Tag: Iran

World Cup 2014 Group'F': How can the teams qualify?

Ahead of the final round of fixtures in Group F, we look at the various permutations.
Argentina – Qualified Lionel Messi's late goal over Iran last week booked a place for the Argentinians in the last 16.  A draw over second place Nigeria will see them top Group F. Nigeria – Must draw with Argentina A draw between Nigeria and Argentina will work well for both teams as the South Americans will win the group with the Africans guaranteeing their place in the knock-out stages. A win for Nigeria over Argentina will see them top Group F, sending Argentina into second place. Iran – Need to beat Bosnia-Hercegovina and require Argentine win over Algeria, with a superior goal difference After losing to Argentina in the cruellest fashion last week, the Iranians now rely on them to triumph over Algeria whilst making sure they beat Bosnia-Herzegovina in the process. Even then, Iran will need a superior goal difference to advance.  Bosnia-Herzegovina – Out With two losses from two games, Bosnia-Herzegovina are guaranteed to be spectators following the conclusion of the group matches.

Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Iran – Match Preview

By 

Jun-24-2014

Onazi Ghoochannejhad Nigeria Iran Action Images John Sibley Photo by Action Images/John Sibley

Match: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Iran

Date and Time: Wednesday 26 June 13:00 Local Time, 18:00 GMT, 20:30 Tehran Time

Location: Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

  Match Projection: Bosnia-Iran-Match-Forecasts Match Preview:

Prior to the commencement of the World Cup, this fixture was earmarked as a potential round of 16 decider with one of these nations requiring Argentina to defeat Nigeria to aid the progression of the other. The expectancy was that Bosnia and Herzegovina would be the nation on the brink of the World Cup knockout stage with Iran heading home; however this is not the case.

Bosnia and Herzegovina can feel aggrieved at this point regarding its early World Cup exit given the performance of the officials during its defeat against Nigeria – so things could have been very different had Edin Dzeko’s first have goal had not been wrongly disallowed for offside. That said, Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and some poor finishing also contributed to Bosnia’s defeat and elimination.

The question is how Safet Susic approaches this match. Will he revert to the 4-1-3-2 that worked so well during qualification or continue to use the 4-2-3-1 with a more defensive approach? Will he play other members of his squad now that Bosnia have been eliminated? In either scenario, it could mean that Vedad Ibisevic starts for Bosnia, scorer of Bosnia’s only goal of the competition so far. However, the early exit does not mean that players have not impressed; Miralem Pjanic, who is expected to be fit after missing training on Monday, has been the creative influence in the side with 10 shot assists – with everything going through the Roma midfielder – while Muhamed Besic has been a workhorse in the midfield, covering 23.5 km between the two matches while leading the side in passes (65.0 per 90), passing accuracy (91.5%), interceptions (6) as well as providing 2 shot assists.

The story here, however, is Iran’s potential progression to the World Cup knockout stage. While a 1-0 win may well be enough, it does need Argentina to beat Nigeria – and if both matches end up with 1-0 score lines in Iran’s favour it will come down to drawing lots for the first time in the History of the World Cup (and some people claim that penalties are a lottery!).

Iran were moments away from creating one of the shocks of this World Cup and having a wider margin for error entering this contest in the process; however Lionel Messi’s incredible late winner has resulted in Carlos Queiroz’s side requiring the Iran win/Nigeria lose combination of results in order to progress. However, for a national team that failed to play a single game for 119 days following its qualification due to sanctions placed against the nation at a political level, the fact that it enters its final group stage match with a chance of qualifying for the round of 16 is an achievement in itself.

Like Nigeria and Argentina before them, Bosnia and Herzegovina are going to find it tough to break through Queiroz’s hard-working, well-disciplined side set up with men behind the ball in a 4-2-3-1 formation that is more like a 4-5-1. The two defensive midfielders, Andranik Teymourian and Javad Nekounam embody its hard-working nature, covering distances of 21.9 km and 21.8 km respectively as the Iranians spend a lot of time without possession – averaging just 27.4% over its first two matches, the lowest average possession in the World Cup so far. Teymourian and Nekounam are the only players in the Iranian squad to have surpassed 40 pass attempts between the first two matches – with all but four players attempting less than 30.

