| Position | Player | Nation | Goals | Assists |
| =1 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 3 | 1 |
| =1 | Enner Valencia | Ecuador | 3 | 0 |
| =3 | Mehdi Taremi | Iran | 2 | 1 |
| =3 | Richarlison | Brazil | 2 | 0 |
| =3 | Ferran Torres | Spain | 2 | 0 |
| =3 | Olivier Giroud | France | 2 | 0 |
| =3 | Bukayo Saka | England | 2 | 0 |
| =3 | Cody Gakpo | Netherlands | 2 | 0 |
| =3 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2 | 0 |
Wales and Iran will both be going in search of their first wins of the 2022 World Cup when they face off at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Friday. After the trouncing by England, Team Melli is looking for a strong comeback to keep their qualifying hope alive. Team Melli will be without their main goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand who has a broken nose and will sit it out for the rest of the tournament. Amir Abedzadeh is making a strong claim for a starting place ahead of Hossein Hosseini who conceded six goals against England.
Iran will have to have a major facelift if they are going to beat Wales, as the lineup against England was the catalyst in this big defeat. Saman Ghoddos was sorely missed in the middle of the field so was Kanani to lead the defense. As for the Forwards, it is likely that Queiroz, who is an aficionado of parking the bus and under immense public pressure, will start with both Azmoun and Taremi up front. The midfield in particular is in a dire need of a leader and orchestrator. Jahanbakhsh needs to stand up and be counted. Says applies to Nourollahi and Eztollahi.
Rob Page's Wales side rescued a point against the USA in their opening fixture, while Iran was on the end of a 6-2 pummelling at the hands of England as their World Cup campaign began in the worst possible fashion.
Hopes will be higher of picking up points against Wales, although both sides may be going into the game uncertain of what to expect with the two having only previously met on one occasion.
That contest came all the way back in April 1978 too, when former Cardiff City defender Phil Dwyer scored the only goal of the game on his debut in a friendly in Tehran's Arayamehr Stadium.
It was not an ideal warm-up for the 1978 World Cup for Iran, who went on to finish bottom of their group behind Peru, Netherlands and Scotland - against whom they picked up their only point - in Argentina.
Wales wins: 1 Iran wins: 0 Draws: 0 Wales goals: 1 Iran goals: 0
MATCH HISTORY
April 18, 1978: Iran 0-1 Wales (International friendly)
Ali Beiranvand (GK) Ludicrous that he was allowed to continue after a nasty head injury. Eventually carried out on a stretcher after 19 minutes. He was confident while on the pitch and had no real threat to deal with. 6
Sadegh Moharrami (RB) was Overwhelmed by England’s raids down his flank. He could not contain Shaw. Not one of his good days. 5
Morteza Pouraliganji (CB) Formerly a defensive midfielder, the converted center-back was turned by Kane for England’s third. He partnered Hosseini and the duo just fell apart. Booked. 4
Roozbeh Cheshmi (CB) was One of the most unexpected names on the sheet when the starting lineups were announced. Away from Team Melli for a long time only recently recalled by Queiroz. Poor showing and lack of agility were evident. Overpowered by Maguire when the defender nodded down for Saka to score. Substituted at half-time. 3.5
Majid Hosseini (CB) was Not the most confident of defenders and his partnership with Pouraliganji proved to be fateful. He was beaten in the air when Bellingham scored the opener. He struggled with England’s attack. 3.5
Milad Mohammadi (LB) Had the unenviable task of trying to keep up with Saka. The youngster tormented him. He did however manage a few runs on the wing but to no avail. 4
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (RW) One performance to forget from a player that has done so well in the qualifiers. His time warming the bench with his club was telling as he seemed to be out of match practice. He squandered a glorious chance to score but instead ballooned the ball while no English defender was close to him. Booked and replaced at half-time. 4
Ali Karimi (CM) He was utterly lost and out of place in this Team Melli lineup. Karimi was overwhelmed by England’s midfield trio and could not match their skills. 3
Ahmad Noorollahi (CM) Another player who was simply overwhelmed by the English midfield players. No support at all for4 Taremi . Really struggled while on the pitch as he saw little of the ball. 3.5
Ehsan Haji Safi (LW) The captain spent much of his time tracking back to mark Saka. It made little difference. 5
Mehdi Taremi (CF) With Carlos Queiroz’s game plan, Taremi was isolated and hardly received any service, but he scored a marvelous goal beating both Maguire and Stones to shoot past hapless Pickford. Iran's best player scored both goals despite the lack of service. 8
Substitutes
Hossein Hosseini (for Beiranvand, 19) was an early goalkeeper replacement and could not be faulted for any of the goals. 5;
Ali Gholizadeh (for Jahanbakhsh, h-t) Managed a mini-revival when he was introduced. Played a clever pass for Taremi’s first goal. 6.5;
Hossein Kanaani (for Cheshmi, h-t) A player who should have started the game, but the coach thought otherwise. In the circumstances, he did well in the second half. 6;
Saeid Ezatolahi (for Karimi, h-t) His contribution was minimal as like his other midfield teammates he looked disorientated and out of place 4.5;
Mehdi Torabi: (for Milad Mohammadi 63') Made little impact in the minutes he was on the pitch 4.5;Sardar Azmoun (for Noorollahi, 77) Despite the long-time injury, he was mobile and dynamic for the minutes he played. Could have very well scored but for Pickford's brilliant save 6.5
COACH Carlos Queiroz: His players' selection and insistence on parking the bus tactics ended in a disaster this time. The substitutions he made in the second half did improve the team somehow, but it was too little too late. Not a coach who admits his faults or mistakes in public, but deep down he is experienced and senior enough to know that he really made some bad choices against England. 4
Team Melli suffered it heaviest defeat in World Cup history after a 6-2 drubbing by title contenders England.
