Iran ready for the first challenge of Futsal World Cup 2021

Iran’s national futsal team is ready for the first match of FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 against Serbia this evening.

The squad played its last training session last evening with another early session this morning before entering the match against Serbia.

Asia will be represented by five teams at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 with the continent’s representatives determined to make an impact.

To be played across three venues, the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 will see Iran, Japan, Uzbekistan, Thailand, and Vietnam carrying Asia’s challenge.

The six group winners and runners-up, together with the four best third-placed teams will advance to the Round of 16. The tournament is played from  September 12-October 3 FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021.

There are still two players on the injury list as Ahmadzadeh and Hossein Tayebi will be undergoing late fitness checks.

Perhaps the first match is the most important of the three group games as Serbia has shown remarkable improvement of late. Recently the Serbians played the might Brazil and drew the match. The defending champions, Argentine will be the obvious toughest game for Iran.

 

Matchday 1 of Group F

Serbia-IR Iran, Vilnius, 18:00

Argentina-USA, Vilnius, 20:00

Overview

Iran will enter their eighth FIFA Futsal World Cup campaign as genuine challengers, having lifted the AFC Futsal Championship trophy 12 times. The Iranians made history in 2016 by finishing third, the best-ever achievement by an Asian team, and head coach Mohammed Nazemosharia is aiming for the title in Lithuania 2021.

Nazemosharia has retained most of the 2016 squad with the likes of Mahdi Javid, Hossein Tayebi and captain Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh – a four-time AFC Futsal Player of the Year – leading the charge with defending champions Argentina the toughest hurdle.

Ahmad Esmaeilpour and Ali Hassanzadeh inspired Iran to bronze in 2016, and the 33-year-olds believe they can do even better in Lithuania. Serbia will provide a stern test in their curtain-raiser.

 

History: 7 previous appearances – 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016; 12-time Asian champions

Recent Form – 3W: Thailand (5-1), Belarus (8-2, 5-1)

Players to Watch: Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh, Mahdi Javid, Farhad Fakhim

Challengers: Serbia (Sept 14), USA (Sept 17), Argentina (Sept 20)

Azizi-Khadem’s theory on Team Melli victories!

While the Team Melli fans and many observers praised the performance and the result of Team Melli against Iraq leading to a precious victory, as a result of collective efforts from the head coach to players and support staff, there comes an individual to offer a completely different perspective to this victory.

There always seems to be one individual who manages to undermines the efforts of those who achieved the victory by sending the wrong message.

These messages or series of obscure messages starting from the Syria game came from non-other than the Head of FFIRI. Azizi-Khadem was and still is under heavy criticism for his administration’s failure to fully prepare and support Team Melli for the third round of FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

Lack of adequate financial support, late scheduling and setup of the training camp, and failure to arrange friendly internationals matches are a few of many of his administration failures. However, the man is now claiming that the victory against Iraq is nothing but a “divine intervention”.

A man whose election to the head of FFIRI has raised a lot of eyebrows and shouts of corruption, in a series of statements to the media, has in fact downplayed everything by asserting “Hands of God” theory as the reason for Iran’s victory.

“We have seen the hand of divine support, guidance, and mercy of God in this victory, and we hope that these victories will be lasting and continuous and that we deserve this grace and grace of God.”

 “In the core of our existence, is faith and trust in God. Effort, diligence, hard work, planning, etc. are also fruitful (…)“

 “Along with strategic planning and effort and practice … we will and will continue to recognize and emphasize that the essential element of trusting in God and divine secret grace.” !!

“We ask God to make our football a means of growth and material and spiritual upliftment for us and our society.” Said Azizi-Khadem, after the Team Melli victory against Syria, also considered that victory as the result of “the blessed prayer of the world” for the national team!!

Why would the Whole World Pray for Iran’s victory, he did not explain!

The insiders and skeptics, who are quite a few, consider Aziz-Khadem’s rhetoric as a defense mechanism against his feeble and incompetent management. The man had no decency to credit the players and the coaching staff for a job well done.  Another objective of his is to limit the demands for funds to support Team Melli like setting proper training camps and playing friendly games.

Grand performance by Team Melli

The Performance

There was indeed a general agreement that Team Melii did not perform very well against Syria in the empty tribunes of Azadi stadium. We gave the team the benefit of the doubt and considered their preparation as the worst in recent history.