Still, Iran probably had the best opportunities to score against both Nigeria and Argentina, as well as looking more likely to score during an impressive second half against the South American nation before Messi’s moment of brilliance. While Iran had one good chance against Nigeria – a Reza Ghoochanneijhad header from an Ashkan Dejagah corner – both players had strong opportunities against Argentina as Iran had a number of opportunities in the central zone of the box:

Iran Shots Ghoochanneijhad and Dejagah are Iran’s main attacking threats but Queiroz may field a more attacking line-up against Bosnia. The Charlton striker embodies Iran’s hard-working nature (21.4 km covered so far) while attempting a team-leading seven shots, but the creative force in the side is Dejagah (five shot assists as 17.9% of his passes have created opportunities). If Iran are going to score at this World Cup, one of these two players will be involved regardless of who else joins them in the Iranian attack – and potentially both. Queiroz knows that his side’s finishing will need to improve. ”My major concern is to keep players focused,” Queiroz told reporters. ”And, they’ll need to convert those chances.” Bosnia and Herzegovina are the favourites according to the BSports Match Analysis tool, which really is unsurprising given the players available to Safet Susic – so Iran will continue in its underdog role in a match in which it can qualify for the World Cup round of 16. Bosnia and Herzegovina Injuries & Suspensions: Miralem Pjanic (Probable) Iran Injuries & Suspensions: None Other Match Analysis Forecasts:

Should Iran have had a penalty for Pablo Zabaleta’s foul on Ashkan Dejagah in the box?

Metro.co.uk

Saturday 21 Jun 2014 6:34 pm

Argentina defender Pablo Zabaleta went close to conceding a penalty in his team’s World Cup match against Iran after the Manchester City man tackled Ashkan Dejagah in the area but only just got his toe to the ball.

With Carlos Queiroz’s side doing a superb job at keeping Argentina at bay, Dejagah raced into the box – only for Zabaleta to bring down the Fulham star in the 55th minute.

The incident sparked a furious response from the Iranian players but referee Milorad Mazic waved away their appeals although replays showed Iran should have been awarded a spot-kick.

Iran went on to lose the clash after Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored a sublime long-range winner in the 91st minute.

  Last count  YES                                              NO 86%                                           14%    
"If this foul was committed by a player on the other side on Messi , it would have been called a penalty" Emil Heskey , Ex-England forward on BeIn sports Panel.  

Should Iran have had a penalty against Argentina?

  • YES

    86%

  • NO

    14%

Iran vs. Argentina Reports & Analysis..and a bit of Maradona.

 BBC.com Review

Lionel Messi curled a stunning 91st-minute winner to send Argentina through to the World Cup knockout stage and rob the excellent Iran of a deserved point.

Iran spent much of the first half under pressure but more than once threatened to inflict what would have been a huge upset.

Argentina's Lionel Messi
 

Lionel Messi scores stunning goal in stoppage time

Argentina's celebrations at the final whistle were wild and prolonged, while the sight of coach Alejandro Sabella embracing Messi at the tunnel gave an indication of what this meant to the two-time champions.

The build-up was dominated by talk of a rift between Messi and Sabella, the captain having expressed his displeasure at the 5-3-2 formation used in the first half againstBosnia-Hercegovina when Messi also scored the decisive goal.

Sabella duly reverted to the Barcelona forward's preferred 4-3-3 and was rewarded by his star man at the last.

[box title="KEY FACTS" style="bubbles" box_color="#eaee3d" title_color="#00000" radius="5"] Key facts Argentina have won 11 and lost just one of their past 14 World Cup group games, scoring 27 goals and conceding just five in total in this run. Iran attempted just 130 passes against Argentina, the fewest made by a team in a World Cup match since 1966. Lionel Messi has now scored 40 goals for Argentina.[/box]

Iran looked devastated at the end but must take immense confidence from a performance that combined defensive resilience with attacking adventure - and from the knowledge they could still qualify. Carlos Queiroz's men actually created the first meaningful chance when Jala Hosseini headed wide from Ashkan Dejagah's free-kick, although Argentina then assumed control. Javier Mascherano and Fernando Gago provided a solid base for Angel Di Maria and full-backs Pablo Zabaleta and Marcos Rojo to support Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero. Iran goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi displayed superb reflexes to foil Higuain and save one-handed from Aguero. Rojo then headed narrowly wide, Messi was off target with a free-kick and Ezequiel Garay nodded inches over the bar. The Iran fans celebrated every reprieve like a goal.

