TEHRAN The Iranian national football team continued its training camp for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a second intra-squad friendly match on Wednesday, May 6, held at Tehran’s Dastgerdi Stadium. The Red team emerged as the clear victor, defeating the White team 3-1 in a competitive and revealing encounter.
The training match saw the squad divided into two sides, Red and White, as head coach Amir Ghalenoei seeks to assess player readiness and tactical combinations ahead of upcoming international commitments.
The Red team broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute with a moment of individual brilliance. Saleh Hardani connected cleanly on a superb volley that left the White goalkeeper with no chance, putting the Reds ahead 1-0.
Just one minute later, in the 53rd minute, the Reds doubled their lead. Payam Nezamd, the White team’s goalkeeper, attempted to intercept a dangerous advance by Hadi Habibinejad but misjudged the situation. Habibinejad capitalized on the error to slot home the second goal for the Red team.
The Reds continued to dominate possession and chances, and in the 73rd minute, they added a third. Following a corner kick, defender Roozbeh Cheshmi rose highest to direct a powerful header into the net. The goal was facilitated by another mistake from White goalkeeper Payam Nezamd, whose poorly timed exit from his goal line left Cheshmi with a relatively easy finish.
The White team refused to bow out quietly, however, and managed a late consolation. In the 89th minute, Amirhossein Mahmoudi fired a well-placed shot past Alireza Beiranvand—the Red team’s goalkeeper—to make the final score 3-1..
Lineups
White Team: Seyed Payam Nezamd (GK), Shoja Khalilzadeh, Aref Aghasi, Daniyal Esmailifar, Ehsan Hajsafi, Aref Hajieidi, Amir Mohammad Razaghinia, Amir Hossein Mahmoudi, Mehdi Torabi, Amir Hossein Hosseinzadeh, Kasra Taheri.
Red Team: Alireza Beiranvand (GK), Mohammad Hossein Kanaanizadegan, Ali Nemati, Saleh Hardani, Milad Mohammadi, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Omid Noorafkan, Aria Yousefi, Mehdi Hashemnejad, Hadi Habibinejad, Ali Alipour.
The intra-squad match served as the second such exercise under the watchful eye of Amir Ghalenoei and his technical staff, who are carefully evaluating players fitness and form while collecting performance metrics. The team will continue its preparatory program with a training camp in Turkey, with the squad scheduled to depart on May 15 for further drills and potential friendly matches before their next official fixtures.
