Tag: Mehdi Taremi

Latest on Team Melli

Dragan Skocic recalled two players from the standby list while including a previously unlisted Perspolis midfielder to the squad.
  • Farshad Faraji was called by Team Melli to fill in for the absent players while Aghasi, Rafei, and Kamiabinia have been added to the party. While Taremi is on the squad, his flight was disrupted as the airplane taking him from Portugal to Istanbul was diverted after the icy weather in the airport closed the runway. Taremi’s flight landed at Dalman Airport in southwest Turkey near Bodrum and he like the other passengers are stranded there awaiting a flight and weather improvement.
  • The match on Thursday will be refereed by the Australian Christopher James Beath.

  • There is still no confirmation on whether the spectators will be allowed or not for the Iraq match. Most probably, a 20% max number of spectators may be allowed in provided the passengers are vaccinated according to the latest requirements of health protocols.
  • Tuesday’s training session was attended by 17 players and was carried out in Azadi Stadium.
  • The Iraqi squad had 5 positive PCR tests on arrival at Imam Airport in Tehran. After protesting the results, another test was carried out with one positive result. Further request to repeat the test was not entertained again. Iraq has a new coach in the Montenegran  Željko Petrović. This will be Iraq’s third coach in the qualifiers after Katanec (Slovenia) and Dick Advocaat (Netherlands).
  • The revised list of invited players:
    • Goalkeepers:
  1. Alireza Biranvand
  2. Amir Abedzadeh
  3. Payam Niazmand
    • Defenders:
  4. Sadegh Moharremi
  5. Hossein Kananizadegan
  6. Shoja’a Khalilzadeh
  7. Omid Nourafkan
  8. Milad Mohammadi
  9. Siavash Yazdani
  10. Saleh Hardani
  11. Aref Aghasi
  12. Farshad Faraji
    • Midfielders:
  13. Saeed Ezatollahi
  14. Milad Sarlak
  15. Soroush Rafiei
  16. Kamal Kamyabinia
  17. Vahid Amiri
  18. Mehdi Torabi
  19. Saman Ghoddos
  20. Ali Gholizadeh
    • Forwards:
  21. Karim Ansarifard
  22. Alireza Jahanbakhsh
  23. Kaveh Rezaei
  24. Mehdi Ghaedi
  25. Shahab Zahedi
  26. Mehdi Taremi (Not available)

 

the Standby List: Mohammadreza Akhbari, Danial Ismailifard, Zubair Nikonfs,

Team Melli : FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers updates.

The preparation for Team Melli is on its way after the return of head coach Dragan Skocic from his homeland. The Croat coach will be preparing the final list for the upcoming matches vs. Iraq and the UAE on 27th January and 1st February respectively.

There is no major changes or surprises are expected from the new list and it is pretty certain that Mehdi Taremi who missed two matches of the qualifiers, will be invited back to the team. Barring any serious injuries, the squad list will be close to the last one.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022
AFC ASIAN QUALIFIERS – GROUP A

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES v    SYRIA

LEBANON  v    KOREA REPUBLIC

                                                                            SAIDA MUNICIPAL STADIUM
15:00
(SAIDA)

IR IRAN   v   IRAQ

18:30
AZADI STADIUM
(TEHRAN)

Qualification possibilities.

With the 3rd rank team, UAE on 6 points, which is 10 points behind Iran, a win against Iraq will increase Iran’s points to 16 assuring qualification for the third consecutive FIFA World Cup. A win for UAE against Syria increases their point to 9, the maximum point the UAE can achieve from their remaining 3 matches is 9 only.

Team Melli will be highly motivated to register a win in Azadi and celebrate the early qualification.

Since the last two matches, the Legionnaire players have been al doing well except for a brief goal drought by Taremi, However, the Porto forward has scored in his last two consecutive matches  Azmoun is involved in a transfer struggle with Lyon being the most possible destination. Ansarifard and Hajsafy are well settled in AEK Athens and have been scoring goals too.

GROUP TEAMS BRIEFS

IRAQ

 

Iran injury vows continue. A key player in the Iraq team’s defensive line has been injured, and this has raised concerns for the team. Zargham Ismail,  is injured and will most probably not recover in time for the match against Iran, and Rabin Solaqa, another Iraqi defender who plays in the Thai league, is also infected with the Coronavirus, and there are rumors that he will not be invited to the squad. Mohammad Qasim is another key player for the Iraqis, who is also very unlikely to recover to play this crucial game. Iraqi is scheduled to play a friendly match against Uganda in Baghdad before facing Iran, after which it will depart for Tehran.