"Lionel Messi is the difference in so many games and he's done it again. You know what he's going to do, take a step and curl it, but there's nothing the magnificent Iranians can do. It is just world class." Neil LennonFormer Celtic manager on BBC Radio 5 live

Argentina were meeting a wall of resistance every time they attacked but Iran's impressive defending ought to have been no surprise - they kept more clean sheets in qualifying than any team at the tournament. And when not thwarting the South Americans' forwards, Queiroz's team again came close to a goal of their own with another Hosseini header.

Iran's preparations for the competition had been hampered by political sanctions that affected their funding and ability to organise friendlies, but they looked fully prepared and again came close to taking a shock lead through Reza Ghoochannejhad. Masoud Shojaei surged forward and fed Pejman Montazeri to cross for the Charlton Athletic striker, who would have scored had his header been aimed anywhere other than straight at Argentine keeper Sergio Romero. But the chance served to further bolster Iran's self-belief and after Dejagah had a strong penalty claim rejected by referee Milorad Mazic, the Fulham man was thwarted by Romero's fingertips as he met another Montazeri cross with a powerful header. Messi worked hard to swing the momentum back in Argentina's favour, slotting wide after a quick break and sending a free-kick into the side-netting, while Sabella introduced Rodrigo Palacio and Ezequiel Lavezzi in place of Aguero and Higuain as his side pushed hard for a winner. Still chances came for Iran, however, Ghoochannejhad nearly stealing the win, only for Romero to make a diving stop - and that miss proved costly when captain Messi stepped up with a wonderful finish into the far corner to send Argentina through with a game to spare and keep them on course for a first World Cup since 1986. [divider] ESPNFC.com REVIEW

Team Melli looked excellent in defeat

Before the start of this World Cup not many Iran fans imagined that going into the third and final round of the group stage Iran would still have chance to fight for a spot in the Round of 16.

Yet, despite Saturday's heartbreaking 1-0 defeat against Argentina, Team Melli still has a fair chance to go beyond the group stage in a World Cup tournament that has turned out to be anything but predictable.

Team Melli put up a valiant fight against a star studded Argentina in Belo Horizonte; however, a magical extra-time moment from the world's best player rubbed them off what would have been the best result in the country's footballing history.

Once the initial disappointment of this difficult defeat has passed, most Team Melli fans will come to recognize and appreciate their team's inspired performance for what it was.

To put it in perspective consider these facts: the Argentina team that took the field against Team Melli included four of the best attacking players in the game today.

Of the four, Lionel Messi has the top total annual earnings of 64.7 million dollars, plus Sergio Aguero with 23.3 million dollars are respectively the second and fifth top earners in this World Cup according to Forbes magazine. That is more than triple the total annual budget of Iranian football federation.

Furthermore, Argentina's squad included seven or more players who have won major trophies with top European clubs.

And finally, Iran came to this World Cup as one of the lowest ranked teams in the tournament while Argentina are one of the early favorites to go all the way.

Many football purists criticised coach Carlos Queiroz's defensive approach against African champions Nigeria in the first match of Group F. However, today we saw a different side to his team. They did put numbers behind the ball for most of the first half, but in the second half they took advantage of a frustrated Argentina and created a few dangerous opportunities of their own.

Sergio Romero, the Argentina goalkeeper, was forced to make four saves during the match (as compared to eight by his Iranian counterpart), and one of them had to be a top class acrobatic fingertip save. Queiroz may not have the luxury of many big names on his roster, but he has somehow managed to drill a ton of self-belief in his players and extract every ounce of performance he possibly can out of them.

The boys, for their part, have played their hearts out in more than 180 minutes of football at the highest stage. Against Argentina every single Team Melli starter, including the three who were substituted out late in the game, ran over 9 kilometers. Lone striker Reza Ghoochannejhad ran over 11 kilometers as did 33 year old midfielder and captain Javad Nekounam. Midfielder Andranik Teymourian who ran over 10 km had a match high 48 sprints followed by Ghoochannejhad who had 44.

It was a laboured effort, but Lionel Messi and Argentina overcame Iran to advance to the second round.
Lionel Messi sidesteps two Iranian defenders. He would go on to score the game-winning goal for Argentina in their Group F clash.

