Tag: Alireza Jahanbakhsh

Iran 1-0 China : Another firm step towards the World Cup 2018

Team Melli defeated China 1-0 in the seventh round of the FIFA World Cup 2018 Asian zone qualifiers to cement its lead on group A. Iran now leads the group with 17 points , four ahead of closest rival Korea Republic with 3 rounds to go.

The match was played in front of capacity crowd estimated to be over 110,000 fans played early in the afternoon, The doors of the stadium had to be closed early as the fans were still flocking in with the stadium already full.

China which defeated Korea in the last round , was hoping to repeat the same against Iran to have any chance of reaching the World Cup for only its second time in history. A large number of Chinese fans all wearing red , were in Azadi;s special guests section cheering their team. Marcello Lippi has successfully led the Chinese in the last two matches.

Taremi celebrates

The first half :

Queiroz made 3 changes in the line up from the Qatar match including Ghoochannejad replacing Azmoun in forward line, while Shojae replaced Hajsafy. TM did not waste much time going forward as Ghoochannejad shot powerfully in the 6th minute for the Chinese keeper Zeng Cheng to parry over the bar for corner.

Following a series of slick passing moves in the 20th minute, Jahanbakhsh fired a shot that just shaved the bar

Next serious threat on Chinese goal was on minute 35 where Taremi’s shot was saved by the outstretched legs of Zeng Cheng.

Team Melli continued its assault on China’s goal and should have scored a minute later after another set of passes following quick interchange of positions. Masoud Shojaei, the captain of the team, sent a measured ball to the fast advancing Milad Mohammadi on the left flank. The Grozny player controlled the ball nicely, passed his marker and was one on one with Zeng Cheng. However, with the angle closing and becoming acute , Mohammadi shot was met by the excellent Chinese custodian, and sent to the corner.

Reza Ghoochannejad vs China WCQ 2018

5 minutes later , another marvelous passing game, this time from the right resulted in Ghafoori sending an inch perfect pass to Shojaei. The Captain shot cleanly but once again Zeng Cheng saved China’s blushes. The ensuing corner saw Taremi’s scissor kick marginally missing target.

The first half ended goal-less.

It only took 30 seconds in the second half for Iran to take the lead. After a series of shamble clearances by the Chinese defense, Taremi found the ball at his feet inside the six yards box. His halfhearted lefty shot beat the wrong footed  Zeng Cheng and finally passed the goal line.

It was much deserved and long waited goal for Team Melli.

China on the other hand, showed very little initiative and ambition. Only late in the second half that the Chinese really pressed hard to score an equalizer , which incidentally would not have made a big difference in their chances.

Iran now awaits the crucial encounter at Azadi with Uzbekistan. A win, will guarantee Iran early qualification.

Sardar Azmoun vs. Manchester United under Queiroz watchful eyes.

The prolific young Team Melli striker, Sardar Azmoun has scored two goals on Friday for his club FC Rostov  in a 6-0 routing of the struggling Tom’ Tomsk in the Russian Premier league to lay a strong claim for a starting line up against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa cup next week.

On Thursday 9th March, FC Rostov will be hosting the famous Red Devils at home for a memorable encounter. Carlos Queiroz will have a golden opportunity to fly to Russia to be close to the action and hit two birds with one stone. Queiroz spend a few years in Manchester United as the right hand man of Sir Alex Ferguson. He has a chance to meet with his compatriot Jose Mourinho and some of the senior players he worked with , while also checking on the hot Sardar Azmoun against strong opposition of the highest class.

Azmoun has been performing admirably with Rostov and speculation are rife that he is wanted by many clubs while the Chinese have also shown interest in acquiring his services. Azmoun is adamant to continue with Rostov until the end of the World Cup before deciding on his future.

Queiroz will be also checking on Ghoochannejad and Jahanbakhsh in the Netherlands.  Both these plyers have been doing well and scoring vital goal for their repective clubs and helping them climb up the table.

While their is strong speculations that Queiroz is leaving to South Africa, a claim that seems to be be re-occuring every now and then, the Portuguese coach continues his preparation plans for two crucial FIFA  World Cup 2018 qualifiers against Qatar in Doha then at home in Azadi against China. Full points from these two matches virtually guarantees Iran qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.