Five days later, the Team Melli that turned up in Doha put the impressions of the Syria match to bed. A different lineup, 3 days or 6 sessions of practice, better organization, and with the Head Coach on the bench, the result was nothing short of admirable in every department.

Let us take a closer look at the Iraq match. Bear in mind that it was an away game for Team Melli and only 5days from the previous match.

Iraq had a total of 2 shots on target only, Iran had 12.

Iraq created 2 chances, Iran 12 out of which Team Melli scored 3 goals.

Iraq was slightly better in ball possession with 52% against Iran’s 48%

Now, Iraq is a strong contender for qualification. They have just stopped the Koreans in Seoul a few days back and were narrowly defeated by Team Melli in Bahrain. However, the early goal must have ruined Dick Advocaat’s plans from the onset. Scoring a goal in a counterattack, parking the bus for the rest of the match, and performing the circus of theatrics, time-wasting, faking injury is the hallmark of Iraqi football. They do frustrate teams, especially strong oppositions, by such tactics, and many times, they get the desired result. That early Jahanbakhsh header, however, ruined it for the Iraqi team.

Star Player

 Team Melli was efficient, strong, and highly organized in both the attack and defense and those factors reflect the result. As a group, they performed well with each player conducting their task effectively.

However, there are some outstanding individual performances, too. The players that need a special mention are:

Ahmad Noorollahi: The maestro of the team, a midfielder who was the engine of a very efficient midfield, perhaps the man of the match.

Mehdi Taremi: with one brilliant assist and a magical well-taken goal, deserves a mention.

Sardar Azmoun: Despite him being incognito most of the match, and that is no fault of him, his persistence and skills to find Taremi for the second goal, was world-class.

Shojaa Khalilzadeh: Another solid and error-free performance that deserves credit.

….And the star on the rise

The grand performance of Omid Noorafkan was a breath of fresh air. The Sepahan player was considered one of the best young players in Iran in his early footballing career. This 24 years player was a victim of changing so many clubs at early ages of development which never really stabilized his career. Now with Sepahan, he was worthy of being in the starting Team Melli’s lineup.

His performance against Iraq was truly outstanding. He hardly put a foot wrong and was the icing on the cake fr this Team Melli team.

shortfalls

The shortfalls, especially in the discipline department, still exist, but fortunately, it was not bad against Iraq. Saeid Ezatollahi’s yellow card was totally silly and uncalled for while Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s unnecessary plunge could have been a card with a different color.

A deserved 3-0 win for Team Melli vs. Iraq

Three beautiful goals, 3 precious points, and one hell of a polished performance were the result of Team Melli’s game against Iraq on Tuesday evening. Iran beat Iraq 3-0 on Matchday 2 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to lead the table with maximum points.

Team Melli opened the scoring as early as the third minute from a brilliant piece of play started by one of the match stars Omid Noorafkan. From the left flank, Noorafkam sent a perfectly weighted ball to Taremi who was acting as a wing. Without much hassle, Taremi crossed to the onrushing  Alireza Jahanbkash. Team Melli Captain headed a powerful ball into the goal with Iraq keeper Fahad Taleb could only parry into his own net.

In the minutes after the goal, Iraq took control of the game with surprising ease, however, none of their efforts was towards the goal as Beiravand had the quietest period. But that ball possession for Iraq did not last long as Team Melli took control of the midfield quite logically with Noorollahi and Amiri playing a vital role. Iraq lost Bashar Resan midway through the half due to injury.

Sardar Azmoun could have made the score 2-0 after a perfect diagonal pass from Noorollahi, another star of the match, from the right. Azmoun met the ball and released a powerful low shot, this time however Fahad Taleb was ready for it and saved brilliantly.

The start of the second saw Iraq put the ball into the net as early as the 2nd minute to return the compliment, but the goal was ruled offside by the linesman and the VAR confirmed the right decision has been taken by the Chinese referee.

From then on, both teams battled for the ball, especially in the midfield. Iran looked like the more organized side, with some neat passing and swift counterattacks. The enthusiastic Iraqi’s looked naive in defending and from a ball that was just going dead for an outside throw, Azmoun controlled it and despite two markers, he sent a superb ball all the way to the box where Taremi was lurking. The Porto striker brilliantly controlled the ball, ran a meter or two, and slotted the ball between the onrushing Iraq keeper’s legs, it was 2-0.