 

Unfortunately, from Team Melli's perspective, the Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nigeria match ended with the worst possible result. The narrow 1-0 Nigerian victory means that Iran will not only have to win their final match against Bosnia, but also hope for a solid Argentine victory if they are to go through to the next round.

It is safe to assume that neither Argentina nor Nigeria will settle for a draw which would send both of them through at the expense of Iran, but who could blame them if they did exactly that?

It will be very interesting to see if Carlos Queiroz can manage to motivate his men for their last group match after such a deflating defeat. But regardless of what happens against Bosnia on June 25, it is a sure bet that the team will get a warm reception from the fans back home upon their return.

While the majority of Iranian football fans are purists who enjoy and appreciate free flowing and attacking football, they also recognize and value hard work and team effort even if it does not produce the beautiful football that they all love. Team Melli game to this tournament as overwhelming underdogs, but they have already outlasted two former world champions and given their fans another chance to dream of possibilities.

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Maradona’s a curse! El Diego leaves early… Lionel Messi scores Argentina winner v Iran!

Saturday, June 21st, 2014
 

maradona argentina efe2 Maradonas a curse! El Diego leaves early... Lionel Messi scores Argentina winner v Iran!

After his disastrous reign as coach of Argentina at the last World Cup, the evidence suggesting Diego Maradona is now a jinx on the country he famously led to World Cup glory in 1986 is overwhelming!

Diego Maradona has made headlines across the globe after he was unable to get into Rio’s Maracana for Argentina’s opening match win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

On Saturday in Belo Horizonte, Diego Maradona did make it into the stadium but to everyone in Argentina’s amusement… left early before Lionel Messi cracked home the beautiful winner against Iran.

As a result, the hashtag #Maradonamufa (‘Maradona’s a curse’) was trending on Twitter in Argentina after the 1-0 win over Iran.

 

And, La Nacion reports that Julio Grondona, president of the AFA, was celebrating in the Argentina dressing room, saying: “The jinx is gone, and we won.”

Maradona left his post as coach after the last World Cup with harsh words for Grondona, so it is no surprise the latter should celebrate in this manner.

A picture of Diego Maradona leaving early, before Lionel Messi scored against Iran, is above…

[divider]

WAR OF WORDS FOLLOWING JINX SLUR

Maradona gives "moron" Grondona the middle finger

DPA 06/22/2014

Diego Maradona came out all guns blazing in response to comments by the head of the Argentinian FA, Julio Grondona, suggesting that the legend had been bringing Argentina bad luck during the World Cup.

"The jinx left and we won", Grondona was quoted as saying after the 1-0 victory over Iran at the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte, where Lionel Messi's last-gasp wonder strike came once Maradona had left the stadium.

The Argentina legend wasted little time biting back at the AFA president. "So, someone said that the goal was scored because I left", he noted, before referring to Grondona in person, calling him a "moron" and literally sticking his middle finger up to show just what he thought of the comments.

Maradona, who coached the 'Albiceleste' for their disappointing campaign at South Africa 2010, is currently working out of Rio de Janeiro as a World Cup pundit for Venezuela TV channel 'Telesur', for whom he presents a special show entitled 'De Zurda' in reference to his famous left foot.

Personal jibes Maradona went even further in his riposte, labelling the AFA chief a stooge: "My message to Grondona is that I paid for the clothes on my back through hard work; he bought everything he has on thanks to his cronies at FIFA".

Lionel Messi criticism welcome, says Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella

Reuters | Jun 20, 2014 at 10:56pm IST

Four-times world player of the year Lionel Messi may not be deciding Argentina's team tactics but his criticism is crucial and welcome, coach Alejandro Sabella said on Friday. Messi was critical of Argentina's first-half defensive formation in their World Cup opener against Bosnia despite a 2-1 win but those post-match comments were welcomed, Sabella said. "I was not hurt by Leo's comment and he has said that before," the Argentine told reporters ahead of Saturday's Group F game against Iran. "He likes to play 4-3-3 with (Angel) Di Maria up front"
World Cup 2014: Messi criticism welcome, says Argentina coach SabellaMessi may not be deciding Argentina's team tactics but his criticism is crucial and welcome, coach Alejandro Sabella said on Friday. (Getty Images)

