Team and Players performance vs. Hong Kong.

Dragan Skocic put up a brave face in the post-match press conference where he stated that he is quite satisfied with everything except for the goal conceded by Beiranvand.

The reality is, we do not expect anything dramatic from coaches’ statements as they always have a standard format for their statements focusing on how good their teams were in the match. We also do not expect the coach to publicly discuss his players’ shortfalls and weaknesses, which is best kept for the dressing room and the next practice session.

The reality is, Team Melli despite the win, did not function on all cylinders, and signs of wear and tear were visible in the lineup. The synchronicity, fluid passing, and brute force of the offensive line were not there to be enjoyed by the fans. The last time Team Melli showed up for a friendly against Syria, despite it being a practice match against a powerful Asian Team, the Team Melli players displayed some neat football that pleased the fans. This match did not have much to cheer the masses of their fans across the globe.

Let us start with the forwards. The pair of Taremi and Azmoun need to be sorted out. These two are the best footballers that Iran has right now and the most famous, but they need to understand and appreciate that they are playing for Team Melli, not Porto or Zenit. They need to co-exist and complement each other rather than compete. Their understanding of each other’s position was embarrassing, to say the least. The coaches have a heavy-duty to make them work together. Failing that for whatever reasons, then there are enough good players on the bench who can do the job, Ansarifard being one of them.

On the bright side of things, Ali Gholizadeh was the MVP of the match and his display against Hong Kong was nothing short of 5 stars performance. Skillful, pacey, intelligent, and energetic player who was a menace to the opposition. He was confident enough to try to penetrate the solid wall of the Hong Kong defense and was rewarded for it. An excellent player and an asset for Team Melli.

After a long injury that kept him away from football fields, picking Sadegh Moharrami for the squad was kind of risky. Skocic, however, scored points by starting him for this match. Moharrami is a footballer who plays intelligently, crosses immaculately and his runs create opportunities for the attackers. He is a solid defender too.

These two were the best two players for Team Melli. Honorable mention goes to Saeid Ezatolahi and substitutes  Karim Ansarifard, Saman Ghoddos, and Mehdi Torabi.

Another couple that is beginning to create doubts in their deliverables, are Vahid Amiri and Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

Amiri might have scored a goal, only his second in 56 matches,  (Golizadeh scored 4 goals in only 10 matches) but his contribution, effectiveness, and general value for the team are not worthy of a regular place in the lineup. He is 33 years old and has been hard-working but no more than an average player at best during his career for Team Melli. It is time that Skocis looks beyond him with several young players waiting in the pipeline, the Croat has choices that can be better for the team.

Jahanbakhsh, has been nothing short of disappointing since he joined the English League club Brighton, specifically since there was a coaching change two seasons ago. He is getting less and less playing time and never managed to finish a match if he is a starter. A promising, capable, and skillful player has turned into a passive, play-it-safe, and timid player. In Asian Cup, he was slightly better although nowhere near what was expected from him. It is obvious that warming the bench in Brighton has taken its toll both on his confidence and talent. Like Amiri he is not a prolific scorer for Team Melli scoring 7 goals in 51 matches, however, he is much younger at 27 and a proven goal scorer being the first Iranian player to win the top scorer trophy in a major European league. The ability is there but he is just not delivering.

There is something gone astray with Jahanbakhsh which needs to be carefully handled. Team Melli cannot afford to do trial and error at this junction of time and should not wait for players’ improvements. Only the best must be selected. There should be no doubt about that.

Beiranvand conceded a goal that he really should not have. Primarily it was the poor defenders who failed to defend against a shorter player that outjumped them. Is it worrying? That is probably attributed to the frame of mind of the defenders, who had very little to do during the entire match but failed on the first serious offense by the opposition. Basically, they were too relaxed and over-confident. It is unlikely that similar mistakes will occur during the next matches as the defenders will be on a much higher alert.

Circumstances against Bahrain will be completely different. Skocic priority is to sort the forward line and the midfield. The selection of the right players for the match is becoming increasingly critical.

Team Melli news.

Training and Recovery

Team Melli players carried out light practice this morning (Friday) without the fixed players of yesterdays’ match against Hong Kong.

The weather in Bahrain this morning was more bearable at the time of the practice session (Friday, June 5) from 10:00 AM local time. Dragan Skocic and the coaching focused on tactical tasks and light physical training.

