Tag: Mehdi Ghayedi’

Ghalenoei wants a sharper Iran

the-afc.com

Ashgabat: Amir Ghalenoei is demanding more potency from his Islamic Republic of Iran team despite having secured a spot at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ and reaching Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers following a 1-0 win over Turkmenistan on Tuesday.
The head coach, who steered Iran to the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, was unhappy at the profligacy that could have been costly for Team Melli.

“Let me congratulate the Turkmenistan team for the good game they played,” said Ghalenoei. “The head coach has a very good team.
 
“We could have won by two or three goals, and of course, in the last minutes, there was a possibility that the game would be tied.”



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Mehdi Ghayedi’s first half stoppage time goal decided the match, as Iran found Turkmenistan harder to crack after having scored five past them last Thursday.  
 
The win put IR Iran on 10 points – the same as Uzbekistan – with both teams assured of a top two finish. 



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Uzbekistan made sure of their spot with a 3-0 win over Hong Kong, China whose head coach Jorn Andersen put the defeat down to the difference in individual quality though the Norwegian still found some silver linings from the performance of his players.
 
“We did very well in the first 15 minutes but then Uzbekistan increased the pressure and created many chances, proving that they are at a high level,” said Andersen. “Although we lost 3-0, I wouldn’t call it a bad result. The level of several strong players in the ranks of our opponent was the reason for the outcome of the match.
 
“True, I was not completely satisfied with the result. We conceded very simple goals. But I can say that the guys tried their best. I thank them for that.”

Iran’s Million EURO players

A total of 19 Iranian players have been valued at or above 1 million Euro. 

Sardar Azmoun, the Zenit forward is at the top of the list at € 23 mn followed by Mehdi Taremi of Porto FC with € 13 mn.

Both these players have been making the headlines recently. Taremi has made plenty of waves after that spectacular scissors kick goal against Chelsea in addition to his earlier goal in the previous round against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League. Taremi did his reputation a world of good by such performance and consequently his market value which is expected to increase significantly in the coming months.

Azmoun, on the other hand, has been slotting them in with Zenit. He is top of the Russian Premier League goal scorers chart with 15 goals.

Despite the quoted figures by TransferMarket, a specialist website that monitors players’ values and transfers, it is highly unlikely that Zenit or Porto will part with their respective Iranian players at those prices. Azmoun will not be released for less than 50 million euros, while Taremi is approaching the €30 million mark.

However, the rest of the legionnaires have not fared anywhere near the exceptional Azmoun and Taremi. Alireza Jahanbakhsh has seen his value spiral dive after two disappointing seasons in the Premier League with Brighton.

The highest valued domestic league player is Mehdi Ghaedi who is valued at  €1,6 million and sits at number 11 on the list. Two players who are not in this current list but making significant progress should appear in the chart soon (their value top the €1 million). These two are club mates Shahab Zahedi and Allahyar Sayyadmanesh of the Ukrainian club Vorya.

 

LIST OF TOP VALUED IRANIAN PLAYERS

 

# Player Age Market value million in US$
1 Sardar Azmoun 26  €       23.00  $         27,558,600.00
2 Mehdi Taremi 28  €       13.00  $         15,576,600.00
3 Alireza Jahanbakhsh 27  €         5.00  $           5,991,000.00
4 Ali Gholizadeh 25  €         4.00  $           4,792,800.00
5 Kaveh Rezaei 29  €         3.20  $           3,834,240.00
6 Saman Ghoddos 27  €         3.00  $           3,594,600.00
7 Milad Mohammadi 27  €         2.80  $           3,354,960.00
8 Mehrdad Mohammadi 27  €         2.50  $           2,995,500.00
9 Alireza Beiranvand 28  €         2.00  $           2,396,400.00
10 Karim Ansarifard 31  €         1.80  $           2,156,760.00
11 Mehdi Ghayedi 22  €         1.60  $           1,917,120.00
12 Sadegh Moharrami 25  €         1.50  $           1,797,300.00
13 Ahmad Nourollahi 28  €         1.40  $           1,677,480.00
14 Amir Abedzadeh 27  €         1.30  $           1,557,660.00
15 Majid Hosseini 24  €         1.20  $           1,437,840.00
16 Ehsan Hajsafi 31  €         1.10  $           1,318,020.00
17 Mehdi Torabi 26  €         1.10  $           1,318,020.00
18 Morteza Pouraliganji 28  €         1.00  $           1,198,200.00
19 Amir Arsalan Motahari 28  €         1.00  $           1,198,200.00

BOSNIA vs IRAN 0-2 :perfect record for Skocic

Team Melli defeated Bosnia & Herzegovina 0-2 in Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium, Sarajevo. The first half ended goalless. In the second half, Kaveh Rezaei scored the first in the 46th Minute, While in the dying minutes 90+2, the substitute Mehdi Ghayedi scored Iran’s second.  