"They (reporters) asked him how he likes to play and he answered what he thinks in a respectful way. We respect each other, we have a very strong team spirit. It is good to have an open dialogue with my players.  "Sometimes players learn from us (coaches) and sometimes we learn from them."  Sabella surprisingly opted to play an extra defender in Hugo Campagnaro and sacrificed forward Gonzalo Higuain against World Cup debutants Bosnia and the result was a flat first half display that belied Argentine's status among the tournament favourites.  He changed tactics at halftime, with his players feeding Messi more and the Argentine scoring in the 65th to put them two goals ahead.  Sabella confirmed that would also be the way he would start against Iran, who drew 0-0 in their opener against Nigeria.  "We can all make mistakes you know. Tomorrow we will start with a 4-3-3 formation and we will take it from there. We may have to change the formation or not.  "I am the one who told Messi to go (to the news conference after the Bosnia game) and I fully trust all my players from a human and professional standpoint," the coach said.  "We have a two-way street in our dialogue because if you don't let them say what they want to say then you won't get the best out of them." 

Lionel Messi Wants More Offensive Argentina Against Iran

Argentina defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opening FIFA World Cup 2014 match but were far from dominant in their performance.
Reported by: Agence France-Presse
Last updated on Friday, 20 June, 2014 10:42 IST
Lionel Messi scores
Taking aim: Lionel Messi in action against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

© AFP

Belo Horizonte: Argentina captain Lionel Messi believes coach Alejandro Sabella has to back his side's attacking capabilities and include him among a front three when they face Iran on Saturday in Belo Horizonte.

 Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain is expected to return to Sabella's starting line-up as the two-time winners look to seal their place in the second round of the World Cup with a victory over Iran.

Higuain came on as a substitute to set up Messi to score just his second ever World Cup goal as Argentina got their campaign off to a winning start against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Rio on Sunday.

And Messi said he feels more comfortable playing with both Higuain and Sergio Aguero in attack.

"We are Argentina and I think we need to concentrate on ourselves without fixating on who we are playing," said the four-time World Player of the Year.

"We feel more comfortable with two up front and me behind because it makes it easier to counter-attack and, because we have more people in attack, we have more possibilities."

Messi eased some of the pressure on his shoulders to finally deliver his best form at a major tournament for his country with his stunning effort in the 2-1 win over Bosnia.

However, his underwhelming first-half performance was still criticised by some and he admitted he needs to play closer to the opposition's goal.

"In the first-half I found it difficult to get a hold of the ball and when I did I was very far from goal.

"The truth is when I did have the ball I lost it a number of times and at other times I was playing it backwards. I was annoyed at not being able to play the game I had planned."

Along with Higuain, Fernando Gago could return in midfield at the expense of Maxi Rodriguez as he too made a positive impression as a second-half substitute against Bosnia.

Javier Mascherano is also expected to win his 100th cap in midfield and insisted he is as hungry for success as he was on his international debut.

"I am not one of those players that makes the difference on the pitch, but more a player that sacrifices myself for the team. What is my secret? I live for this."

Iran made an encouraging start to their campaign too as they held African champions Nigeria to a 0-0 draw in Curitiba on Monday.

Coach Carlos Queiroz fiercely defended his side's tactics in that match given their lack of facilities and poor preparation in comparison to their more illustrious opponents in Group F.

And striker Reza Ghoochannejhad believes his side can enjoy the experience of taking on one of the best side's in the world with nothing expected of them.

"We have to enjoy it and follow the coach's instructions to the letter. We've got absolutely nothing to lose in this match," said the Carlton Athletic striker.

"Argentina are among the favourites this year, while the same can't be said for us. All the pressure will be on their shoulders and we will have to show our resilience, like against Nigeria."