The third goal came late in the game with Iraqi players tiring, this time Karim Ansarifard, a late substitute did another Azmoun trick but from the opposite side, the ball reached Ali Ghlozadeh, himself a late substitute. The Chareloi midfielder received the ball well and dribbled Dhargam Ismael, his marker in one smooth move and easily slotted home past Fahad Taleb.

It wasn’t that difficult after all. Team Melli did not leave much for the critics. All the players did their job well, Although Aref Aghasi was short of experience and confidence being his debut match at an important match, he defended well and managed some shy incursions forward, too.

The two outstanding players were Noorollahi and Omid Noorafkan. The central defenders were solid as a rock and very little passed them. Amiri was a menace to the Iraqi and must be given a special mention.

Iran now leads the table with six points and a goal difference of +4 ahead of second-ranked team South Korea.

Iraq, Iran set for titanic clash

the-afc.com

Doha: Iraq and Iran are looking to continue their unbeaten start to the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar Group A when they lock horns in Doha on Tuesday.

On head coach Dick Advocaat’s competitive debut at the helm, Iraq held Korea Republic to a goalless draw in Seoul with the Dutchman content with ceding possession and looking to hit on the counter.

Meanwhile, their neighbors Iran produced the only win of the group on the opening day when captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s deflected shot settled in the Syrians’ net, with Team Melli going into Matchday Two leading Group A with three points, two ahead of the four sides that drew in the previous round of matches.

The two teams have a lot of history between them, that being most recently the doubleheader in the previous round of the Asian Qualifiers: The Lions of Mesopotamia recorded a 2-1 home win, with the return leg settled by Sardar Azmoun at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

Azmoun will be welcomed back into the fold, having missed out on his side’s opening match through suspension, while head coach Dragan Skočić continues his recovery from COVID-19, having left assistant Marijo Tot to lead the team in the previous game.

“We saw how Japan was defeated at home by Oman and Korea Republic and Iraq drew in Seoul,” said Tot.

“This shows that the teams are close and winning requires hard work. All of our players did well against Syria, and I would also like to thank all our technical and support staff at the national team.”

Iraq’s Advocaat vowed to take a different approach against Iran, after being content with defending for large swathes of their previous game and only bringing on offensive support in the form of Justin Meram and Mohanad Ali later in the game.

“We played really well defensively in the last game,” said Advocaat

“We will play a lot more offensively in the next game, which will be an extremely important one for us. We only started preparing for the games two weeks ago and half of our squad consists of new players.”

Tuesday’s fixture will be the sixth between the two sides in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, with Iran having won three to Iraq’s two.

It will also be the second time they face off in Doha in the Qualifiers, with the late Ahmed Radhi and Alaa Kadhim having led Iraq to a 2-1 win in the Road to USA 1994.

Iraq v Iran
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium (Doha)
Kickoff: Tuesday, 21:00 (UTC+3)

IRAN IRAQ
W W W W W X W W L X
02. Sep.21 : Iran 1 – 0  Syria 02.Sep.21 : Korea R. 0 – 0 Iraq
15. Jun.21 : Iran 1 – 0  Iraq 15. Jun.21 : Iran 1 – 0  Iraq
11. Jun.21 : Cambodia 10 – 0  Iran 11. Jun.21 : Hong Kong 0 – 1  Iraq
07. Jun.21 : Iran 3 – 0  Bahrain 07. Jun.21 : Iraq 4 – 1  Cambodia
03. Jun.21 : Iran 3 – 1  Hong Kong 24.May.21 : Iraq 0 0 Tajikistan
09/02 • Home
Iran
10
Syrian Arab Republic
06/15 • Home
Iran
10
Iraq
06/11 • Away
Cambodia
010
Iran
06/07 • Home
Iran
30
Bahrain
06/03 • Home
Iran
31
Hong Kong, China
09/02 • Away
Republic Of Korea
00
Iraq
06/15 • Away
Iran
10
Iraq
06/11 • Away
Hong Kong, China
01
Iraq
06/07 • Home
Iraq
41
Cambodia
05/24 • Home
Iraq
00
Tajikistan

Match Preview: Iraq vs. Iran

There is a solid consensus that Team Melli did not play well against Syria and also Iraq will form a much tougher opposition versus Iran on Tuesday in Doha.

