Mehdi Taremi - Team Melli

Team Melli dispensed of India with ease winning 3-0 away in Bengaluru with goals from Sardar Azmoun , Andranik Teymourian and Mehdi Taremi. The first half of the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying rounds ended 1-0 for Iran.

Iran heads Group D of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers table with 7 points ahead of Oman and Guam both on 7 points. The two teams played a goalless draw earlier on the day.

The match was expected to be a hard nut to crack for the Indian team since Iran are ranked 115 places above them in the latest FIFA World Rankings.

Queiroz once again stuck to the young guns who responded magnificently with both Azmoun and Taremi scoring again after the two players braces against Guam.

Iran, went into the match brimming with confidence after they dismantled Guam with a comprehensive 6-0 win, over 2000 Team Melli fans were in Bangalore to cheer for Iran. India , on the other hand were short of confidence and points in the table after two consecutive defeats and zero points.

Team Melli attacked from the beginning of the match while India was content to defend and close the area.

While Indian defenders did well in the first half of the match, a bit of complacency in the initial phase of the second half saw them conceding two goals in the first five minutes. This made the task of the Indian team that much difficult.

India started off well in the game. One would believe that the hosts did not give up but they went down fighting against the Asian powerhouse.

In the first half of the match, Indian players looked composed and oragnised, but they were beaten by pace and class of the Iranian footballers.

India skipper Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh and Jeje Lalpekhlua shared a good spell of passing in the first quarter of the match but they could not create any chances whatsoever. Instead the Iranian were on the attack every other moment and posed a threat for India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

The first goal came in the 27th minute when Iran got a free-kick from a dangerous position. Sardar Azmoun found the back of the net. After this goal, Robin Singh and Sunil Chhetri did create a number of chances but all of them went begging. At half time, the score was 1-0.

Right after the start of the second half, Iranian skipper Andranik Teymourian made it 2-0. Three minutes later Mehdi Taremi made it 3-0 and it looked all over for India.

There was no coming back from there. But the Indian players tried hard to keep the Iranian defence on the edge till the end of the game. Sandesh Jhinghan was impressive as well but if you can't convert the chances into goals then there is no point. India came really close to scoring when Chhetri's shot went inches over the Iranian bar in the 60th minute and later Jeje failed to convert a flick from Chhetri.

Many chances were wasted by Iran especially the two in the dying minutes of the match both wasted by Dejagah.

Iran next opponent will be Oman and that would be the sternest test for Team Melli in the group.

Guam topping the group ahead of Iran and oozing with confidence with dreams of upsetting the powerful Team Melli, was suddenly put down to earth with a 6-0 drubbing in Azadi today. This was Guam first drop of points of their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Team Melli jumped on the Matao almost immediately with a goal in the opening 10 minutes off a penalty kick from Ashkan Dejagah. The hosts went into halftime up by three goals as Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun scored before halftime. Taremi and Azmoun found the back of the net again in the second half before Mehdi Torabi rounded the scoring with a tally in the dying minutes of the match.

Despite the result, Guam remain atop Group D with six points while Iran are in second with four but holding a match in hand.

Queiroz put his confidence in his youngsters’, who put a wide smile on his face after the emphatic win against the group leaders.

Although Sardar Azmoun continued his prolific scoring records with Team Melli , it was Mehdi Taremi , the player from Bushehr , currently starring for Persepolis , who attracted most of the attentions. Azmoun run on the flank was stopped by a foul from keeper Doug Herrick. The referee had no hesitation to blow for a penalty which Ashakan Dejagah slotted comfortably into the net in the 10th minute.

The early goal opened Team Melli appetite as both Ando Teymourian and Taremi came close to adding to the tally. The latter then scored when Azmoun sent a neat pass for Taremi to slot in the goal with a side touch for his first goal and Iran's second in the 31st minute. Azmoun added one more before half time from a slide rule cross by Ashkan Dejagah for the young forward who plays for the Russian club Rostov to outjump the Guam defenders and head into the net. Azmoun has scored several goals in such style and beginning to acquire a reputation for splendid heading goals.

Azmoun scored again on the 41^st from a neat cross by Vahid Amiri to finish the half with 4-0 margin for Team Melli.

The second half was much the same as what the fans witnessed in the first. Guam hardly venturing into Iranian territory while Team Melli players putting a siege round the Guam box.

Further goals came from Taremi who headed home Ramin Rezaeian’s cross and then a late goal by Torabi, his second for Team Melli in as many matches.

The second half was not more than a damage limitation exercise by Guam who defended in numbers and managed to limit the scoring to no more than two.

Team Melli will now face India next while Guam will play Oman who beat Turkmenistan 3-1 in Muscat.

Tag: Mehdi Taremi

Team Melli Thrash India 3-0 to Top Group D

Team Melli young guns put on the style in a 6-0 victory.