The players who were involved in the game against Hong Kong, also carried out recovery training at the hotel where the team is staying, followed by massage sessions. This session was held for 90 minutes before taking a break. The 36% humidity in Manama in which the Team Melli practiced, is considered low as the humidity is normal ib the upper sixties, however, Bahrain has been experiencing a period of strong winds in the last few days which has affected and lowered the humidity significantly.

The 10 O’clock morning session selected by the coaching staff for training seems at odds with the timing of the matches, mostly at 17:30 local time and beyond.

Team Melli players were highly motivated and focused on getting ready for Bahrain. The goalkeepers trained separately under their coaches.

The players will not have training this evening instead of taking a rest. The Schedule for Saturday will be more of the same but involving the whole squad.

Venue Shift

There have been several changes of venues involving Team Melli games from Khalifa Sports City Stadium, also known as Isa Town Stadium, the oldest of the venues in Bahrain to Muharraq and National stadium.

 The Isa Town Stadium now called Khalifa Sports City Stadium was opened in 1968 and renovated in 2007. Bahrain National Stadium the largest and main venue for international matches.  That facility is the best equipped by far and the lawn is of an acceptable standard.

Team Melli will next meet host Bahrain in the National Stadium on 7th June. After Bahrain, Team Melli will play again in the same venue against Cambodia on Friday, 11th June.  This match has been originally scheduled to be played in Khalifa Sports City and so was the last match against Iraq, however, both of Iran’s matches were shifted for what seems like technical reasons. The last match against Iraq will be played in Muharraq, the same venue as the first match against Hong Kong

Bahrain’s concern.

While the match against Cambodia was won quite comfortably against Cambodia 8-0 and the Bahrain players were an arm and a leg much better than their East Asian opponents, there was still mention of Iran’s match by the pundits and commentators.

The crust of the matter is that there is some fear and apprehension about meeting Iran on Monday with the commentators warning the Bahrain team about any complacency playing a team full of stars.

The Portuguese coach of the Bahrain National Team gave some of his defenders a rest day against Cambodia. Although Bahrain did not concede, surprisingly the Cambodians made quite a few attacks and managed to threaten the host. They were unlucky not to score, while some of the goals exceeded were truly due to amateurish defending of the Cambodians.

A campaign of support has been set up by the sports authorities in Bahrain to back the national team in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. The effectiveness of such a campaign where no fans are allowed in and matches are held behind closed doors is questionable. Nevertheless, on line campaign and social media is being hyped up for the next three matches.

Skocic “Everything was fine except for the goal we conceded”

In the Post Match press conference, the head coach of  Team Melli said that he was satisfied with the result against Hong Kong: “The only thing I was not satisfied with in this match was the goal we concede from this team.”

Dragan Skocic said after the game  “I am completely satisfied with the result of the game for this competition because we had difficult weather conditions. Of course, we overcame these difficult conditions.”

Skocic added “We played with a team that was in its defensive third and it was difficult for us to play because the opponent was playing anti-football to some extent. We also rested some players so that the pressure of the matches would not be on them.”

Skocic continued: “The only thing I was not satisfied with was the goal we conceded. We should not concede such goals in future matches.”

Everything was fine except the flower we ate / we know how to overcome obstacles

“Since the Hong Kong team had not played for a long time, we had little information about their playing style,” he said. “However, we maintained our lead in this match, and everyone who watched the game knew which team had the upper hand.”

The head coach of Team Melli commented on the next match against Bahrain  “I think that our work on this field is hard and of course there is not enough opportunity to rebuild this field. There is nothing we can do about it, so we must focus on our own work.”

Skocic continued: “We go game by game and we have to focus on our work and be smart so that we can finish the tournament successfully. We do not want to confuse games. Each game has its own story. We are thinking about the game against Bahrain now and we do not want to think about other matches.”

“We have a good team. We believe in our own strength and know-how to overcome obstacles and solve problems one by one.”

Iran starts with a comfortable win against Hong Kong

Iran defeated Hong Kong 3-1 in the preliminary rounds of FIFA World Cup 2021 in the match held this afternoon in Muharraq Stadium, Bahrain. Iran’s goals were scored by Ali Gholizadeh (23’), Vahid Amiri (61’), and Karim Ansarifard (84’). Hong Kong’s lone goal was scored by Cheng Siu Kwang (85’).