 

Iran still leads the table ahead of Korea and Uzbekistan.

 

Glorious days for Iranian strikers in Europe.

Team Melli strikers in Europe, are rewriting the history and reaching feats that their predecessors did not manage or was unthinkable. 

Reza Ghoochannejad, Sardar Azmoun , Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Karim Ansarifard the four players who happened to be all playing up front in their teams have done Iran’s football pride by consistently scoring goals in the most competitive of leagues.

Reza “Gucci” Ghoochannejad , who had a torrid couple of season in the lower English League and Persian Gulf countries, gradually found his form after transferring  to SC Heereneveen in the Eredivisie. Gucci scored his 14th goal of the season yesterday in a 3-0 win against Roda JC Kerkrade .

Sardar Azmoun, the golden boy of Iran has scored 7 goals for his team in various competitions, including 4 goals in one season of the UEFA Champions League. He is the only the second Iranian player to score in this competition after Ali Daei who scored 6 goals in two seasons for Hertha Berlin in the UEFA Champions League.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh who has been playing professional in the Eredivisie for 4 seasons now although he is only 23, has enjoyed a good run with his club AZ Alkaamar. He has already doubled his tally from last season scoring 6 goals so far for the Dutch club.

Karim Ansarifard whose football career was seriously being undermined while warming the bench at segunda Division Osasuna in Spain, made it good after transferring to the Greek league. With Panionios he scored 14 goals in one a half season before being grabbed by the league leader Olympiakos Piraeus in the winter transfer window. Karim already opened his account with Olympiakos by scoring a brace in UEFA Europa league against Turkish side Osmanlispor.

.It has never been so good for Iranian players in European leagues. Household names such as Ali  Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Ali Karimi , Vahid Hashemian, Karim Bagheri and host of other Iranian players played in Europe especially after that famous FIFA 1998 World Cup. However, despite the relative success , it is definitely not comparable to the success that the current group is enjoying in Europe despite Team Melli lack of success or achievement.

 

Team Melli scores 6 past Kyrgyzstan.

Team Melli cruised to a comfortable 6-0 win against Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday in the friendly International match held at Azadi Stadium in front of 4500 fans.

Iran scored early through Masoud Shojaei’s penalty on the 6th minute , before Mehdi Taremi made it 2-0 with a double-header , first saved by the keeper while the rebound to Taremi himself was headed home for a goal. Torabi sealed the first half with a brilliant shot from an angle at 29th minute.

The second half with several changes only came alive late after both teams struggled to find a rhythm due to the many substitutions that seems to disrupt the international friendly games nowadays.

However , as soon as Team Melli settled, the team played with style and finesse resulting in another three goals and many missed ones too. Karim Ansarifard eventually scored after missing many chances in the match in the 68th minute. Sardar Azmoun who just came in as a substitute for Taremi made it 5-0 with a spectacular ball from immaculate teamwork and finally Ansarifard scored the 6th after Azmoun’s ball rebounded from the post for Karim to slot in his 2nd of the match and Iran’s final goal.

This was a good practice match for Team Melli. The opposition was not as strong as hoped however , there were some brilliant teamwork, individual skills and fine ball distribution. Like always there were lessons to be learned from this match. The fact that the forwards were getting offside was quite noticeable. There is some works to be done on that.  The player’s ball possession still needs to be looked at. The fact theat Iranian players keep the ball more than the average European professional is evident. This match was an improvement, but Queiroz has not yet managed to improve this to a higher level.

Haghighi in goal, despite not being truly tested in the match, was not convincing. His saves by punching and risky jumps between number of players was a sign of lack of real competition. His clearing of the ball by punching, left a lot to be desired.

The two debutant, Mahini and Tayebi performed played quite well. Both of the player played with confidence and did not look like it was their first international game for their country. Milad Mohammadi was a gem of a player especially when attacking from the flanks. His moves where delightful to watch. Mehdi Torabi , the Gazelle of Iran’s football , did not show his usual runs and skills yet still managed to score a beauty.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh: The eye-catching Iranian, in name and style

The 60-second story

Born in the tiny town of Jirandeh in the mountainous Armalu District in northern Iran, Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s career started in humble surrounds when he joined the youth academy of local club Damash Gilan.