Asian team needs to stamp itself on the world stage

By John Duerden The Korea Times A European team has never won the World Cup when in South America. An Asian team has never actually won a game on the soccer-crazy continent ― although 1978 was the last time the tournament was held there. Both trends could be broken over the next few weeks. South Korea is joined by fellow Asian Football Confederation (AFC) members Japan, Iran and Australia in Brazil, four teams that carry the hopes of more than half of the world's population. For Asia's reputation as well as its hopes of being allocated more World Cup spots in the future, the continent needs to make a good showing ― two teams, preferably more, need to survive the group stage and reach the round of 16. Japan looks the best bet. The Samurai Blue is Asian champion and is full of players active in Europe's big leagues. Keisuke Honda of AC Milan and Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa may not have had the best domestic seasons, but they are at least fresh ahead of games against Cote d'Ivoire, Greece and Colombia. Lining up alongside the famous duo is an unsung player who may be ready for international stardom. Shinji Okazaki scored 15 goals for FSV Mainz 05 in the just completed German season. Coached by respected Italian tactician Alberto Zaccheroni, Japan's attack has been scoring plenty of late. In June, it scored a 3-1 win over Costa Rica, and then beat Zambia 4-3. However, as the scores suggest, Japan is not quite as strong at the back, but should have the talent to get at least into the second round. "Because Japan is little known in world football, we want to play good football and make a huge impact so the world will recognize the presence of the Japan football team," Kagawa said this week. Japan's prospects look much better than Australia's. Under new coach Ange Postecolou, the Socceroos are in transition from a team of experienced veterans from the 2006 and 2010 campaigns. The new-look team has one of the toughest groups imaginable. Having to face champion Spain is tough enough, but then there is the small matter of 2010 runner-up the Netherlands, another star-studded opponent featuring the likes of Manchester United hitman Robin Van Persie and the supremely talented Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich. Australia's opening game is against Chile, a dark horse, but playing on its own continent and with Alexis Sanchez of Barcelona in its ranks. In some ways, being in such a tough group has taken the pressure off Australia. Nobody expects the team to progress to the second round, making it easier for the coach to regenerate the roster. And any points picked up will be greeted with delight down under. It is almost a no-lose situation. Then there is Iran. The Persians finished above South Korea in qualification but have been pretty quiet since, struggling to arrange preparation games because it is not always easy to lure teams to Tehran   Former Real Madrid and Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz will need all his considerable tactical ability to get the team out of a group containing Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia. It is a tough group, but it could have been worse. Iran's best hope may lie in being underestimated. In some ways, Korea's preparation has been worse. The team has had a good deal more games than Iran, but losing four out of the last five ― the latest last week's 4-0 thrashing by Ghana ― has everyone talking of impending doom against Russia, Algeria and Belgium.   Perhaps some solace can be taken from Japan. Four years ago, the Samurai Blue lost four out of its final five warm-up games, with leading coach Takeshi Okada offer his resignation. Yet, this all changed at the World Cup, with Japan within a penalty shootout for a place in the final eight. With the possible exception of Japan, Korea and the rest of Asia would settle for that. John Duerden is writing for  about Korea's campaign at the World Cup in Brazil. ― ED.

FFIRI denies Queiroz has banned his players from cheering the Volleyball team.

The closer we get to the World Cup kick off , the more rumors and controversial issues pop up in Iran relating to Team Melli and Queiroz

News that Carlos Queiroz has banned his players from attending or watching Iran's National volleyball team , has prompted the FFIRI to issue a strong denial and accuse the unknown journalist of fabrication the story. Iran's National volleyball team is currently in Sao Paulo , the same city that Team Melli is carrying out its training in. Iran's volleyball team is meeting the powerful Brazil team on Friday and Saturday in the FIVB World League 2014.  The matches start 09:50 local time.

While many in Iran hoped that Team Melli will be available in the arena and attend the match  to provide moral support, they were disappointed by the absence of the footballers. The Queiroz ban story could have originated from someone in that group, who saw no reason for Football Team Melli not attending Volleyball match. Iran lost the first match by the smallest of margins 3-2, the last decider set was won by Brazil 15-13 while Iran was ahead 13-11 moments earlier. It was that close.

To justify the reason why Footballers could not attend the match , FFIRI published a few photo showing that the players were busy having lunch around 09:50 in the morning  while watching the volleyball match between Brazil and Iran on TV!!

It was a pity Queiroz and his players did not attend that volleyball match , they could have picked a few good points from the Iranian and Brazilian teams in that match. It was a brilliant encounter of the highest level..

Team Melli is currently setting camp in the Corinthians Training center in Sao Paulo. The team schedule is split into two parts, morning sessions consisting mostly of physical training and the evening sessions which are spent on the football pitch.

