Team Melli, began their CAFA Nations Cup 2025 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Afghanistan. The match was held today at 15:30 local time at the Hesar Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Goals for Iran were scored by Majid Aliyari, who bagged a brace, and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh.
As anticipated, Iran’s head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, opted for a major change in the lineup for the opening match, resting several key senior players. The new-look squad was tasked with overcoming an opponent not widely known on the Asian stage.
The star of the game was debutante Majid Aliyari who scored two goals to register his name in the elite of scoring twice in their debut.
Team Melli quickly asserted control with a possession-based style. However, in a surprising turn of events, Afghanistan capitalized on a rare counter-attack, with Omid Mousavi scoring in the 22nd minute to give his team a shock lead. The goal sparked Iran’s attack, and just four minutes later, Majid Aliyari equalized with a header from a corner kick. Iran continued its momentum, and in the 36th minute, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh extended the lead. Despite a late push by the Afghans, the first half ended with a 2-1 lead for Iran.
Iran began the second half with a more cautious approach, prioritizing defensive solidity to avoid another early scare. Ghalenoei used his bench, making multiple substitutions to introduce fresh legs and a new dynamic. The changes paid off in the 64th minute when Majid Aliyari scored his second goal of the match, completing a brace and extending Iran’s lead to 3-1. Although Team Melli continued to dominate possession and seek more goals, they were unable to find the back of the net.
In the final moments of the game, with seven minutes of added time, Ghalenoei brought on star player Mehdi Taremi in a final attempt to score. The current outcast showed very little to appease the worries of his fans for being sidelinesd in Inter Milan with no appearne in the league this season. Taremi’s efforts were modest in these remaining minutes.
The match ended with a 3-1 victory for Iran over their determined opponent.
Match Lineups
Iran National Team:
- Starting XI: Seyed Payam Niazam, Aref Aghasi, Ali Nemati, Aria Yousefi, Omid Norafkan, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Mehran Ahmadi, Mehdi Hashemnejad, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Majid Aliyari, Ali Alipour.
- Substitutes: Ramin Rezaian (for Aria Yousefi, 62′), Mohammad Naderi (for Omid Norafkan, 62′), Alireza Koushki (for Ali Alipour, 62′), Mohammad Khodabandehlu (for Mehran Ahmadi, 77′), Mehdi Tekdari (for Mehdi Hashemnejad, 77′), Mehdi Taremi (for Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, 90′).
Afghanistan National Team:
- Starting XI: Faisal Hamidi, Sharif Mohammad, Musawar Ahadi, Elias Mansoor, Amid Arezo, Rahmat Akbari, Naeem Rahimi, Zulfiqar Nazari, Omid Mousavi, Maziar Kohyar, Tofi Sekandari.
- Substitutes: Thomas Safari (for Musawar Ahadi, 46′), Alireza Panahi (for Rahmat Akbari, 39′), Yama Shirzad (for Thomas Safari, 66′), Sayed Morteza Fatemi (for Tofi Sekandari, 66′), Hossein Zamani (for Omid Mousavi, 82′).