It is also believed from unofficial sources that the trio of the Iraqi national team players: Saad Natiq, Mohammad Daoud, and Alaa Mahawi, have outstanding administrative problems that prevent them from being selected for the squad to face Team Melli.

UAE

The team was in crisis after the humiliating 5-0 defeat against Qatar in the recently concluded Arab Cup. There were calls to sack Van Marwijc but the UAE FA did not find it appropriate to change the coach at this crucial stage of the competition.  UAE still stands a chance to qualify for the play-off if it can maintain the 3rd rank with 4 matches to go.

No major absentees have been announced but the final squad list for the two matches against Iraq and Iran have yet to be announced.

KOREA REP.

 

Bad news for the Koreans with their star player Son Hyung-min injury in the match against Chelse in Carabao cup semi-finals. Son will not be able to accompany his country’s national team for the World Cup qualifier due to due to a muscle injury according to the Tottenham Hotspur announcement.

Korea still has a good squad but the game against Lebanon in Sidon will be a tough test for the Koreans and three points is not a foregone conclusion. Korea Rep trails Iran by two pints at the top of the group.

SYRIA

The temporary committee in charge of managing the affairs of the Syrian Football Association announced that it had reached a final agreement with Romanian coach Tita Valerio, for the latter to continue coaching the Syrian national team, after long negotiations that brought the two sides together for more than 60 days.

For his part, Valerio confirmed that he will do his best to achieve what is required in the remaining matches in the Asian qualifiers of the World Cup, especially in the next two matches against the UAE and South Korea.

Tita indicated that he had contacted Omar Khribin and Omar Al-Soma, and confirmed the inclusion of the two strikers in the list of Syrian squad.

Meanwhile, the federation is active in recruiting players of Syrian origins in Europe. The Expatriate Committee has identified six such players of Syrian origin active in Europe, at the request of Romanian coach Valerio, who is looking into the possibility of utilizing their services in the remaining matches of World Cyp qualifiers.

Four players who are active in Sweden League: Matthias Behnan, Sherko Shehab, Almar Abraham, and Mark Gerges, have already completed the formalities and arrived in Aleppo to join the squad.

Taremi would be available for selection against UAE & Iraq.

Team Melli will host Iraq and the UAE in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 22 qualifiers on 27thy January and 1st February in a bid to register its early qualification with a few games in hand.

According to Mojtaba Khorshidi, the Manager of the national team of Iran, the camp of Team Melli will start on January 24th with the presence of domestic league players, while the legionnaires will start joining the local players a day later. Khorshidi, who was speaking to reporters at the national teams’ camp on Tuesday, was asked about the possibility of Mehdi Taremi returning to the national team: “Taremi’s problem has been resolved and we will most probably experience his presence in the squad.”

Tarami was dropped out of the national team list for the games against Lebanon and Syria and was excluded from the training camp after the challenge on social media issued to the head coach Dragan Skocic, over the “tactics” of the Iranian players. “This issue has finally been solved with the mediation of the seniors” according to Khorshidi, “Taremi will also be present in the next camp of the national team.”

The head of the national football team also said in response to the rumors about the invitation of Ali Alipour, the Iranian striker of the Portuguese Maritimo football team: “I do not know. Our duty is to write to their clubs based on Skocic’s list, but Skocic has not yet arrived in Iran and has not provided a list. They should give us the list first and see if Ali Alipour is there or not. I am as ignorant as you are and this is the first time I have heard about it”

Mojtaba Khorshidi, did not explain how did he figure out Mehdi Taremi was on the list of invited players if according to him, none was provided by Skocic !!

Karim Bagheri update on Team Melli.

Karim Bagheri has been loaned to Team Melli as an administrator and advisor. He recently commented on the latest situation of the Team Melli squad which is preparing for two crucial matches against Lebanon and Syria in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers,

Bagheri said: “No match is an easy one, especially at this stage of the competition where all teams are trying to get the results to qualify for the World Cup. The same goes for Lebanon. This team (Lebanon) is playing at home and is determined to achieve the best result.” He added: “on the other hand, our side is the national team of Iran with the best players it has. We always do our best to get good results in every match. It is important for our national team to win this one. We also have a tough game ahead against Syria. In these few days, we have prepared ourselves well and the players are ready to play hard with good recovery and training.”