 Bosnian star player Miralem Pjanic was supposed to be given a rest to prepare him for the crucial match against Italy, but it seems that the coach had cold feet and needed the Barcelona midfielder to inject some experience and creativity against Iran,

Both teams played open football with Iran having a slight advantage over the host in ball keeping. In the second match under Dragan Skočić, the Croatian picked a well-balanced team in the absence of at least half a dozen regular Team Melli starters.

Despite the pre-match statement of the Bosnian coach, who reckoned that Iran’s defense was vulnerable,  this match proved otherwise. Shoja’a Khalizadeh and Hossein Kannanizadegan formed a sold wall in the center while Mohammadi and Sadegh Moharrami were excellent on the flanks. Team Melli hardly worked to their maximum and managed to easily thwart the Bosnian offensive moves. Whatever filtered from the defenders, Abedzadeh masterly controlled his goals with perfect timings and solid catches. The Maritimo keeper is certainly becoming a serious contender for the number one spot in goal ahead of Beiranvand.

Iran played a balanced game and was clearly better prepared than the host. In the first 15 minutes, Team Melli could have been at least 2 goals up if it was not for the brave Bosnian keeper Jasmin Buric who saved Kaveh Rezaei from a close-range shot after Kaveh robbed the ball in the penalty area and was face to face with the keeper. Minutes later, Ali Gholizadeh had just one defender to beat for a clear shot of the gaping goal, in a similar situation but could not dribble past his marker. And finally, Vahid Amiri was beaten in a split of a second when he also was face-to-face with the Buric.

In the second half, Team Melli started unchanged. IN the first minute, Amiri, who robbed the ball on the right flank from the Bosnian defender, found Rezaei just outside the box and he squared the pass to him. After taking a couple of steps, Kaveh Rezaei picked his spot on the opposite end of the gaol and sent a delicious curler that beat two defenders and the keeper into the net. It was a world-class strike by Chreloi forward.

Several changes in the team and the same with Bosnia changed the rhythm and the pace slightly, but both continued the offensive gameplay in what was an entertaining encounter. Saeed Ezatolahi made the team after a long absence and his presence was felt. He could have made a much better pass for Team Melli to score on the counter, but his poor pass was intercepted robbing Iran of a goal. Otherwise, his towering presence and energy were quite refreshing for the team.

Mehdi Ghayedi was introduced late, and the Esteghal tiny forward scored Iran’s second with another cracking half volley on the far side of the keeper to make it 2-0 for Team Melli in the dying minutes

It was a very good performance by Team Melli. The defense line quite assuring, while u front, Gholizadeh, and Rezaei, teammates in Chareloi were quite a threat and made Bosina defenders work hard against them. The only concern about the excellent team arranged by Dragan Skocic was the midfield. which was ineffective and lacked depth the skills to be effective. In big games, that lack of creativity could bite back badly. Omid Noorafkan and Ezatollahi’s introduction improved the midfield, Noorallahi was a disappointment.

In reality, there was no midfield as the balls traveled directly to the forwards from the keeper or defenders to utilize the speed of the flanks and Rezaei limiting the effectiveness of the midfield.

Overall, it was an excellent performance and a perfect record for the Croatian head coach who is assisted by Vahid Hashemian. This performance augurs well for the team in the qualifiers that will start again in March 2012.

 

 

9 players in the initial Team Melli list

According to FFIRI Official website, nine layers have already been selected for Team Melli camp from Esteghlal, Sepahan, Tractorsazi and Foolad Khuzestan. The next list will be announce3d after the Al Nasr vs Persepolis game in the Finals of the AFC Champions League West region in Doha today.

The selected players are:

GHAYEDI, Mehdi (Esteghlal)
GHOLAMI, Aref  (Esteghlal)
HAJSAFY, Ehsan (Tractorsazi)
HOSSEINI, Majid  (Esteghlal)
KARIMI, Ali  (Esteghlal)
MAZAHERI, Rashid (Tractorsazi)
NAJJARIAN, Mojtaba (Foolad Khuzestan)
NIAZMAND, Payam (Sepahan)
NOORAFKAN, Omid (Sepahan)

 

Dragan Skočić, to announce the new Team Melli squad.

Team Melli’s Croatian Head coach will announce the players’ list for the upcoming international friendlies against Uzbekistan and Mali after months of inaction. It will be the first time that the team will meet with its new coaching team due to the suspension of football activities as the result;t of the Covid19 pandemic.

he wants to play in the national team after months, and he will end the wait for the football fans to unveil his team. According to ISNA,

Team Melli training which was supposed to start on October 3 in Tehran, will probably start with a day delay. Iranian League Champions, Persepolis is still involved in the AFC Champions League and will play the final match in Doha against Al-Nasr of Sadu Arabi on Saturday afternoon in Doha.  from tomorrow. Instead, the list of players invited to the national team will be published tonight by Dragan Skocic. After about 11 months break Team Melli will gather together to play two friendly matches against Uzbekistan and Mali on 17 and 22 October. However, the most important issue is the unveiling of Skocic team, which has been delayed for more than 8 months due to the corona outbreak.

