Tag: Mehdi Taremi

Injured Mehdi Taremi left out of the squad.

Team Melli squad left Tehran on Wednesday evening enroute to Hong Kong via Dubai airport.

Top scorer and forward, Mehdi Taremi was left out due to an injury. After a check by the medical staff of the team, it was decided that Taremi will be better off recovering from a knee injury he has sustained in a recent match in the Portuguese league.

Yesterday, Ashkan Dejagah was added to the squad and hence the 23 players quota is complete for the Team.

Iran will play Hong Kong on 10th September in the 40,000 capacity Hong Kong Stadium in Group C of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Saman Ghoddos , a repeat story for Iranian players.

Saman Quddos has been suspended for four months after being sued by Spain's Huesca club in addition to paying € 5m in damages. The FIFA ruling was due to a preliminary agreement by the Swedish club Ostershunds and Saman Ghoddos for transfer to the Spanish club, but instead of heading to Spain Ghoddos turned up in France to sign for the French side Amiens. This FIFA rule is reminiscent of the one handed to Mehdi Taremi on September 2017. A Persepolis player at the time , all parties agreed on terms of the contract to transfer to Turkey's Çaykur Rizespor Club. At that time, Taremi was suspended for four months after unilaterally breaking his contract and returning back to Iran. Taremi's suspension meant his absence from Team Melli Persepolis was also banned from two transfer windows. It came at a time when Iran has already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2018  and its presence at the Russian World Cup was assured. Taremi declined to appeal to CAS for fear of prolonging the proceedings and missing the World Cup all togother. Carlos Queiroz, the then head coach of Team Melli, commented  "It certainly hurts both Taremi himself and Persepolis club as well as the fans. Even the national team suffers because the player cannot be mentally ready. What we need to do is keep the player mentally and physically fit for the next few months so that he doesn't have problems with the international games. But what happened in 2017 was a strange and shameful act that is damaging to Iranian football's reputation and one has to accept responsibility for it." the Portuguese concluded. About two years later, Saman Goddos is committing the same act of indiscretion. Ghoddos , of course, has the right to appeal and he might succeed in reducing the ban, although it is quite doubtful. The point that needs emphasis, however, is the lack of professionalism and poor awareness of Iranian players.  It does not take a distinguished person to realize that contracts have to be honored and breaking it is unlawful.  It is not only about the law but also the ethics and integrity of a person involved in a contract. The lack of success of the many Iranian players in Europe can be summarized in one main phrase, lack of professionalism. That of course entails, ethics, commitments, teamwork, team integration and dedication. Iranian players seemed to be poorly prepared for Europe and the lack of true professional management and advisors has reduced their value and potential to succeed outside Iran. Saman Ghoddos should have known much better as he grew up in the European environment, but! Marc Wilmots has not yet commented on the Ghoddos suspension.  

Mehdi Taremi scores a hat trick in Portugal.

Team Melli top scorer, Mehdi Taremi has just scored a hat trick for his club Rio Ave in a 5 - 1 thrashing of Desportivo Aves.  The Iranian forward who has transferred from Qatari club Al Gharaffa at the beginning of the current season made a dream debut in the Portuguese league for his club  Rio Ave scoring in the  9', 21', and 51' to be the first-ever Iranian to score a Hat Trick in a European league.

Taremi played for 75 minutes for his club against the team that has Mehrdad Mohammadi in its line up.

Taremi joins Portuguese club Rio Ave.

Portuguese club Rio Ave has hired Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi, who played for Qatar's Al-Gharafa, the Portuguese Premier League club announced today.

The 27-year-old, who is international for his country, with 47 games and 19 goals, has signed a two-year contract and is already in Vila do Conde and will soon be part of the squad.

Team Melli's leading scorer for the season, Mehdi Taremi, who may also play as a midfielder, has played most of his career in Iranian football, having excelled at Persepolis before joining Al-Gharafa (played 24 games and scored 10 goals) last season. 

According to the information provided by Rio Ave, Taremi will join the remaining squad, at the orders of coach Carlos Carvalhal.

Disconsolate Ashkan Dejagah

Al Ain:

Veteran Iran midfielder Ashkan Dejagah cut a disconsolate figure after his side were eliminated from AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 at the semi-final stage by a 3-0 defeat to Japan on Monday. Appearing in the final four for the first time in 15 years, Team Melli held their own in a competitive first-half, but never recovered from the concession of Yuya Osako's opening goal, with Japan taking full control and ultimately cruising into Friday's final.