From the onset and a one-sided match, Team Melli took full control of the field, however, they found it difficult to penetrate the solid-packed Hong Kong defense. The solitary goal scored by Gholizadeh was the result of individual skill rather than a team plan.

While the result was quite satisfactory and puts Iran second in the table two points behind Iraq, it was far from polished. In a worst-case scenario, that performance was concerning. The team was clearly short of group practice and coherence. There was a definite deficiency of understanding between players with many passes going astray. The worst of these misunderstandings was upfront between Azmoun and Taremi. None of the very few passes between them, including some unnecessary back heels, were effective. The most concerning issue however was the two forwards body language. There was a hint of frustration and perhaps lack of serious application evident in their game. They were both rightly substituted midway in the second half.

Tactically speaking, Skocic boys could not find a way through the center of defense. In a system where the other team parks the bus, several other solutions, and plans have to be applied, such as dribbling and short fast passes. The inter-passing of the forwards was too slow and too predictable.

A plethora of corners for Iran failed to produce a single goal against the compact Hong Kong Defense.

After the late substitutions, including the introduction of Torabi, Ghoddos, and Ansarifard, Iran played better and managed to score two more goals in the second half.

There are a lot of areas that Skocic needs to be concerned with in this team. Lack of group practice and hence poor understanding between the players is the biggest concern for the next match, however, the commitment and the mental status of key players remains a peril. Matches are not won on history and reputations. Without 100% commitment, it will be difficult to play against mentally tough teams despite being inferior technically to Team Melli.

Iran will meet Bahrain Next. It will probably be the toughest test and a must-win. Psychological preparation is as important as physical for that encounter.

Possible Line Up against Hong Kong.

Skocic knows very well that he has no choice but to win four of his four matches in order to have a chance of qualifying for the next stage of the World Cup 2022 qualifiers and more importantly for him, to keep his job as the head coach of this team. Hence, his slightest mistake in picking the lineup could be irreparable.

Team Melli, which has the most stars compared to previous years, has gone to Bahrain without a preparation game in recent months so the match against Hong Kong will not only a must-win 3 pointer, but also a preparation for the tougher oppositions ahead in form of Bahrain and Iraq.

Dragan Skocic intends to deploy a 2-4-4 formation in this match, in which Alireza Beiranvand will keep his post in the goal. Skocic will continue using the pair.  Shojaa Khalilzadeh and Mohammad Hossein Kananizadegan in the heart of the defense. He will use  Sadegh Moharremi, who was called up to the national team again after months of injury, as a right-back. In the left-back post, although the coach has many options such as Ehsan Haj Safi and Milad Mohammadi for selection, his intentions seem to be on using Vahid Amiri as a left-back. The Persepolis midfielder, who has also played as a defender for his club team in the last two months, has impressed Skocic in this makeshift role.

In the midfield, Skocic intends to use Ahmad Nourollahi and Saeed Ezzatolahi along with Ali Gholizadeh. The selection of the fourth player among options such as Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mehdi Torabi is none other than Saman Ghoddos. The Brentford midfielder, who has been delayed from joining the national team due to his club play-off and subsequent promotion to the English Premier League, is set to start the match against Hong Kong.. The possible presence of Ghoddos in today’s squad will be seen as a surprise from Skocic by many observers, however, it makes sense as Ghoddos has completed a successful season while Jahanbakhsh was the opposite.

Skocic’s easiest job was picking the two forwards. The head coach of Team Melli has a potent strike force that automatically picks itself upfront.  Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun, are the most powerful strikers of the national team in the last couple of decades and will be starting the match. Kaveh Rezaei, Mehdi Ghaedi, and Karim Ansarifard will be on the bench with the possibility of one of them being introduced late in the match.

It remains to be seen how Skocic’s technical thinking will play out on the pitch in the first leg of the return leg. Last minutes events could also affect his final selection.

 

Possible Line Up

 

The long journey start against Hong Kong.

Team Melli will play the first of 4 matches against Hong Kong in Muharraq Stadium on Thursday, 3rd June as part of the FIFA Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers.

Iran and Hong Kong have met 5 times before. The Far Eastern colony has not managed to score a single goal against Team Melli in these 5 encounters while conceding 11 goals. Perhaps it is safe to say that Team Melli will not have a very tough time against Hong Kong, however, football is known for punishing the reckless and the arrogant. Iran should not Take Hong Kong lightly.