* Skocic’s -style team

The Croatian coach does not consider himself a follower of Carlos Queiroz’s defensive style, nor is he going to follow the style of Belgian Marc Wilmots. That’s why watching Skocic’s team is so important in a situation where official World Cup qualifiers have been postponed. In the current situation, the presence of some players in this camp is in a state of ambiguity, and it is not yet clear whether Skocic will invite them to the national team or not.

On the other hand, due to the limitations caused by the prevalence of corona, some players in European countries will be facing problems and this issue may make it difficult for them to travel to Uzbekistan and Turkey. But with all these considerations, the most important issue is Skocic’s style and mentality. It remains to be seen what players he will invite to the national team and how he would employ certain players in his line-up.

* What is going on in the Croatian coach’s head?

The list of players invited to the national team always leads to critics; In this bi-polar football nation, not inviting a player from either Persepolis or Esteghlal or inviting a particular player to the team, as well as not inviting some players due to traffic on some lines, are among the things that face criticism from experts and, of course, fans.

The increase in the number of Iranian legionnaires and the shining of several players in one position, as well as the increase in the age of some experienced players, have raised speculation about the new national team roster. In fact, no one is yet familiar with Skocic’s tactical ideas in the national team, and on the other hand, due to the presence of many in-form players in several positions, few can read the mind of the Croatian national team coach before the list is published. For example, there were various ambiguities about the goalkeepers; Especially since Alireza Beiranvand is absent due to injury and several well-known defenders can be seen in this post who has put legitimate claims to wear the national team jersey.

The team’s defense is in the same situation. In fact, with the departure of Queiroz and the retirement of a few players, the defensive line that was desired by the former Portuguese coach will also change. To these must be added the absence of the team’s most consistent defender, Morteza Pouraliganji. The most complicated situation in the midfield and attack is that there is a traffic of in-form players inside and outside Iran waiting to join the team, and they still do not know whether they should pack their bags to attend Tehran and join the national team on Saturday night or stay put.

 

TEAM MELLI CANDIDATES LIST

 

  1. AMIRI, Vahid     
  2. ANSARIFARD, Karim
  3. AZMOUN, Sardar
  4. CHESHMI, Rouzbeh
  5. DEJAGAH, Ashkan
  6. EBRAHIMI, Omid
  7. GHODDOS, Saman
  8. HAJSAFY, Ehsan
  9. HOSSEINI, Majid
  10. JAHANBAKHSH, AliReza 
  11. KANANI-ZADEGAN, Hossein
  12. MOHAMMADI, Milad
  13. MOHEBI, Mohammad
  14. NOUROLLAHI, Ahmad
  15. REZAEI, Kaveh
  16. REZAEIAN, Ramin
  17. TAREMI, Mehdi 
  18. TORABI, Mehdi
  19. GHOLIZADEH, Ali
  20. NEMATI, Siamak
  21. AL KASIR, Isa
  22. LAK, Hamed
  23. GHAYEDI, Mehdi
  24. KARIMI, Ali
  25. HOSSEINI, Hosseini
  26. KHALILZADEH, Shojaa
  27. KAMYABINIA, Kamal
  28. NIAZMAND, Payam
  29. NOORAFKAN, Omid
  30. KHANZADEH, Mohammadreza
  31. SHIKARI, Reza

Asian Games 2018: Iran defeats DPR Korea

Iran took a huge step towards qualifying for the Round of 16 with a 3-0 win over 2014 silver medallists DPR Korea.

Iran started brightly against DPR Korea but Mohammad Khodabandehlo and Amir Roustaei had their opportunities saved by goalkeeper Kang Ju-Hyok inside the first 18 minutes.

DPR Korea were also chasing their first win after settling for a 1-1 stalemate with Myanmar on Wednesday and went close to scoring in the 19th minute but Ri Un-Chol’s strike was saved by IR Iran goalkeeper Mahdi Amini Zazerani.

However, Roustaei put Iran in the lead following his strike in the 27th minute and the goal pushed DPR Korea forward in search of an equaliser but Song-il Ju’s men couldn’t find the target as they trailed by a goal at halftime.

 

Iran, four-time Asian Games champions, kept the momentum going in the second half as they looked to extend their advantage over the East Asians.

DPR Korea suffered a blow when they went down to 10 men after Song Kum-Song was shown his marching orders in the 52nd minute.

Iran used the one-man advantage to double their lead through Mehdi Ghayedi’s strike in the 68th minute and despite DPR Korea’s best efforts, the Central Asians made it 3-0 after Aref Aghasi Kolahsorkhi converted a penalty in added time.

With top spot still up for grabs, IR Iran will face Myanmar in their final group match on Monday while DPR Korea will entertain Saudi Arabia.