           

Iran drops 6 places in FIFA Ranking of June 2014

Iran maintained top Asian ranking in the monthly list issued today (Thursday 4th Jun 2014) despite dropping a significant 6 places down  to 43 in the overall FIFA Ranking. In the last ranking to be issued before the World Cup kick off, Iran tally of 641 points ranks it above Japan (626) Korea Rep (547) and Uzbekistan (539) in Asia. Australia is fifth with 526 points.   Interestingly enough , Nigeria , Team Melli's first opponent at the World Cup maintained its position at 44  one rank below and one point less than Team Melli at 43.   There is a mix result for the other Group F with Argentina , the highest rank team in the group climbing two places to # 5 in the world while Bosnia also climbed 4 places as the best achiever of the group at 21.   Group F ranking - Comparison chart FIFA-Ranking-compare-Jun14

Looking deeper at Iran chances.

Now that it is safe to assume that Team  Melli players WILL exchange shirts with the rivals after each match in the World Cup, we can look relax and think of more important issues like what are Iran chances in Group F.

There is no denying what is the fans expectations are.  We have arranged several polls here at TeamMelli.com and have come to an early conclusion that the majority of the fans across the globe expect Team Melli to succeed. The majority wants and expects Team Melli to qualify to the next round ahead of Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Is that a realistic expectation or just one of those wishful thinking bits that passionate football fans always dream of beyond but it is beyond the capabilities of their beloved teams.?

If you are looking for a quick answer , we do not have one, but if you are patient enough to read our outlook , then please do so and then come up with your own conclusion versus ours.

DejagahAThese days, friendly or practice matches prior to the World Cup is dime a dozen. There are lots of them as each team is examining the strength and the weaknesses of their line up or try to sort out the tactical plans or maybe to put the final touches. The giants like Spain, Germany, France, England and Brazil have been toying with weaker opponents and having a ball. Out of all of those friendly matches, none was more dignifying,   encouraging, and inspiring than the Germany vs. Cameroon match. No need to go into the historical background of the two teams for level comparisons, all one can say is the Germany at home should have easily dispensed of their less glamorous African opponents with ease. They did not and one reason for that is the motivation of Cameroon players and coaches , their willpower and their courage. Something that Queiroz and his men must take a note of.

Cameroon , did not park the bus in Mönchengladbach, they dared to attack and attack they did. They were rewarded and scored the first goal. Germany hit back and scored the equalizer then the second goal , both brilliantly taken. The locals were waiting for the third to cap good day work for Germany , but once again Cameroon dared to attack the Germans at their home and managed to score a beautiful well-earned equalizer. It ended all square 2-2 in Germany.

We have not seen Queiroz being bold enough or daring in any of his matches, and expecting him to change his mentality overnight is wishing for a miracle. The man is conservative by style and that is his right as there is a lot at stake at this level of football.

NekounamJWhat  though , if the boys are given a bit more freedom to go attack, Teymourian , Nekounam and Dejagah daring to attack and taking the battle into the enemy premises. What if Pooladi or Beikzadeh on the left and Heydari on the right feed the box with accurate crosses for our forwards and midfield player to take a chance or two?

It is a question of desire rather than ability. In Dejagah , Team Melli has a winner in every sense. Both strikers have some beautiful touches and finishes. They have both proven their qualities. And then we have a gem of young player Jahanbakhsh who is rearing to go , if he is given a chance or two, He is not short of courage , running and willpower.  We sure do have the tools and the resources, what is needed is the will ,  the desire and some bravery. Cameroons of this world do not score by parking the bus. They dare to attack and they reap the reward.

Saying all that, we do not advocate chaotic offensive game plan as the defense is very vital. Unless we do attack , take the time to organize the players forward, we will not be able to win matches.

Apart from Argentina, which incidentally is not known for its World Class defending, the other two teams are not superior to Iran. Sometimes, strong desires and mentality can overcome tactics and skills and wins you matches.

Our conclusion is if Queiroz opens up and employs some of his weapons, Team Melli can surprise a few people and possibly qualify. Deploying defensive strategy is more difficult to see the team making it to the next round.  Fortunately, team Melli has been pretty impressive in quick counter attacks, which has won them at least three matches in the Qualifiers. Whether such strategy will work at this much higher level , is something that has to be seen