Referring to the team’s training in Lebanon on artificial turf, the national team coach emphasized: “The first training session was held on artificial turf because the situation did not allow us to train on natural grass. We have this issue on Tuesday as well, but this is no excuse at all as we will practice with all our might on the main field the day before the game.”

Regarding the controversy created after dropping Mehdi Taremi from the latest Team Melli list, Bagheri said: “In the last few days, things happened that created a lot of conflict and disputes. These disagreements and conflicting opinions have always existed in football. On the subject of Skocic and Taremi, our media friends could have reflected the issues much better and more rationally. We have two important games ahead. All the media outlets could have paused and kept the issue under control until we finish with these two games and then proceed to discuss and comment on the issue.”

He pointed out “There was a lot of talk in these few days. Mr. Skocic, Mr. Khorshidi  (the Manager of Team Melli) and I called Taremi several times to resolve any problems. Dialogue can solve problems. We could have arrested this controversy, but unfortunately, Taremi did not answer me or Mr. Skocic!” Karim Bagheri emphasized: “The last person told me to call Mehdi, but I already have called him twice, unfortunately – Taremi did not answer. He could have his own reasons for such. God willing, these problems will be solved and Mehdi will return to the national team. Mehdi is one of our most in-form players, both in the national team and his club. He works hard and has made very good progress in his career. We do not deny this. “

The coach of the Iranian national team clarified: “If Mehdi had talked to me or Skocic, the case would have been settled more easily. Mehdi’s failure to speak fueled this problem. I ask everyone not to drag this issue by blowing it out of proportion. I see on some sites that they are polling who is right and who is lying!! Support the national team because this team is for Iran and not for one or two people. We have to look at the national team as a whole. I ask the press, television, and media to support the national team. Creating controversy, inflating the situation could have negative effects on the squad. Only the name of the national team should matter, not the interest of a person. We need to come out heads high after these two games.”

Iran is playing Lebanon on 11th November in Sidon.

The indiscretion of Mehdi Taremi !

A reliable source close to Team Melli camp has revealed to Khabar Varzeshi that after Mehdi Taremi’s tweet a while ago and on the recommendation of the Football Federation, Dragan Skocic tried to mend his relationship with the Porto star.

On this basis, the Croatian head coach personally contacted Mehdi Taremi in Portugal to explain his interview with a Croatian website and to discuss and resolve the misunderstanding, however, no matter how many times Dragan Skocic calls Mehdi Taremi’s mobile, the Porto player does not pick up to answer the phone of his national team head coach!

Text messages sent to Taremi by the Croatian coach remained unanswered! Dragan Skocic then asks his Iranian assistant Vahid Hashemian to call Mehdi Taremi and help end the misunderstanding while complaining about the unanswered phone call. Surprisingly, Taremi ignores phone calls and messages of Vahid Hashemian too. As a final measure, these two coaches of the national team assign Karim Bagheri the task of contacting Taremi.

Skocic believes that considering Karim’s history and stature in Team Melli and Persepolis, it is impossible for Mehdi Taremi not to answer the phone of his former coach, but still, the calls are one-sided and useless! It is alleged that Mehdi Taremi, has found out that Karim Bagheri had called him because of Dragan Skocic issue, so Taremi ignored Bagheri’s call too.

 On this basis, the Croatian head coach decided to drop Taremi from the squad, because that tweet and this behavior are not justified and will cause more division in the Iranian national team camp.

Taremi is a player who is always close to controversy. His behavior remains unprofessional and poorly disciplined. Currently, in Portugal, there is a campaign against Taremi for his simulation in the penalty box and diving, according to his club coach. Taremi’s disciplinary record in Porto is quite poor for a striker. He has also been dismissed in a UEFA Champions League match for childish behavior right after receiving a yellow card, which lead to another yellow and dismissal.

Dragan Skocic to contact Taremi is commended to reduce any tension. His dropping of Taremi is quite justified especially since Team Melli and Skocic have a rich number of forwards at his disposal. Players like Ghaedi and Sayadmanesh, who form the future of Iran’s football deserve to be given opportunities upfront, while Sardar Azmoun is available and capable and enjoying his most successful seasons in Europe.