 

FACTBOX

  • Date of birth: August 11, 1993
  • Place of birth: Jirandeh, Iran
  • Height: 1.80m
  • Position: Attacking midfielder
  • Current club: AZ Alkmaar

After a brief spell with Damash Tehran, an affiliate of Gilan, he returned to his parent club in 2011 and made his Iranian Pro League debut as a 17-year-old in a 1-1 draw against Mes Kerman, making him one of the youngest players in the club’s history.

Ten goals in 42 appearances for Damash Gilan, along with a number of eye-catching performances for Iran’s under-20 and under-23 national teams, including five goals in four games in the qualification for the 2012 AFC Under-19 Championships, caught the attention of Dutch side N.E.C.

The talented winger was promptly signed to a three-year deal in July 2013.

 

The youngster has impressed during his time in Holland.

While the club struggled on the pitch and was ultimately relegated at season’s end, Jahanbakhsh excelled, scoring six times and providing five assists in 33 matches.

Playing in the second-tier Eerste Divisie only hastened his development as he helped N.E.C. gain promotion back to the Eredivisie with 12 goals in 28 matches, which caught the attention of some of Holland’s bigger clubs.

A move to AZ Alkmaar on a five-year contract was sealed in August last year, and while he struggled for a spot in the side at the start of this season, he has since established himself as a regular for the two-time Eredivisie champions. He already has 19 appearances and scored two goals, his first coming in January this year against his former club N.E.C.

Iran exited last year’s Asian Cup in a quarter-final defeat to Iraq

Why you need to know him

Alongside fellow whiz-kid Sardar Azmoun, Jahanbakhsh will be the star of the Iranian national team for the next decade. In a country that demands success and entertaining football, the pacy winger has all the attributes to be a long-term standout for Team Melli, with some likening him to former Iranian legend and 2003 Asian Player of the Year Mehdi Mahdavikia.

As the top-ranked team in Asia, Iran will be expecting to qualify for their second consecutive FIFA World Cup and after playing only a bit-part in Brazil (44 minutes in total), the 22-year-old Jahanbakhsh will want to play a leading role on the road to Russia, and in the tournament itself if Iran qualifies.

Strengths

Fellow national team youngster Sardar Azmoun is thrilled by the prospect of playing alongside him for the next decade

Like the aforementioned Mahdavikia, Jahanbakhsh has pace to burn on the flanks, primarily on the right, but is far from being a one-trick-pony. He knows how to finish and has both an excellent crossing ability, the avenue of a lot of his assists, and the ability to find the back of the net, with a calmness in front of goal. With poise that belies his tender age, he has great game awareness and knows what to do in the right moments.

And for a player who only stands at 180cm, his aerial ability is surprisingly strong, making him a weapon all over the park.

Weaknesses

While he is strong in the air for his small stature, his small physique can see him bumped off the ball too easily at times against more physical defenders. To make up for this he can commit quite a few fouls, with five yellow cards already this season for AZ following on from nine yellows and one red card in his two seasons with N.E.C.

Jahanbakhsh has drawn comparisons with Iranian great Mehdi Mahdavikia. Photo: iranfootballteam.com

They said

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 by Jahanbakhsh, fellow national team youngster Azmoun, who is generating just as much excitement in Tehran, is also thrilled by the prospect of playing alongside the winger for Team Melli for the next decade.

“Jahanbakhsh and me have been doing well. We are great friends and hope to serve the country for a long period of time.”

Did you know?

Mahdavikia, the player some Iranian fans think Jahanbakhsh can emulate, was partly responsible for the then 20-year-old making the move to Europe. He encouraged the young star, who was his teammate at Damash Gilan in 2011-12, to take the plunge and ignore more lucrative offers from the likes of Iranian giants Persepolis, even visiting him in Holland to ensure he had settled in.

And while he admits to some initial struggles, settle in he did. After being named behind only Memphis Depay as the best young player in the Eredivisie in the 2013-14 season, Jahanbakhsh went one better in 2014-15 when he won the Golden Ball as the player of the season in the Eerste Divisie with 12 goals and 18 assists from 28 matches.

What happens next?

With qualification for Russia a distinct possibility, he would (have) the perfect window to impress bigger clubs

Jahanbakhsh has said he prefers to stay in Holland to develop his career, knocking back offers from France and Turkey before signing with N.E.C. in 2013, and with a five-year contract with AZ Alkmaar under his belt he certainly has a chance to do that.