The Performance

It did not need a professional football analyzer to conclude that indeed Team Melli was not at its best versus Syria and the team lacks cohesion and strategy. Despite the superiority in statistics for Team Melli against Syria with a ball possession figure of 69% against Syria’s 31% and total passes of team Melli of 416 against Syria’s 130, the dangerous chances created on the opposition keeper was meager and hardly inspiring.

So, Yes, the Team lacked direction, was short of ideas, and generally poor in the finishing phase and final passes. When one looks at the reasons and preparation of the Team, achieving a win against Syria is actually admirable.

Team Melli came to the match with the worst possible preparation. Even the Syrians were better prepared despite the catastrophic conditions of their country. Iran’s football federation and in particular the body in charge of national teams is world-renowned for their incompetency and poor organizational skills. This body, if it actually exists, has done little in terms of value for Team Melli’s preparation for the World Cup qualifiers. With only one or two proper training sessions, lack of leadership as both Skocic and Hashemian were quarantined, and the hallmark of Iran’s federation (no friendly matches) the expectation of a brilliant performance against Syria with a good result was just wishful thinking. In fact, grabbing all the 3 points was admirable under the circumstances.

Against Iraq, the conditions will be slightly improved in the sense that the full squad would have 3 days of training together and a coach sitting on the bench, but that is about all.  The team still requires strengthening in many areas which have been covered and reported many items over, particularly in the discipline department.

It will not be a bad idea to replay the AFC Asian Cup 2019 Semi-final match against Japan to teach the players a lesson of how the breakdown of technical discipline led to such an embarrassing historical defeat.

The opposition

Despite Iraq’s admirable draw away to South Korea, it is hardly a team that Iran should fear. The tactics that Iraqis deploy have not changed for years. Dick Advocaat in the short time he has taken over cannot change the Iraqis system overnight as what he will focus on is much the same as old Iraq with enhancement here and there.

Being a Dutch coach and a master in the offensive free flow Dutch football system does not mean that Iraq will go for an all-out attack against Iran on Tuesday. In fact, the Iraqis are lacking in offensive areas and lack the power that Syria has upfront. Their general situation is very much like Iran with organization and preparation. Iraq however is stronger than Iran in a few areas. They are a defensively disciplined team, strong mentality, and have a never-say-die attitude. There is intensity in their game but has a vulnerable defense line. In general, the team has a good mixture of physical and mental attributes which makes Iraq a strong opponent.

 

 The expectation.

The unsatisfactory performance will be truly forgotten when Iran gabs all the 3 points from Iraq, which is entirely possible. The Coaching staff has a few things to sort out, but the expectations from the fans will be nothing short of 3 points. Sardar Azmoun is available and that is a tremendous boost for Team Melli, the Stadium is air-conditioned and ideal for playing football, the team is away from any controversy and drama that is sometimes associated with Iran training camps. It is all set for another victory, but it will not be easy nor granted.

Ma Ning to referee Iraq-Iran match

The Chinese referee Ma Ning has been assigned to referee the Iraq-Iran match scheduled to be played in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday 7th September 2021 in Matchday 2 of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Asian Qualifiers.

the 42 years old Ma Ning has been a FIFA referee since 2011 while in 2019 the Chinese Football Association hired him as a full-time professional referee.

The match which will be without spectators is the second for both teams and will start at 21:00 local time (22:30 Iran Time)

Iran leads the group with three points while Iraq has one point after a respectable draw away to South Korea.

Skocic & Hashemian are cleared and heading to Doha.

Dragan Skocic and Vahid Hashemian, who could not accompany Team Melli in the match against Syria due to covid19 infection, will join the Team Melli squad and the training camp in Qatar after their new test proved negative.

Both the Head Coach and his assistance were absent from the team for over two weeks after their positive tests. On Saturday, both the coaches left for Doha.

As soon as they arrive in Doha, Skocic and Hashemian must undergo the corona test on arrival and enter the quarantine, until their test results are negative. Assuming g being cleared, both Skocic and Hashenian will be sitting on the bench against Iraq on Tuesday.

 Football Federation President Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem will also travel to Qatar tomorrow to attend the national team match against Iraq. Meanwhile, the covid test of all Team Melli’s squad in Doha was proven negative and the team is cleared to train as required in Doha.