Taremi is developing into another Mehdi Rahmati and Hadi Aghili who thought they are above Team Melli. Like Carlos Queiroz, this time Skocic is teaching the renegades a lesson. A strong coach is a necessity for Team Melli and indisciplined players, regardless of their status, must be dropped as they will become a liability in the future and a bad example.

Mehdi Taremi targeted by Portuguese media, claims Porto coach Conceição.

FC Porto defeated Boavista, who had Ali Beiranvand in the goal, 4-1 on Saturday night, but the Porto coach was livid with the referee’s performance in this match particularly his failure to call several fouls committed by Boavista defenders on Mehdi Tarmi in the penalty box.

Taremi provided two assists in this game and was knocked down three times in the penalty area of ​​Bovavishta, but the referee was not convinced and waved to play on.  Porto’s daily newsletter echoed Porto’s coach Sérgio Conceição, stressing that Taremi is being targeted by the media in Portugal which consequently affects refereeing decisions. The club’s newsletter said: “It is impossible to comment on this game without referring to the negative performance of the refereeing team. Sérgio Conceição, called the foul on Evanilson “blatantly obvious” and some of the fouls on Mehdi Tarmi’s were not properly called

“This is not normal,” the coach said. “The situation reached a point where Taremi had to be substituted to prevent what had already happened to him and he was dismissed by a red card. ” “Taremi, one of the top 32 players in the world by the Portuguese Federation of Statistics, is the target of harassment by the media, which seems to be stopping referees from calling the fouls committed on him in the box,” the statement said.

Some media outlets in Portugal have been critical of Mehdi Taremi accusing him of diving and cheating referees to get penalty calls. Taremi is getting a reputation for easily dropping to the floor in the box and has been getting quite a few penalties for Porto.

Cracks in the dressing room!!

While Team Melli is comfortably sitting at the top of the table in FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers with a two-point cushion against the closest rival South Korea and 5 points margin against 3rd rank Team, Lebanon, signs of discord and possible conflict are appearing in the squad.

There are always distractors or saboteurs lurking around in Iranian football circles to create controversy with the aim to dictate their agenda by someone stirring up troubles and following the great tradition of creating ” Hashiya”. This time it seems that Skocic is the target while Taremi and Ghoddos are part of the whole episode.

The core of the matter is that Dragan Skocic expressed his opinion about the Iranian footballer’s quality to which Mehdi Taremi took an exception. What Skocic said was nothing far from the truth, as we have witnessed these attributes for decades. Skocic said what accounts to that Iranian players lack technical abilities but physically are the best and capable.
Taremi did not like that and he tweeted against his national team coach perhaps dragging other players into it creating a toxic atmosphere in the dressing room of Team Melli.

Ghoddis’s case is about not being given playing time in the last two matches and his possible absence from the squad for the next match against Lebanon and Syria.

We can all take sides in an argument as people are free to express their opinions however before such decision making one has to look at facts and circumstances when parting judgment.
Taremi is a clear-cut case. He is being silly and as usual, lacks discipline and professionalism, regardless of how many goals he scores. He has undoubted abilities in scoring, his physique is of a great classical forward,  and no one can deny that, however, he is far from a technically accomplished player, yet he is still of great value for Team Melli.

Ghoddos case is more complicated  He is the only Iranian player who plays in the English Premier League and that is no mean feat. He is creative with vision and quality. Ghoddos is the very player that Skocic complains that Iranian teams lack. Yet this skillful creative midfielder that can make an impact on a game is warming the bench!
Whatever the reasons Skocic has for benching Ghoddos, it conflicts with his statement about lack of skill in Iranian footballers. The player has also the right to say that if you don’t want me and I do not get playing time, I might as well stay in London and practice with my club to get better opportunities with Brentford. It is only fair.

Our verdict is with Ghoddos on this despite not knowing the exact details of the reason Goddos left the Azadi without even informing his coach.

One thing that Skocic needs to realize is that needs to keep his words to the absolute minimum. He definitely knows that there are many packs of wolves after him and his job. Despite his immaculate record with Team Melli so far, his name is not Carlos Queiroz so he is not the real charismatic coach that some want. It’s a ridiculous thought, but its is all real with many.

