Tag: Hossein Hosseini

Marc Wilmots leads first Team Melli practice session.

The first training session of Team Melli lead by Marc Wilmots was carried today with the presence of assistant coach Vahid Hashemian .

Prior to start of the session, the players and technical staff of Team Melli team handed flowers bouquets to the media personnel present at the training ground as a gesture of appreciation. . Persepolis players, who were scheduled to play the final of the Hazfi Cup in Ahvaz were absent today. Apart from Beiranvand, Torabi and Noorolahi, from Persepolis, the injured Rashid Mazaheri and  Sardar Azmoun were absent from the session.

Hossein Hosseini has replaced Mazaheri in the squad. The players started with a warm up run along the ground, then the group training consisted of practice with single-shot passes and stretching exercises. During the training, Ramin Rezaeian made errors in executing one or two moves, which forced Wilmots to give him a reminder.

The training continued in several routines under continuous instructions from Wilmots. Despite the various issues with the official sponsor of Team Melli kit, the team was wearing the Adidas kit, but it seems that the use of this kit is not expected to last for long. Media  were asked to leave after 25 minutes to allow Wilmots the freedom of continuing his work.

4-0 victory for Team Melli vs. Sierra Leone

The Iranian national team defeated Sierra Leone 4-0 win in an international friendly match held in nearly empty Azadi Stadium on Saturday.

Queiroz had a mix of players in the initial line up giving debuts to 3 players, Omid Noorafkan, Goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini and midfielder from Saipa Alborz Ali Gholizadeh. All 3 enjoyed a good game and performed well in their first international. 

This was the first preparation match for Team Melli in a series of matches which will continue into March after Nowrooz including the matches against Tunisia and Algeria in Europe.

Iran’s goals were scored by Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh (14), Ali Gholizadeh (16 and 46) and Kaveh Rezaei (35). The 100,000 capacity stadium was virtually empty as no more than 3000 fans turned up. The period of Eid Nowrooz shopping season plus the very humble opponents (Ranked 94 in FIFA Ranking list) prevented many fans from attending the match. less than a week ago, the same stadium was full to the capacity for an AFC champions League match between Esteghlal and Al Ain from UAE.

Team Melli very quickly dictated the game proceedings. It was just a matter of time before the first goal would be scored and it was on a corner that Khanzadeh , returning to the team after a 3 year break, scored from a corner on the 14th minute. The African team had very little to offer as it took 40 minutes for the Iranian keeper Hamed Lak to actually handle a ball from live play.

First half

Min 14: On a free kick, Omid Noorafkan sent a nicely weighted ball to the crowded penalty area of ​​Sierra Leone, which Mohammad Reza KhanZadeh slid into the net for the first goal

Min 16: Ali Golizadeh long-range kick from a solo move from outside the penalty box , wrong footed  Sierra Leone keeper after the ball was deflected by his own defenders. First goal for the debutant. 

Minutes 35: Ramin Rezaeian crossed from the right into Sierra Leone penalty box , where Kaveh Rezaei headed the ball into the ground and in the goal. the goalkeeper was helpless.

Second half

46 min. Omid Noorafkan on  left wing on a solo run  hit a strong shot which  Sierra Leone goalkeeper  could only parry, the return ball, was  met by Ali Gholizadeh who scored his second goal. 

71 minutes: Sierra Leone’s players created a dangerous move on a stroke on the goal, which ​​Sierra Leone’s Abu Sauna turned into a strong shot , substitute keeper  Hossein Hosseini  saved it and sent to the corner.

Team Melli starting Line up

 Hamed Lak, Ramin Rezaeian , MR Khanzadeh, Rozbeh Cheshmi, Saeed Aghaei,  Omid Ebrahimi, Ali Karimi, Ahmad Abdollahzadeh,  Omid Noorafkan, Ali Gholizadeh Moghadam and Kaveh Rezaei