“I always follow my heart. I had offers from France and Turkey, but didn’t accept them. I was also close to a move to Persepolis, the biggest club in Iran, but preferred to play abroad,” he said recently.

Still only 22, the right-winger has the world at his feet. With Iran about to enter into the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Jahanbakhsh will likely play an increased role in Carlos Queiroz’s side.

With qualification for Russia a distinct possibility for Team Melli, he would be just the right age and with the perfect window to impress the bigger clubs in Europe. With reports that Celtic and Manchester United have been keeping tabs on the winger in recent years, don’t expect Jahanbakhsh to see out his five-year deal with AZ.

 

Big blow for Omid team.

Iran Olympics football Team U 23, Omid Team received a setback when it was confirmed that 3 of its top players will not be competing in the finals of the AFC U23 championship which is also the qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Men Olympics Games Football competition.

Sardar Azmoun, Saeed Ezatollahi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh will not be part of the squad that will be competing in Doha in two weeks time.

Habib Kashani , the head of Team Omid said “These 3 players are registered as professionals in European club. We were unable to obtain the release from their respective clubs. The competition for the Olympics are not played in FIFA days and as such these clubs are not obliged to release their players for their national representative teams. All these clubs will be either busy in their own league competitions or preparing for the league as the case with the two Russian based players are.”

Sardar Azmoun, Saeed Ezatollahi  (FC Rostov) and Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ Alkmaar) are also in Team Melli squad in addition to playing for the U23 team. Their  quality and European experience is considered vital for the Omid team which is trying to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 40 years. Kashani , however, played down the significance of the 3 players absence and said that their team has been mainly competing and training without the 3 players most of their campaign and their absence for the final will not produce a shock for the team.

Iran, under coach Mohammad Khakpour,  will be playing in Group A with host Qatar , Syria nd China. Omid’s first match will be on 12th January against Syria U23.

Team Melli squad ready for Oman and Japan.

Team Melli squad has been announced for the two matches against Oman in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers and Japan friendly match in Azadi.

Carlos Queiroz maintained his confidence in the previous squad players in an addition to a recall for the previously injured Alireza Jahanbakhsh. 2 players who have been making the news , were also picked up by Queiroz. The controversial goalkeepers of Persepolis , Sousha Makani and Naft Tehran Alireza Biranvand have been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, mostly due to their flagrant ill discipline with their respective clubs, but in the case of Makani , it is also his weak performance in the goal on the top of his transgressions. The bad thing for the fans is that Queiroz does not read Farsi language newspapers . The squad also sees the return of Masoud Shojaei , ignored in the last selection, but once again included to claim his eternal place in Team Melli!

The young-looking squad will be in action after their strong showing in the last two qualifiers in September where Iran emerged as victors against Guam at home (6-0) and away to India (3-0). The big goal margin no doubt will help the team standing in the table. The match against Oman will shape the group final standing and will go a long way in determining who will qualify for the next rounds. Both Iran and Oman are the favorites to qualify from this group.

Making the squad for the first time is Maysam Majidi (28 years) Esteghlal Tehran right back and Rasheed Mazaheri (26 years) Zob Ahan goalkeeper.

The major absentee is Reza Ghoochannejad still on the injured list.

THE SQUAD

1 ALISHAH, Omid
2 AMIRI, Vahid
3 AZMOUN, Sardar
4 BIRANVAND, Alireza
5 DEJAGAH, Ashkan
6 EBRAHIMI, Omid
7 EZZATOLLAHI, Saeid
8 GHAFOORI, Vourya
9 HAGHIGHI, Alireza
10 HAJSAFY, Ehsan
11 HEYDARI, Khosrow
12 HOSSEINI, Jalal
13 JAHANBAKHSH, AliReza
14 KANANI, Mohammad Hossein
15 MAJIDI , Maysam
16 MAKANI, Sousha
17 MAZAHERI, Rasheed
18 MONTAZERI, Pejman
19 POURALIGANJI, Morteza
20 POURGAZ, Ezatollah
21 REZAEIAN, Ramin
22 SHOJAEI, Masoud
23 TAREMI, Mehdi
24 TEYMOURIAN, Andranik
25 TORABI, Mehdi

 

Alireza Jahanbakhsh tranfers to AZ Alkmaar

Team Melli winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh has left his club NEC on a transfer to  AZ Alkmaar. The 21-year-old attacker will undergo medical examination in Alkmaar on Tuesday 4th August

AZ said Monday on the club website that both the player and NEC has reached a verbal agreement on the transfer. Jahanbakhsh will sign for five years with the number three in the Eredivisie last season.