Jude Bellingham started the rout in the 35th minute, Arsenal star Bokayo Saka made it 2-0 on the 43rd, and Raheem Sterling scored the third in the 45th First half ended 3-0
In the second, Bokayo Saka was on the scoresheet again on the 62nd to make it 4-0 before Mehdi Tarremi scored from a tremendous shot on the 65th. Substitute Marcus Rashford scored 49 seconds after he was on the field on 71st, Jack Grealish (90) ended the scoring for England 6-1. Sardar Azmoun who was substituted managed to run past his English marker to face Jordan Pickford on one to one situation. The Everton and England keeper managed to save Azmoun's shoot. and finally, the VAR review awarded a penalty for Iran where Taremi slotted nicely for his second goal of the evening. The match ended 6-2 for England.
The 45,000 fans in the 60,000-seat Khalifa Stadium in Doha, witnessed a superior display by Southgate players while Iran under Queiroz not only suffered its heaviest defeat but displayed poor control, lack of stamina, bad passing, and total collapse of the defensive strategy that Queiroz prides himself in.
Earlier in the half, a collision between Alireza Beiranvand and Majid Hosseini result in a bad injury to the Iranian goalkeeper. This resulted in a 14 minutes pause while Beiranvand was being treated . Finally, when Beiranvand treatment was over, and while still clearly dazed, he opted to continue playing without any objection from the medical team or the coaching staff, who must have feared losing their number one goalkeeper in detriment to his health. Alireza vividly in a concussion status could not stay focused for longer than a few minutes after the match restarted before he collapsed to the ground. A stretcher took him out while Hossein Hosseini replaced him.
This embarrassing, yet unexpected result was a culmination of many failures and shortfalls in the team. It started with the selection of a coach whose archaic strategy and game plans have proven to be a failure not just in Iran but Colombia and Egypt before it. In fairness, Queiroz was not given proper time for preparation for the greatest of championships like the World Cup, yet for whatever reason, he accepted the job offer despite its risk thinking he knows enough about the team he left three years ago. And the result was a disaster against a quality team in England. The old age team was clearly suffering in physical attributes against the much younger English team, Little preparation compared to other World Cup teams was also in evidence in the misplaced passes. Lack of confidence, concentration, and political turmoil back home were also factors in this heavy defeat.
Iran Line UP
Alireza Biranvand (19' Seyed Hossein Hosseini), Sadegh Mohrrami, Majid Hosseini, Rozbe Cheshmi (46' Mohammad Hossein Kanaani Zadegan), Morteza Pouraliganji, Majid Hosseini, Ehsan Haji Safi, Milad Mohammadi (63' Mehdi Tarabi) ), Ahmad Nooralhi (77' Sardar Azmoun), Ali Karimi (46' Saeed Ezzatollahi), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (46' Ali Gholizadeh) and Mehdi Taremi.
old agers
Manager: Gregg Berhalter Nickname: The Stars and Stripes FIFA Rank: 16
How they qualified
The U.S. were fairly well positioned throughout the eight-team final round in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, but the failure to reach the 2018 event hung on the team like a weighted vest. Every stumble brought back nightmarish memories of the night in Trinidad when the U.S. squandered qualification. The Americans also seemed to lack a killer instinct on the road to get results that would have eased the path to Qatar.