Left behind in Tehran, Milad Sarlak has attended the clinic of Persepolis club after he was diagnosed clear from any head injuries or damage. However, he was advised to rest for a few days until he is fully recovered.

 

Skocic continues his 100% winning record.

While remote coaching his team from a hotel room where he is isolated due to Covid19, the Croat coach of Team Melli Dragan Skočić has set a record of 8 continuous wins in a row as Team Melli’s head coach after defeating Syria on Thursday.

Although this record might be at test comes next Tuesday against Iraq, Skocic enjoys a unique standing amongst Team Melli coaches. His perfect record so far is an irony as many people have doubted his ability to coach at the international level and at the highest competitions.

Football, however, remains a sport where the unexpected can occur and things will not always go according to the script.  With no international coaching in his resume, Dragan Skocic managed to assemble a good mix of players for Team Melli ensuring the injection of fresh blood especially the youth. His plan has worked well and despite his possible absence in Doha against Iraq, The Croat will hope to continue his winning record.

Overall Matches

Played Won Draw Loss GF GA Goal Diff
8 8 0 0 25 2 +23

Matches

Date Comp. Home team Away team Final score
30.03.2021 Friendly Uzbekistan Iran 1 – 2
2.11.2020 Friendly Bosnia-Herzegovina Iran 0 – 2
30.03.2021 Friendly Iran Syria 3 – 0
03.06.2021 World Cup Qualifier Iran Hong Kong 3 – 1
07.06.2021 World Cup Qualifier Iran Bahrain 3 – 0
11.06.2021 World Cup Qualifier Cambodia Iran 0 – 10
15.06.2021 World Cup Qualifier Iran Iraq 1 – 0
02.09.2021 World Cup Qualifier Iran Syria 1 – 0

Torabi against Syria

Post Match comments Iran vs, Syria

Press Conference

Iran’s coach Marjio Tot:

“I am very happy that we won the game,” Marjio Tot said in a press conference ” You witnessed how Japan was defeated at home by Oman and Korea and Iraq drew in Seoul, which shows that the teams are close and winning requires work hard.” He continued: “Because we did not have some key players today, this win means a lot to us. All our players gave it all and we are happy that we took the first step well.”

Asked if he was in contact with Dragan Skocic during the game today, Tot added: “Before answering this question, I would like to thank all the members of the national team support staff. Because they supported us a lot during this period. Then I thank Skocic for his hard work and for his hard work at a time when all the members of the technical staff were suffering from this disease. We kept in touch during the game and reviewed the different options and how the team performed during the match.

“All our players made a good effort against Syria, including Jahanbakhsh, who has started his job well in Feyenoord.”

Syria’s coach

Nizar Mahroos commented on the match “We had chances to score in this match, but we could not utilize them, however, I believe we did not deserve to lose and we could have scored. Iran is one of the best and strongest teams in Asia, but we put pressure on them.

“The goal scored by Iran has had an element of luck. ” The head coach of the Syrian national football said that Ahmad Noorullahi was a better player in the Iranian team.

Sarlak rushed to the hospital for tests.

in the 27th minute of the match against Syria, Milad Sarlak fell to the ground as a result of a tackle with Omar al-Kharbin, and the impact was so severe that the medical staff appeared over his head within seconds. Sarlak was attended to on the pitch and was able to breathe normally but he was obviously dazed and suffering from a possible concussion. The medical staff indicated that he can not continue, and hence he Sarlak was substituted out.

Oddly enough, Sarlak sat on the bench, but at the end of the first half, he was diagnosed by the medical staff and taken to the hospital for the necessary tests on his head. No further report has been coming.

Flight to Doha

Team Melli, after a short rest, is flying to Doha following its first victory against Syria on Thursday. The next opponent will be Iraq who managed to steal an important point from the star-studded Korean team in Seoul.

Sardar Azmoun is available for Iraq Match

After a one-match suspension due to carrying two yellow cards in round two of the qualifiers, Sardar Azmoun is available for selection for the Qatar match on Tuesday.

Skocic and Hashemian still incognito.

Shahab Aziz Khadem in a post-match statement confirmed that both the head coach and his assistant are still under medical observation and it is not yet clear if they can accompany the team to Doha.