It was a forgettable conclusion to an Iranian campaign which had promised so much, but ended, once again, in knockout stage disappointment.

"I believe it was a good tournament for the players and, for the young players, it’s been a good experience," said former Bundesliga and Premier League star Dejagah.

"We performed well until this game. Even in this game, before we conceded, the team was performing well.

"Obviously, Japan are a good team. They put pressure on us, they wanted to go to the final as well, but if we had a little luck, if Sardar (Azmoun's) opportunity was converted into a goal in the first half, maybe the outcome of the game would have changed.

"But this is football, unfortunately we couldn’t do it today.

"While Carlos Queiroz's side had a number of potent attacking weapons on the pitch at Hazza bin Zayed's Stadium, they missed the creativity of suspended forward Mehdi Taremi, and Dejagah conceded the Al Gharafa forward's absence had made life difficult.

"Well, we have good players. I believe the whole team can play well," said the Iranian skipper.

"However, obviously Taremi’s absence affected us. He really helped us out in the last couple of games."

With four wins, no defeats and five clean sheets in their opening five matches, Iran were one of the AFC Asian Cup's form teams, leading many of the fans to dream of an end to their 43-year Asian title drought.

But, with those dreams unfulfilled, Dejagah, who will be 36 when the next AFC Asian Cup is held in 2023, said the result would take time to get over.

"We win together and we lose together. Unfortunately, today we couldn’t [win]. Nevertheless, thanks to the team for trying," he offered.

"It’s hard to talk right now. I have nothing to say. Some time must pass, it’s hard."

Al Ain: Ahead of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 semi-final between two unbeaten giants of Asia, the-AFC.com looks at the key facts and history surrounding the eagerly-anticipated clash.

No Taremi for Team Melli

The major team news ahead of the semi-final is the enforced absence of Mehdi Taremi, who will miss Monday's clash through suspension having collected a second yellow card against China PR.

While card trouble has cost them the Al Gharafa star, who has scored three goals in UAE 2019, the Iranians will welcome back Vahid Amiri, while Yoshinuri Muto returns from suspension for Japan.

Outstanding yellow cards were erased following the quarter-finals, meaning only a red card in Monday's match will result in a player missing the final.

Carlos Queiroz's Iran have become one of only three teams in history to go through their first five games at an AFC Asian Cup without conceding a goal, but the amazing record of goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand goes back even further.

The Persepolis shot-stopper has represented his country in 20 competitive matches (including UAE 2019 and FIFA World Cup qualifiers and finals) and conceded only four goals, keeping a remarkable 17 clean sheets, with only Portugal, Spain and Syria finding a way past him.

Japan have claimed a piece of statistical history of their own in the UAE. Hajime Moriyasu's side are the first ever to win five successive matches by a single-goal winning margin.

Asian powerhouses, divergent histories

The two sides are both Asian football powerhouses, having qualified for the past two FIFA World Cups - and in Japan's case, every edition since 1998 - but the East Asians have had far more recent success on the continental stage.

While Iran are enjoying the excitement of being 90 minutes away from reaching the AFC Asian Cup final for the first time since 1976, Japan have been champions in four of the last seven editions, and three of the current squad were part of the victorious 2011 team.

Japan have only ever lost once at this stage of the competition, a 3-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia in 2007, which was also the last time the Samurai Blue lost any AFC Asian Cup match outside of penalty shootouts.

Despite making their first appearance in the last four since 2004, Iran have not a lost a single AFC Asian Cup match inside 90 minutes this century, with three of their previous eliminations coming from the penalty spot, and the other twp - both defeats to Korea Republic - suffered in extra time.

Unfamiliar foes

Despite their permanent presence in the latter stages of both the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup qualifying, Japan and Iran have consistently managed to avoid each other in competition draws.

It has been over a decade since their last competitive fixture, a 2-1 Samurai Blue win in 2005, while their last AFC Asian Cup clash came back in 2004 when the two sides shared the spoils in a 0-0 draw in Group D.