But ultimately, the U.S. got the job done. A road win in Honduras that concluded the first qualifying window settled nerves. Consecutive home wins over Costa Rica and Mexico created some momentum. There was still work to be done heading into the last trio of games, but a priceless road draw against El Tri and a 5-1 rout of Panama effectively clinched qualification.
Style of play
Early in his tenure, manager Gregg Berhalter had the U.S. playing out of the back almost to a fault. But the dogmatic approach eventually morphed into something more pragmatic, with the U.S. aiming to press the opposition and create chances that way. Berhalter also aimed to get full-backs Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest into the attack and utilize the likes of Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson and Tim Weah on the flanks.
Biggest strength
The U.S. enjoy significant attacking depth on the wings. Beyond Pulisic, Aaronson and Weah, there's also Giovanni Reyna. All four players are skillful on the ball in their own ways. Aaronson is all energy, and his ability to initiate the press often kickstarts the U.S. attack. Weah's pace gives the American side a different element, and Reyna -- when healthy -- has the kind of close control and vision that can torment defences. Pulisic's dynamism is vital as well (more on him later.)
Biggest weakness
Both the striker position and the center-backs are causes for worry. No center-forward has really made the position their own, with Jesus Ferreira, Josh Sargent, Jordan Pefok and Ricardo Pepi all being given ample opportunity. Just four of the U.S. team's 20 goals in 14 qualifying matches came from a center-forward. All four have been finding the net of late for their clubs, but the extent to which that translates to a World Cup is a massive unknown.
The center-back slot was once a strength for the Americans. Walker Zimmerman was solid throughout qualifying. But this area of the field has been hit hard by injuries. Miles Robinson suffered a torn Achilles back in May and will miss the World Cup. Chris Richards has been slow to recover from a hamstring injury. John Brooks has long been out of favor, despite his experience. That leaves one of Aaron Long, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Mark McKenzie to duke it out if Richards can't recover. Given the way the U.S. struggled to play through Japan's press in a recent friendly, this position is a huge area of concern.
Star player: Christian Pulisic
Pulisic is still the main man when it comes to the U.S. attack, with his ability to run at defenses, score goals and set up chances all critical elements. His ability to win free kicks -- he was by far the most fouled U.S. player during qualifying with 26 fouls suffered, despite missing four games -- is another important asset in a tournament where games are often decided by set pieces.
But is Pulisic up to the task of carrying the load? It's a responsibility that has, at least outwardly, weighed heavy. The U.S. certainly have more talent playing beside him in Aaronson, Weah and Reyna than there has been in the past. But if the U.S. are to make to the group stage, Pulisic will need to be at his best.
Projected starting XI
(4-3-3) Steffen; Dest, Zimmerman, Richards, Robinson; McKennie, Adams, Musah; Weah, Ferreira, Pulisic.
What the stats say
- Best World Cup finish: Semifinals (1930)
- The U.S. are the youngest team to qualify to this World Cup, by average age of players used in qualifying.
Prediction: Group B is deceptively difficult. At No. 21 in the FIFA rankings, Iran are the worst-ranked team. And while those rankings have to be taken with some skepticism, every other group has a team ranked at least 30th or worse. For that reason, the U.S. team's odds are 50-50 in terms of advancement. Based on recent form, their odds don't look to be improving. Health will be a huge factor, but at this stage, it looks like the U.S. will fall just short. -- Jeff Carlisle
Manager: Gareth Southgate Nickname: The Three Lions FIFA Rank: 5
How they qualified
England were unbeaten in qualification and scored more goals (39) than any other team in Europe. However, 24 of those were against minnows San Marino and Andorra, suggesting the team's potency was perhaps slightly inflated. They needed a late Harry Maguire goal to see off Poland 2-1 at Wembley in their first meaningful test in March 2021. Gareth Southgate's side recovered quickly from their Euro 2020 final disappointment by beating Hungary 4-0 at the Puskas Arena last September, but a 1-1 draw in Poland later that month and the same scoreline at home to Hungary in October raised more questions than answers. Two facile wins against Albania and San Marino in November ensured England ended their campaign on a high, but the Nations League campaign that followed is a different matter entirely (more of that later).
Style of play
Pragmatic. One of the widespread criticisms of Southgate is that England should be more expansive given the attacking talent they have at their disposal. However, he is more calculated as a result of concerns over England's habitual struggle to retain possession in tournaments and a lack of top-class center-back options. England can switch between systems and they may play with a back four at some point in Qatar, but the recent Nations League matches strongly suggest 3-4-3 is his preferred formation.