With Hong Kong last playing an official match nearly 18 months, plus the fact that in this squad their Chinese-based players were unable to join the training camp due to covid19 restrictions, the makeshift team that coach Miku Paatelainen has assembled will be really fighting against all the odds.

Team Melli, on the other hand, is relatively better prepared but the strength of the team lies in the quality of the players and the lethal forward line in Taremi and Azmoun. Skocic has achieved perfect results winning 3 out of 3 matches so far, however, his true quality will be tested in this competition where he has to be proactive, astute, and stand the pressure of a multitude of factors.

The main issue for the coaching team is how to preserve the injury of the squad under adverse climatical conditions of Bahrain. With hot temperatures and high humidity, it is easy for the players to dehydrate and suffer physical fatigue during the 90 minutes. The later goes on, the more testing it becomes for the Iranians to keep their concentration and focus.

With the pitch of the stadium in Muharraq more suitable for grazing cattle than playing World Cup football, the team will perhaps have more difficulties playing their smooth inter-passing football. However, with both teams playing in these horrid conditions, there is no advantage or disadvantage for either side.

The 3 points of the game are quite essential, but more than that, it is the quality of football that the Team shows which will boost the confidence for tougher tests against Bahrain and group leader Iraq.

The match will be refereed by a Jordanian team headed by Adham Mohammad. Later on Thursday, Host Bahrain will play Cambodia in the Bahrain National Stadium.

Head2Head

Date Comp. H / A / N Final score Stadium Attendance
10.09.2019 World Cup Qualifier A 2 – 0 Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong 14,000
27.05.1988 Asian Cup Qualifier N 2 – 0 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu 6,960
18.11.1977 World Cup Qualifier H 3 – 0 Azadi Stadium, Tehran 55,000
19.06.1977 World Cup Qualifier A 2 – 0 Hong Kong Stadium – Hong Kong 28,000
10.05.1968 Asian Cup H 2 – 0 Amjadiah , Tehran 28,000
 

 

Iran drawn with Futsal World Cup in the

Iran’s Futsal Team has been drawn in Group F 9n the FIFA Futsal World Cup2021 joining Title Holder Argentine, USA, and Serbia. In the draw that was telecast live about an hour ago, AFC Asian Champions Iran will have a difficult group to deal with  Argentina being the obvious favorite to qualify, while both Serbia and the US are formidable opponents that Team Melli need to tackle.

FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 will be held from 12th September  until 3rd October 2021

FIFA Futsal World Cup record

Arguably Asia’s most successful side at the FIFA Futsal World Cup™,  Iran has qualified for the past seven editions of the global showpiece despite missing out on the inaugural tournament at Netherlands 1989. Notably, they finished in fourth place on their debut in 1992 before reaching the Round of 16 at Thailand 2012.

All the more impressive was their milestone campaign at Colombia 2016. Spearheaded by Mahdi Javid, Team Melli pulled off one of the tournament’s biggest surprises by knocking heavyweights Brazil out on penalties in the Round of 16, before edging Paraguay 4-3 after extra time to storm to the last four. Despite losing to Russia by the narrowest of margins, they prevailed against Portugal in the match for third place to make a breakthrough on the global scene.

The road to Lithuania

For the first time, Iran has made it to the global showpiece without having gone through qualification. In fact, the 2020 AFC Futsal Championship, which would also serve as Asia’s qualifying competition for Lithuania 2021, was canceled due to COVID-19. The AFC, therefore, nominated three teams, including IR Iran, to represent Asia at the global finals.

Group G

Argentina

Argentina have participated in every edition of the Futsal World Cup and will be making their ninth appearance at Lithuania 2021. Argentina won the CONMEBOL qualifying event while impressing throughout. They won all six of their games, including those against the region’s other three Lithuania 2021 qualifiers: Venezuela, in the group stage (2-1), Paraguay in the semis (2-0), and five-time world champions Brazil in the final (3-1) – a game their opponents came into with five wins of their own and no goals conceded.

Serbia

 The 2012 edition in Thailand was the first time Serbia had qualified for a FIFA Futsal World Cup. In this edition, Serbia made the battle for qualification particularly exciting. After finishing as runners-up behind Spain in their group, they had to face Finland in a play-off. Following a narrow 1-0 home victory in the first leg, there was a goal-filled and nerve-jangling 5-5 draw in the return fixture in Finland that booked the Serbians’ ticket to Lithuania.