 

Head2Heads

IRAN VS JAPAN
H / A / N Matches W D L Goals + / -
H 3 1 2 0 5 - 4 1
A 3 0 1 2 2 - 4 -2
N 11 5 3 3 12 - 10 2
Total 17 6 6 5 19 - 18 1
 

Matches

Date Competition H / A / N score Stadium Attendance
13.10.2015 Friendly H 1 - 1 Azadi Stadium , Tehran 15,000
17.08.2005 World Cup Qualifier A 1 - 2 Nissan Stadium , Yokohama 65,000
25.03.2005 World Cup Qualifier H 2 - 1 Azadi Stadium, Tehran 120,000
28.07.2004 Asian Cup N 0 - 0 Olympics Sport Centre , Chongqing 52,000
11.08.1999 Friendly A 1 - 1 International Stadium, Yokohama 35,860
16.11.1997 World Cup Qualifier N 2 - 3 Larkin Stadium-Johor Bahru 22,000
18.10.1993 World Cup Qualifier N 2 - 1 Al Khalifa Stadium , Doha 15,000
03.11.1992 Asian Cup A 0 - 1 Big Arch Stadium , Hiroshima 37,000
01.10.1990 Asian Games N 1 - 0 Fengtai Sports Center-Beijing 10,000
20.01.1989 Friendly H 2- 2 Azadi Stadium, Tehran 50,000
04.12.1988 Asian Cup N 0 - 0 Qatar FC Stadium , Doha 4,000
22.09.1986 Asian Games N 2 - 0 Hanbat Stadium, Daejeon 30,000
20.11.1982 Asian Games N 0 - 1 Modeltown Stadium-New Delhi 10,000
18.12.1966 Asian Games N 1 - 0 Tarua Football Stadium-Bangkok 20,000
11.12.1966 Asian Games N 1 - 3 Chulalongkon University Stadium-Bangkok 10,000
08.03.1951 Asian Games N 3 -2 Ambedkar Stadium -New Delhi 30,000
07.03.1951 Asian Games N 0 - 0 Ambedkar Stadium - New Delhi 23,000

Team Melli vs China: players rating and performance review.

It was yet , another majestic display by Team Melli under the guidance of Carlos Queiroz. against China. Team Melli has not only enhanced its reputation as a team that can play modern and beautiful football, it also laid a solid claim and are the Chief contender for the title of AFC Asian Cup 2019. Yet, neither Queiroz nor any of his players are talking beyond the next match. It is a wise and measured move but it does not mask the fact that from what we have seen in the last two weeks, Iran is the best team that has dominated its opposition and won matches deservedly on merit and perhaps with a class above the rest. China was well beaten by Team Melli and much credits should go for one player, Sardar Azmoun. The Ruben Kazan forward was on a mission and he succeeded by mixture of strength, skill and determination. The Chinese defense, in truth, had a big role in the defeat of their team with some poor defending and suspect decision making. China, however, was not a minnow team and did not lack the skills required at such level of football. They are guided by one of the world best and famous coaches in Marcello Lippi. A world Cup winner and a coach who has a trail of trophies behind him. Queiroz, on the other hand, out foxed the master in every department and his team came out a clear winner. Queiroz has masterfully rotated the team for this tournament. He is the envy of the rest of the teams in UAE because he is spoiled for choices in every department. The absence of Vahid Amiri was not even felt. Hopefully , the same will be true against Japan when Mehdi Taremi will be missing due to his suspension. Team Melli dominated the center and at times defended deep. their teamwork was a delight to watch. On my occasions, the series of short and fast passes interchanged between the players intimidated the Chinese who were chasing shadows. Despite the fact that most of the goals came either from long balls or route one followed by a Chinese defense blunder, that doe not hide the fact that Iran was the better team in all departments. To be able to take advantage of the opposition mistakes , you need the quality player to do that. Team Melli had the right quality to punish mistakes by opposition defenders. If there were some negative points, they were the same ones that were mentioned in other matches too and that is the wastefulness of the forwards, particularly Mehdi Taremi. It is very difficult to criticize a player who scored one goal and provided an assist for another, but Taremi was really appalling when he missed an open goal from a few meters after the ball was given to him on a plate by a perfect header from Kanani-Zadegan. It was a shocking miss! Overall, it was an emphatic win in the quarter final of the AFC Asian Cup. Now……Bring on Japan.