Biggest strength
The sheer number of attacking options. Although Harry Kane is clearly England's first-choice center-forward, Southgate has an embarrassment of attacking riches to call on with Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, and Mason Mount among those vying for two attacking positions on either side. And that's not to mention Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and James Maddison, who all might not make the squad at all. England have an exciting and dynamic blend of forwards, many of whom will be more acclimatized to the demands of tournament football after last year's run to the delayed Euro 2020 finals. The emergence of Jude Bellingham is also an exciting prospect to inject some flair into England's central midfield. If it all clicks, England could be very good.
Biggest weakness
There are a few concerns, but the biggest is at the center-back. Maguire's form has fallen off a cliff at Manchester United yet Southgate continues to select him on past performances for England. That is both a reflection of his importance in 2018 and 2021 but also the lack of top-class options at center-back. England, still, do not keep the ball well enough in major finals. The pattern of the matches against Croatia (semifinal in 2018) and Italy (final, 2020) was markedly similar in that England started well before giving the ball away too often, conceding control of the game to their opponents. Bellingham is England's big hope there. Injuries have also mounted in recent weeks with Kyle Walker, Reece James, and Kalvin Phillips all major doubts for the finals while form in general is a problem: England have not won for six matches, and although there were mitigating factors, they were relegated from the Nations League as they failed to win any of six matches against Italy, Germany, and Hungary.
Star player: Harry Kane
Kane won the Golden Boot at the last World Cup and will likely target the same outcome in Qatar. The 29-year-old is two goals short of equalling Wayne Rooney's England record of 53, but he hasn't netted from open play since November 2021, when scoring four against San Marino. He remains England's talisman, however, and any injury or loss of form would be a major blow given he is Southgate's best center-forward option by such a big margin. The Tottenham striker will also attract attention of a different kind as one of several captains to wear a "OneLove" armband during matches -- even if it is prohibited by FIFA -- as part of an anti-discrimination initiative.
Projected starting XI
(3-4-3): Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Bellingham, Rice, Shaw; Foden, Kane, Sterling.
What the stats say
- Best World Cup finish: Champion (1966)
- England enter the tournament on a poor run of form, as they were winless in the 2022 UEFA Nations League (0-3-3.)
Prediction
England will expect to get out of Group B, but the draw quickly gets tricky. A last-16 tie -- most likely against either the Netherlands or Senegal -- looks tough before a possible quarterfinal against France or Argentina. England simply have not defended well enough, often enough, for anybody to have a high degree of confidence they could win back-to-back matches against elite opposition. If they benefitted from more inviting knockout draws in 2018 and 2021, the same cannot be said this time. -- James Olley
Manager: Robert Page Nickname: The Dragons FIFA Rank: 19
How they qualified
Wales reached their first World Cup since 1958 after a dramatic and emotional playoff against Ukraine. By their own admission, Wales had the will of the world against them in September given the war in Ukraine, but a Gareth Bale free kick was enough to snatch a 1-0 win and a place in Qatar. Prior to that, Wales finished second in a group containing Belgium (winners) and the Czech Republic (third), winning four of their eight matches and losing only once (to Belgium in March 2021). Head coach Robert Page was rewarded for qualification with a new four-year contract in September.
Style of play
Counter-attacking. Wales averaged 45.1% possession in their World Cup qualification group and that figure dropped to 40.9% in their six UEFA Nations League games against Poland, Netherlands, and Belgium (five of which they lost). Wayne Hennessey is a fine goalkeeper, and Wales will try to stay defensively compact before hitting teams on the break through the pace of Dan James, the guile of Aaron Ramsey, and the star quality of Bale.
Biggest strength
Team spirit. This is not intended to be patronizing, especially given Wales possesses several talented individuals including most obviously Bale and Ramsey, but this is a team whose recent history has proved time and again they can become more than the sum of their parts. Reaching the semifinals of Euro 2016 was a truly remarkable feat, subsequently backing up their presence on the biggest stages by qualifying for Euro 2020 and now a first World Cup in 64 years. The presence of old rivals England in Group B will only multiply that collective stirring of the soul; England were heavy favorites to beat Wales six years ago in France but needed a stoppage-time winner to snatch a 2-1 victory.
Biggest weakness
A lack of strength in depth. An injury to Bale or Ramsey would be a hammer blow to Wales' hopes. Joe Allen is already a doubt with a hamstring problem and has seen a specialist in recent days to try to ensure he is fit in time. Although younger talents have emerged to bolster Page's options -- for example, defender Ethan Ampadu is 22 but already has 37 caps to his name -- Wales are reliant on their smattering of big-name stars for goals, in particular. Bale was top scorer in qualifying (with five) while the absence of an elite center-forward is a problem. Kiefer Moore scored twice for Bournemouth against Tottenham recently, but the 30-year-old has plied his trade outside the Premier League until this season and has just nine international goals to his name.