Iranian players sulk if they are criticized and seem to be least comfortable with criticism. They accept and expect nothing short of praise as soon as they turn up. That is a reality that Skocic needs to skillfully deal with. In a football league where coaches blame the earth and the sky and anything in between for their team losses, the management/organization of football is close to comical, a partisan media & fans and lack of strong leadership,  under these circumstances, the Croatian head coach needs to be wise when selecting his word, and wiser in dealing with the players. unfortunately, he can little to change their mentality in a few days where he meets his player.

The improvement of players’ mentality, technical abilities, professionalism, self-discipline, and respect for peers starts at the grassroots level in any country. Iran is no exception. There were the problems lies

So, if Skocic needs to act wisely if he wants to prevail and continue with Team Melli.

The Koreans intent to change history in Tehran.

the-afc.com
Tehran: Korea Republic have never won in Iran, but Paulo Bento’s side will see Tuesday’s top-of-the-table AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar clash as the perfect time to put that record right.
Seven times the Korea Republic men’s national team have ventured to Tehran, and a pair of draws – in 1977 and 2009 – are the best it has ever got for a team that has historically been one of Asia’s giants.
The last three visits to the famed Azadi Stadium have all yielded 1-0 defeats, and it has been six matches across 10 years since the Koreans have gotten the better of Team Melli at any venue.
With seven of a possible nine points accrued from three successive home games, and with attacking weapons like Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan in tow, Bento and co will be hoping the 2021 visit to the Iranian capital is the one which ends a decades-long drought, but they will arrive to find a star-studded and in-form opponent.
Boasting firepower of their own in the devastating strike duo of Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi – and buoyed by a perfect record of 10 wins from as many matches since Dragan Skočić took the head coach role at the outset of 2021 – Iran will hold no fear, even if the Azadi Stadium will remain empty.
Three wins from three and no goals conceded in the Final Round underlines Team Melli’s strength at the back as well as upfront and extends a remarkable run which has seen the team concede only seven goals in their last 25 Asian Qualifiers matches.
Thursday’s win over the United Arab Emirates in Dubai was emblematic of the dual strengths of Skočić’s side.
It was the quality and understanding of Taremi and Azmoun which created Iran’s goal, while the Emiratis, themselves featuring the prolific Ali Mabkhout, didn’t manage a single shot on target over the 90 minutes.
That victory puts Team Melli, even at this early stage, within sight of a third successive FIFA World Cup appearance.
With nine points, the Iranians are two ahead of Korea Republic and seven clear of a chasing pack featuring UAE, Lebanon, and Syria, meaning a draw or defeat on Tuesday would not derail their campaign, but a victory would represent a major accomplishment on an increasingly smooth Road to Qatar.
Iran v Korea Republic
Venue: Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Kick-off: 17:00 hours (UTC+3:30)

Taremi the hero as Iran edge UAE

Dubai: Iran secured three priceless points on the Road to Qatar, emerging from a dramatic AFC Asian Qualifiers clash against the United Arab Emirates with a 1-0 win at Zabeel Stadium on Thursday.
the-afc.com
07th.October.2021

A Mehdi Taremi strike with 20 minutes remaining proved decisive, keeping Dragan Skočić’s side on top of Group A with their third win from as many matches in the Final Round.

Unable to end their long winless run against Team Melli, the result leaves the United Arab Emirates stranded on two points from their three outings, considerably raising the stakes ahead of their clash with Iraq on Tuesday, the same day Iran will meet Korea Republic in a top of the table tie.

It had been billed as a showcase of some of the continent’s best strikers, but, with three crucial points on offer, clear goal-scoring chances were at a premium in a keenly contested first half.

An early delivery from the industrious Sadegh Moharrami provided one of those opportunities for Sardar Azmoun, but the Zenit star missed the target with his header, while the Emiratis might have wished it was Ali Mabkhout and not Khalil Ibrahim on the end of their brightest chance, with the latter also heading wide after a burst of speed from Fabio Lima had stretched the otherwise solid Iranian defense.

Scoreless at half-time, Azmoun threatened once again to provide the game’s first goal five minutes after the break, but again failed to test goalkeeper Ali Khaseif, while the other member of Iran’s two-pronged strike-force, Taremi, found himself well contained by the Emirati defense.

Iran had seized the initiative and Khasief was finally called into meaningful action when Jahanbakhsh forced him into a low save, but the pendulum looked to have swung sharply in the UAE’s favour when Shojae Khalilzadeh – exemplary until then – was shown a straight red card for fouling a goalbound Mabkhout, only for the Iranian defender to escape punishment after the Video Assistant Referee spotted an offside earlier in the move.

