheless as they have played each other in almost every big tournament across the globe and the only downside to this weekend match in Dubai was that it was in the semis. It began with excitement on the pitch, which just so happened to be inspired by or inspiring the fans, half of which were screaming for Russia and the other half were yelling for Iran. The packed stadium was rocking with the music and getting louder with each spectacular save, and the score remained 0-0 going into the final minute of the first period. The steam powered period flew by as if the two heavyweights were literally boxing and the moment you look up, it is the 12th round and a coaches decision. What made this game better than a Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather bout, was that this was real and actually happening, and there were still two more periods, with the first 12 minutes being the most exciting 0-0 frame you  could see. The European side was able to eventually got a shot past Hosseini, giving Russia the 1-0 lead early in the second, but it was only a matter of time before Iran did the same. Unfortunately for the Lions of the Atlas, that goal would not come before the Big Red Beach Machine added to their lead, scoring their second and third goals before the midway point of the match. Makarov would add his third goal, giving him a hat-trick in only one period and the frame would end with Russia up 4-0.   Iran may have lost a little energy when Russia knocked the wind out of them in the big second period, but they were still a very formidable force and if Russia could score big, so could they. Russia's plug-and-play system has worked for years and this game was no different as they subbed in the second goalie, and were still on pace for a shut-out with four minutes gone in the final frame, and the same went for their defenders and forwards, as if any line-up could work against any team. The play began getting very physical as the Russians were trying to hold off the Iranians and Iran was trying, unsuccessfully, to get back into proceedings and the score stayed at 4-0 for Russia with only half of the period left. It was at that midway point that Iran got on the board, but in the end, it was Russia who earned the 4-1 win.   Goals: 1-0: Makarov, min. 10 (2); 2-0: Shaikov, min. 6 (2); 3-0: Makarov, min. 6 (2); 4-0: Makarov, min. 1 (2); 4-1: F. Boulokbashi, min. 6 (3).     Upcoming Matches: local time UAE GMT+4 Saturday 07.11.15   12:15 - Argentina vs. Mexico (7th Place)   13:30 – Portugal vs. UAE (5th Place)   14:45 - Egypt vs. Iran (3rd Place)   16:00 - Tahiti vs. Russia (Final)