Star player: Gareth Bale
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Rumors persist that the 33-year-old has delayed his retirement just for this World Cup. Bale signed a one-year contract with LAFC in June, and although there is an option to extend to 2024, it remains possible Bale could choose to bow out shortly after Qatar depending on what happens. His club career might have all but ground to a halt at Real Madrid, but Bale has always been Wales' talisman, amassing 40 goals in 108 appearances. Don't be fooled by his mixed form in MLS -- Bale retains the capacity to rise to the occasion like few other players and he revels in the role of carrying a nation's hopes on his shoulders.
Projected starting XI
(3-4-3): Hennessey; Ampadu, Rodon, Davies; Roberts, Allen, Ramsey, Williams; Bale, Moore, James.
What the stats say
- Best World Cup finish: Quarterfinals (1958).
- The 64-year gap between appearances is the longest in World Cup history.
Prediction
Wales faces a tough task to replicate their recent tournament heroics. Nevertheless, although England are clear favorites to top the group, Page's side will expect to be competitive for one of the top two spots, and the fact they play England last could help in that regard. It might be only the first game, but United States vs. Wales already feels huge for both teams' prospects. The round of 16 might be the best they can hope for.
FC Porto and Team Melli striker, Mehdi Taremi, once again made the headlines as the Portuguese club defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the last game of Group B of the UEFA Champions League.
Porto went ahead in the fifth minute when forward Taremi tapped in a cross from Evanilson, registering his fifth goal in the Champions League this season. Porto had already qualified for the last 16 but leapfrogged Club Brugge to finish as group winners with 12 points, one point ahead of the Belgians who also went through.
Taremi, for the second match in a row, managed to finish as the MVP of the difficult encounter against the powerful Diego Simeone players. Atletico Madrid failed to qualify from the group.
The five goals that Mehdi Taremi has scored so far is the highest number that has been achieved by any Iranian player in the history of the UEFA Champions League. The Iranian player from the Persian Gulf port city of Bushehr thus ensured that his name will be in the record books for many years to come. With 5 goals scored in five games, Taremi is on par with Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski in the list of top scorers of the UCL this season. Mohammed Salah (Liverpool) with 7 goals leads the table followed by Kylian Mbappe (PSG). Taremi finds himself amongst the elite of European elites to the delight of the Iranian fans.
Team Melli's central striker Mehdi Taremi accomplished a grand Man-Of-the-Match performance for his team, FC Porto, against the group leaders Club Brugge by leading them to a 4-0 win away.
In the 33rd minute, Taremi opened the scoring with an immaculate snooker-type shot into the former Liverpool keeper Mignolet. The 30-year-old forward also closed the match with his second and Porto's fourth in the 70th minute.
Meanwhile, Taremi also provided a slick pass to assist Eustaquio for the third goal in minute 60.
Taremi could have easily scored a hat trick, but his effort earlier in the first half was shot high off the mark while he was on-to-one against Mignolet.
Sergio Conceicao's FC Porto is second in the table and would qualify early if Atletico Madrid fails to beat Bayer Leverkusen, missing Azmoun, in the later match.
With a rating of 9.1 and a man-of-the-match performance, Taremi has primed at the right time for the World Cup in less than a month.
ARSENAL are reportedly interested in signing Mehdi Taremi as back-up for Gabriel Jesus.
And a deal could be on in January with Porto willing to sell the striker after the World Cup. A Bola claims Taremi, 30, has fired his way onto Mikel Arteta’s shortlist with seven goals and six assists in 11 games.
The Iran international is in his third season with Porto. And Taremi, who has a total of 56 strikes for the Portuguese giants, has already been linked with a move to Chelsea.
But it’s Arsenal who are reportedly leading the race this winter.
But he is apparently willing to break his own rule this once in order to sign Taremi for title-chasing Arteta.
The Brazilian has five goals and four assists since his £45million switch from Manchester City.
The striker’s representatives have already told Porto he is considering a change of scenery at the start of 2023. Sergio Conceicao’s side are no strangers to doing business in the winter market, with Luis Diaz joining Liverpool last January. And Porto are open to letting Taremi go for the right price.
But the ace will first strut his stuff for Iran at the World Cup, with their opening match in Group B against none other than Gareth Southgate's England. Arsenal currently sit top of the table after beating Liverpool 3-2 on Sunday.