The turnaround in Iran’s fortunes was complete in the 70th minute when Taremi played a superb give-and-go with Azmoun to get behind the Emirati defense before easily beating the questionably positioned Khaseif from just outside the penalty to break the deadlock.

The visitors had a golden chance to add to the scoring when they were awarded a penalty after Taremi was impeded by Abdullah Ramadan in the dying minutes, but Khaseif saved brilliantly to deny Azmoun from the penalty spot.

That gave Bert van Marwijk’s side a glimmer of hope, but the last gasp equalizer didn’t materialize making Tuesday’s clash against Iraq one of the utmost importance for the UAE.

The perfect record of Skocic continues as Iran claims another 3 points.

Team Melli defeated UAE 1-0 in Dubai in a dramatic match full of action and controversies. The goal was scored by Man of the Match Mehdi Taremi from a spectacular pass from Sardar Azmoun. The win puts Iran comfortably at the top of Group A with a two points cushion over their next opponents South Korea.

Team Melli was far from firing on all cylinders. It was an amazing contrast between the last game against Iraq. The hero of that match was Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who could not put a foot right in this match against UAE and he was wasteful and profligate. Taremi wasted a couple of very good easy chances in this half which could have reduced the pressure on the team if he had opened the scoring. The UAE did embark on a few offensive moves but in reality, they hardly bothered Beiranvand in goal.

The solid defenders in the center of Team Melli’s defense had a marvelous day as both Kananizadegan and Khalizadeh played a classy game with confidence and ability. On the right, Sadegh Moharrami was also shinning. His accelerating and ball control was immaculate. On the left halfback, Nourafkan, who was one of the star players in the previous lineup, was shaky and nervous. He got a yellow card for a foul and m, minutes later he repeated a similar foul from behind but the Australian referee elected not to award him a second card and a dismissal to the disgust and protest of the UAE Players.

In the midfield, it was clear that there is a lack of creativity and dearth of quality in supplying the balls to the forwards. Jahanbakhsh was having an off day, Nourollahi was not at his best, Ezatollahi was far too slow to be effective and focused on his defensive duties more, while Amiri huffed and puffed to no avail. The two schemers of the team, Gholizadeh and Saman Ghoddos were warming the bench.

On the whole, the performance of the team was disappointing in the first half which ended 0-0.

In the second half, Nourafkan was pulled out, perhaps to avoid a second yellow, and Gholizadeh was introduced. This substitution gave a completely different complexion to the team. The nifty winger was a delight to watch going through the UAE defense like a knife through butter.

The highlight of the match occurred on the hour, While Iran was dominant, the only instance of the match when Ali Makhbout managed to beat the trap and Khalizadeh and was going to score, Shojaa pulled him from the back just outside the box. The referee pulled the red card as a result of denying the UAE forward the chance to score. After a lot of discussions and drama, and while Azmoun was being withdrawn to replace him with a central defender, Team Melli rejoiced when the VAR declared that the original pass to Mabkhout came from an offside position. The climate of the situation suddenly turned to a non-event and Shojaa’s red card was rescinded with a free kick awarded to Team Melli.

The goal scored by Taremi in the 69th minute was a work of art between him and Azmoun. Some quick passes outside the box initiated by Taremi found Azmoun on his left. Sardar measured his return pass to his onrushing partner Taremi to perfection. Taremi controlled Azmoun’s pass, saw the UAE Goalkeeper rushing towards him, and sent his ball away from the Keeper’s body into the empty net. 1-0 for Iran. Taremi is an amazing player, he misses an open goal yet he scores the spectacular!

Near the end, there was a penalty given to Team Melli as a result of a foul on Taremi in the box. Sardar Azmoun took the penalty and feebly shot at Khusaif in UAE goal, who had no problem saving it. A penalty wasted.

In the end, the miss did not matter as the UAE could not do much to score and Iran won 1-0. Although the performance of the team was far from satisfactory in the hot and humid weather of Dubai, winning while not playing at your best is one of the signs of champions. The big test, however, is in five days’ time in Azadi Stadium.

As for the UAE which was unable to end their long winless run against Team Melli, the result leaves them stranded on two points from their three outings, considerably raising the stakes ahead of their clash with Iraq on Tuesday, the same day Iran will meet the Korea Republic in a top of the cable clash.