PLAYERS RATING

  • Alireza Beiranvand (7.5): Hardly tested but when required he did his job perfectly.
  • Milad Mohammadi (7.5):  Routine day, defensive work was excellent, however, limited venturing forward to neutralize possible opposition fast breaks.
  • Morteza Pouraliganji (8): Another solid performance. His strong tackling and marking left very little space for the Chinese forwards.
  • Ramin Rezaeian (6.5): Improving with every match despite the fact that Queiroz wise squad rotation is not giving Rezaeian regular starting place.
  • Hossein Kanani-Zadegan (7.5): Only his second start of the tournament, however, he was as good as any of the regular players. When called upon for offensive work on corners, he nearly assisted in a goal but for Taremi’s profligate finishing from close range.
  • Omid Ebrahimi (7.5): Another solid exhibition of sheer power and tenacity. His defensive duties were executed perfectly. Strong and reliable as a holding midfileder. Tireless runner with great stamina.
  • Ashkan Dejagah (8): Continued where he left off. His vision, ability to find players on flanks and timely dribbling made a big impact on the game. Although he did not assist in the goals, his domination of the center of the park was excellent.  
  • Alireza Jahanbaksh (7.5): Continues his recovery and put up a good shift against China. Substituted in the second half.
  • Ehsan Hajsafy (7): Had a quiet game in the midfield zone. Nearly scored from a long range shot from outside the box, but the Chinese keeper saved it with full stretch.
  • Mahdi Taremi (7.5): Scored a goal and provided an assist for the third, however, he is still clumsy and wasteful. A player in his class should not miss an open goal, and that reckless challenge on a Chinese player cost him a yellow card and a suspension. Many rough edges to his game.
  • Sardar Azmoun (10): The best of the lot. A really great performance by Sardar capped with an assist and a goal. He was on turbo mode today running at the Chinese defense and creating havoc. He could have score more goals too.
  Substitutes 
  1. Saman Ghoddos (7): Proving his quality every time he comes on. He does need to have more playing time to reach the peak of his performance and improve his teamwork.
  2. Roozbeh Cheshmi (7): Had a decent game and stuck to the script.
  3. Karim Ansarifard (8): In his short spell on the field, he scored a beautiful goal which proves that he can be a clinical finisher. He needs to deliver more frequently to dislodge Taremi.
 

Iran vs Vietnam preview

Abu Dhabi: teammelli.com reports With the first match jitters safely overcome, Islamic Republic of Iran's Saman Ghoddos says Team Melli are looking forward to locking horns with Vietnam in an AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Group D tie on Saturday. The three-time champions opened their campaign on a high note, defeating Yemen 5-0 on Monday, but Ghoddos admitted Iran had gone into the match nervous. "It’s not easy to play the first game in a tournament. It’s always stressful and nervous and you’re trying to do your best so sometimes the play can be a bit stiff, but we showed a good result by scoring five goals and keeping a clean sheet. "So that’s very important and we have big confidence in the team now," said the midfielder, who plays for Amiens SC in the French Ligue One. Iran however, said Ghoddos, are not thinking of the title just yet despite scoring the highest win in the first round of matches. "That’s not a thought in our minds right now, because it’s a long tournament and it’s tough games." "We’re just looking forward to the next game, and right now that’s Vietnam. That’s important for us, to just think about the next game and not think too many steps in front. "To be honest I haven’t watched the other games, just to keep focused on my own game, so I don’t know the level yet," added Ghoddos, who came on as a substitute to score Iran's fifth goal against Yemen.

Saman Ghoddos

Iran have seen enough of Vietnam to know the Southeast Asians will be handful at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. "The coach and his team have analysed them and we have watched some videos. It’s a good team, all respect to them. "However, we are going to play our game and we are not thinking so much about the other team." The Vietnam coach realises the magnitude of the task that lies ahead of his team but is also aware that after the slip up against Iraq, the match against Iran is a must win.

Park Hang-seo’s charges were the team in control for most of their group D opener against Iraq, and deserved at least a point for their efforts. However, a sweetly struck freekick in the dying minutes of the game left them with nothing to show for their efforts – a scenario that Hang-seo is keen to avoid a repeat of when Vietnam takes on pre-tournament favourites Iran today. “It was disappointing as we led twice only to lose [against Iraq] but now, we must focus on Iran and getting a good result against them,” he said. Hang-seo, who masterminded Vietnam to an impressive AFF Suzuki Cup victory just recently, spoke also of how his team cannot match up to Iran in many aspects of the game but has the mental fortitude to see a victory through. “We will be playing the strongest team in Asia tomorrow. They are technically, tactically and physically better than us but having said that, we will play to our strengths to get the desired result. “It will be very hard for us as Iran are a highly experienced side but my players have got strong mental strength and I believe we can overcome Iran,” he said.

Iran, the strongest contender for the title.

As the AFC Asian Cup is drawing closer, the pressure on Carlos Queiroz mounts to prove his worth with Team Melli by winning the 17th edition of the continents top prize.