USA

USA became the first semi-finalist and can now look forward to its first World Cup appearance since 2008. USA beat Guatemala 2-0 in the final match.

Did you know…?

12 – Since participating at the inaugural AFC Futsal Asian Cup in 1999, Iran has been a largely dominant force on the continental scene, winning the title a record 12 times.

Team Melli arrives at Bahrain

After a grueling 4 days training camp in Kish Island in the Persian Gulf, Team Melli flew the short trip to Bahrain onboard a chartered flight and landed in the evening.

The coaching staff worked on the fitness and endurance of the players under hot, sultry, and humid conditions of the Persian Gulf. Heavy breathing and hydrated bodies were evident during these sessions.

The Iranian national team has to play four crucial matches in a compromised situation orchestrated to undermine Team Melli’s chances to qualify for the next round of the World Cup. Iran is not only a victim of politics and interests, a common occurrence in the world of football across the world, it has also to fight climatical conditions that historically have been not very favorable for the Iranians.

As if these two negative aspects are not bad enough, the pandemic in Bahrain has reached a record level and the country is in lockdown until 10th June. Bahrain is now in the top 5 countries in the world in terms of number of positive cases and deaths due to Coronavirus. The figures are measured in terms cases of per capita. The increased number of covid19 cases in Bahrain has not deemed a serious threat for selecting Bahrain as a host.  Ezatollahi during Training in Kish Island

This unfavorable situation prompted the technical staff to hold a camp before entering Bahrain. Team Melli training sessions were accompanied by excessive sweating and heavy breathing,

However, despite the brave effort of the coaching team in picking Kish island for the short training camp, it is hardly effective in assisting the players playing under extreme conditions. The time spent in Kish, which has a similar climate to Bahrain, is certainly too short for the players to adapt to environmental conditions. The Iranians will be fighting dehydration and loss of energy, while it favors the host team that has already acclimatized to such conditions.

Another issue that has been a major concern for the players for many years and highlighted by Carlos Queiroz repeatedly, is the poor quality of the kits used by Team Melli. The not-so-advanced training kit, which weighs on the player’s body due to the lack of modern technologies for heat dissipation, has been a burden on the players.

After arriving in Bahrain and taking the corona test, the Iranian squad will train on June 11th and 12th, while on June 13th, they will face Hong Kong in their first match. Team Melli’s next match would be with host Bahrain a match that might decide the qualification from this group.

The rich boys of Team Melli

Becoming a legionnaire is perhaps the dream of many young footballers all over the world.

Football has passed the stage of being a sport for fun and competition, it is now a business and a money-generating activity filled with fortunes. Not all the sources are clean money though as the sport is still suffering blatant money laundering schemes, however, at players’ level these sinister plots are invisible.

Iranian players have played in Europe from the onset. After the 1998 Fifa World Cup, the biggest number of Iranian players transferred to European leagues, specifically the Bundesliga. With the failure to qualify for the World Cup there were fewer suitors for Iranian players,  but the migration never completely stopped.

There are around 50 Iranian players exercising their profession outside of Iran. Europe, Persian Gulf states, and to a lesser extent the Far East have been the favorite destination.

The top earners are those who are successful and play in the European leagues. The Premier League is the richest league in the world and hence it is not a surprise that the top Iranian money earner comes from that league. Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who has been mostly a bench warmer in Brighton & Hove Albion, is the Top Earner of all Iranian footballers with a salary of nearly 4 million dollars per annum.

Iran’s best player of the season 2020/21 by far is Sardar Azmoun, yet he earns less than Jahanbakhsh. Taremi comes third in the table, despite his brilliant season with Porto, he earns half what Jahanbaksh earns with Brighton. Note that Brighton just avoided relegation in England while Porto defeated Chelsea, the current titleholder of the Champions League by the brilliant overhead kick by Taremi, ended the season in second place in Portugal.