The Iranian had a terrific season last time out with twelve goals and seventeen assists playing an important role in the promotion of NEC to the Eredivisie League. It earned him the title of best player in the Jupiler League.

Jahanbakhsh has 15 international caps for Iran, and was in the squad for the FIFA World Cup of 2014, earlier in his career he played for two seasons with Damash Gilan in his homeland before his transfer to  NEC. In his first season he could not show his full potential despite five goals in 29 matches and suffered relegation from the Eredivisie

“Alireza was number one on our list,” said AZ technical director Earnie Stewart. “We only had to wait for the opportunity to invest in him. It is very nice that it’s come around this time.” Thus confirming earlier rumors that the club from Alkmaar has been chasing after Jahanbakhsh for some time now.

AZ Alkmaar, under Manager John van den Brom managed to finish the last season with 62 points in 3rd position behind Champions PSV and Ajax

The club has been recently managed by high profile managers Dick Advocaat (Oct 15, 2013–June 30, 2014) followed by Marco van Basten (June 30, 2014–Sept 16, 2014) before John van den Brom took over.

AZ Alkmaar, is currently competing in the Europa league and has beaten Istanbul Basaksehir 2-0 at home and will play the return leg in Istanbul on Thursday.

Jahanbakhsh turns down Brighton’s offer.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh , has turned down an offer by the English Championship league side, Brighton & Hove Albion according to the player’s agent.Amir Hashemi.

In a short statement to the media , Hashemi confirmed that there was a current offer from the 2nd tier English club , but Jahanbakhsh has turned it down because playing at that level of football will not be complimentary to his progress in European football, acoording to the player’s agent. Hashemi said that Brighton were looking for a quick answer from his client and were not willing to wait a long time, hence the answer was swift from Jahanbakhsh.

The young Team Melli player has won the MVP of the league last season helping his team NEC Nijmegen win the second division title and promotion to Eredvisie with a big margin.  Jahanbakhsh , whose Dutch is remarkably improving wishes to remain in Holland for the next season , unless some lucrative offer comes up.

The 21 years old winger has missed the last two Team Melli matches due to a slight injury.

 

Team Melli is further depleted !

A depleted Team Melli will be flying to Tashkent on Tuesday 11:00 am missing 7 players. The latest additions,  is one of the most experienced players, Seyed Jalal Hosseini and Foolad young starlet , Soroush Rafei. The pair is facing administration issues preventing them from leaving Iran.

As reported earlier in teammelli.com , Hosseini is facing tax evasion charges due to the non-payment of taxes while he was playing with Persepolis. Hosseini learned of his dilemma when he returned to Iran after the end of the QSL season where he was playing with Al Ahli in Qatar.  Hosseini is adamant that according to his contract , Persepolis was supposed to pay for his income taxes , something they never did.

Soroush Rafei is faced with the military service which in Iran means the person is not allowed to leave the country until the completion of his duty. However, there are exemptions based on admissible evidences. Queiroz personally took Rafei’s issue to task but it appears that his efforts were fruitless.

Although the decision on both are not final with another 30 odd hours remaining to the flight , it is hardly unlikely that the matter will be resolved. Hosseini’s absence will be a real blow to Team Melli already missing Amir Hossein Sadeghi in the central defense and Mehrdad Pooladi. Montazeri will most probably be paired with young Pouraliganji in the central defense while Ghafoori , Heydari or Beikzadeh will be occupying the defensive flanks.

The list of the absentees on the trip to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan is as follows:

  1. Ashkan Dejagah (Injury)
  2. Alireza Jahanbakhsh (injury)
  3. Ghassim Haddadifar (Fatigue)
  4. Jalal Hosseini (Taxation)
  5. Karim Ansarifard (Form)
  6. Mehrdad Pooladi (Military Service)
  7. Soroush Rafei (Military Service)