The Portuguese head coach, whose resume included world class teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Portugal and South African national teams, has spent enough time in Iran and Asia to mount a serious challenge for the continent most coveted trophy which eluded Iran for 43 years.

For over 5 years, Team Melli has been ranked at the top of FIFA Ranking, rudely interrupted by Japan in one or two occasion. Under Queiroz’s leadership, Iran made it to two World Cups with ease it should be said, against tough opponents such as South Korea and Uzbekistan.

Iran stars such as Azmoun, Jahanbakhsh and Ansarifard have not performed anywhere near some of the other Asian footballers in Europe and none of them seem to be able to hold a place in their teams. South Korea’s Son Heung-min ,  is indispensable  member of the English Premiere league title contenders , Tottenham ,  Ki Sung-yueng is an important player for Newcastle, Australia’s brilliant goalkeeper  Mathew Ryan , has been Brighton’s saviour, Tom Rogic of Celtic  plays a major role for the Scottish champions, Japan’s Maya Yoshida (Southampton) ,  Shinji Kagawa (B. Dortmund),and Shinji Okazaki (Leicester City) all passed the grade for their  European Teams. It is interesting to note however, that Japan’s coach Hajime Moriyasu in true Japanese tradition opted for a team filled with young Europe-based talents, leaving stars like the latter two players off the squad. In brief, individually, the other Asian footballer have fared much better in Europe than Team Melli players.

 

Success at National team level in a competition such as the AFC Asian Cup cannot be judged on the individual star of a team. In the true meaning of the word, it is the team, in a collective sense that makes a difference at the end. The combination of Queiroz with his experience, knowledge and tactical acuteness with this group of talented and capable Iranian footballers, whom he has built and molded to his liking, is an excellent recipe for success. This is perhaps the best Iranian team since 1976 and many pundits know it and swear by it.

It is football, after all. One or two teams can spring a surprise. Australia, the defending champion minus a few of their stars from 2015 , Japan’s young yet tactically sound team, South Korea with a tradition ,  tactical discipline and winning mentality are as good as any to win the title.  There are also some outsiders, including Qatar, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia who might have a say in the tournament too.

Considering all factors, Iran and Queiroz still hold the upper hand and they are the team to beat. Barring some of the reckless finishing that have marred their recent performances, the trio up front in Team Melli can beat the best of their opponents. A solid defense is vital for any team with aspiration of winning championships and Team Melli has it all. In fact, Queiroz has a problem of riches in defense with all the defenders in the squad on similar forms and standards.

Ezatollahi’s absence in the defensive midfield role is a real, perhaps the only blow to Queiroz, but there is enough quality in the team to ensure his absence is not felt.

Success and chances of lifting the trophy will be greatly enhanced when personal, and tactical discipline (Queiroz is most defiantly should lead by example from the touchline) is at its highest. Not allowing the outcome of the match to be dependent on vacillating referees’ such as Ben Williams calls is a key factor.

On a positive note, Team Melli will have the greatest support outside of Iran in the UAE. The great Iranian community will be ever present to cheer the boys. This support cannot be underestimated.

Now all that remains is for the likes of Azmoun, Taremi, Ansarifarfd and Jahanbakhsh to convert their chances on the pitch and leave lady luck in the dressing room.

Disappointing draw against Palestine for Team Melli

In the match played in Doha Qatar, Team Melli played a 1 - 1 draw against Palestine. Iran scored first through Mehdi Taremi, while Palestine equalized in the added time at the end of the match.

While Team Melli controlled the game and had most of the ball possession , they did not seem to be able to score due to the profligate attackers mainly Medi Taremi. Palestine had their own chances as well and could have scored if it was not for Biranvand's timely reactions.

The second half saw Taremi score early in the 50th minute but the rest of the match saw many chances going amiss . The perennial problem of Team Melli which is the final ball was at display again in this match as their finishing left a lot to be desired with inaccurate passes or shots.

Jonathan Cantillana, scored Palestine's goal in the added time of the second half.

Team Melli will play a tougher opposition next in the shape of Qatar National Team.

The team line up

Alireza Beiranvand (Seyyed Hossein Hosseini  74"), Ramin Rezaeian, Pejman Montazeri (Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh - 46"), Hossein Kananazadegan, Milad Mohammadi, Roozbeh Cheshmi (Omid Ebrahimi - 70"), Ashkan Dejagah (Masoud Shojaei - 60"), Ahmad Noorollahi, Mehdi Torabi (Vouria Ghafouri - 60"), Sardar Azmoun(Ali Alipour - 60"), and Mehdi Taremi