In 4th position in the table is Saman Ghoddos who plays his football in the second tier club Brantford. The team from West London has won promotion to the premier league now,

 

 

Weekly Annual
Rank Player Club Wages US$ Wages US$
1 Alireza Jahanbakhsh Brighton  $ 75,260.00  $3,913,520.00
2 Sardar Azmoun Zenit  $ 62,480.00  $3,248,960.00
3 Mehdi Taremi FC Porto  $ 32,660.00  $1,698,320.00
4 Saman Ghoddos Brentford  $ 19,880.00  $1,033,760.00
5 Kaveh Rezai Charleroi  $ 17,040.00  $   886,080.00
6 Milad Mohammadi Gent  $ 12,638.00  $   656,040.00
7 Ali Alipour Maritimo  $   4,970.00  $   258,440.00
8 Ali Gholizadeh Charleroi  $   4,970.00  $   258,440.00
9 Reza Ghoochannejhad PEC Zwolle  $   3,834.00  $   169,832.00
10 Amir Abedzadeh Maritimo  $   2,130.00  $   102,240.00

Hng Kong has ‘fighting’ unit ready for battle

Head Coach Mixu Paatelainen says Hong Kong are heading for Bahrain with a team of “fighters” on Saturday as they get ready for a seemingly impossible task in the Middle East for the remaining 2022 Fifa World Cup Asian zone qualifiers.

Despite missing several key players who play in China as their clubs have refused to release them due to quarantine requirements, the Finn was still happy with his squad before they face regional heavyweights Iraq, Iran and hosts Bahrain in the next two weeks.

“I am very happy with the squad, a squad of players who are fighters, a squad of players who have a fantastic attitude and they are the players I want,” said Paatelainen, whose contract with the Hong Kong Football Association is due to expire next month and will leave Hong Kong for Bahrain on Saturday night.

“We will face three high level opponents in the event, but I am delighted with the players’ attitude. Every one is fully committed. In fact, it has been a long time since we last got together and therefore it’s great to see the boys again, talk to them and prepare them for the event.”

“Fighter” Ngan Lok-fung during a practice session with the Hong Kong team at Tseung Kwan O Football Centre. Photo: Chan Kin-wa
“Fighter” Ngan Lok-fung during a practice session with the Hong Kong team at Tseung Kwan O Football Centre. Photo: Chan Kin-wa

One of the “fighters”, midfielder Ngan Lok-fung whose impressive performance with Lee Man this season has earned him a call-up to the Hong Kong team after an eight-year absence.

“I like him [Ngan] as a player, as a character because he is a fighter, he is a ball winner with a never give up attitude. He is exactly the character that we need for these matches,” said the manager.

“I am not a gifted player but I just want to prove that if I keep working hard, the chance will come one day,” said the midfielder, whose work rate and ball control skills steered his club to third place in the Premier League with three wins in the play-off stage against Eastern, Pegasus and champions Kitchee.

Hong Kong are in fourth place in group C after a 2-0 win against visitors Cambodia 18 months ago. The team had been scheduled to meet Iran in Tehran in March 2020 but the pandemic threw the world sporting calendar upside down until the Asian Football Confederation rearranged the schedule by calling off the home-and-away format and replacing it with a zonal competition in Bahrain.

Leung Kwun-chung, who can play different positions in defence, also returns to the Hong Kong team after a long absence. Photo: Chan Kin-wa
Leung Kwun-chung, who can play different positions in defence, also returns to the Hong Kong team after a long absence. Photo: Chan Kin-wa

Iraq and Bahrain are the two unbeaten teams in the group, with Iraq leading the standings on 11 points from five games, followed by Bahrain who are two points behind. Iran are third on six points but have a game in hand. Hong Kong have five points, while Cambodia sit firmly at the bottom with one point.

Hong Kong will be massive underdogs against the three Middle East powers in Bahrain, but Paatelainen is not about to concede without a fight.

“I never go to a football match to lose, never,” said the manager. “I want to see a fighting team, I want to see the players out there who will do everything for the team. They are not just running around like headless chickens, I want them to know tactically their positions, how to move and how to make it difficult for our opponents.”

Mixu Paatelainen during Hong Kong’s 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying match against Iran. Hong Kong lost 2-0 at home. Photo: Felix Wong
Mixu Paatelainen during Hong Kong’s 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying match against Iran. Hong Kong lost 2-0 at home. Photo: Felix Wong

Paatelainen has selected a squad of 25 players, including defensive midfielder Diego Moreira of Eastern, the latest naturalised player, but two of them, Sandro and Fernando, another newly naturalised player, withdrew before the first training session.

Hong Kong will meet Iran on June 3 before getting a one-week break ahead of their second match against Iraq on June 11. Hong Kong will play the hosts in their last match on June 15.