Tag: Scores

24/01/201924/01/2019

Iran vs. China : Match Preview

Abu Dhabi:

Team Melli head coach Carlos Queiroz has declared that his side are aiming to make the most of their undoubted experience when they face China PR in an eagerly anticipated AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 quarter-final encounter on Thursday.

After beating Oman 2-0 in the Round of 16, the Iranians head into the game having impressively won all four of their games en route to the last eight, and eager to claim what would be the nation’s first Continental crown since 1976.

Team Melli’s last attempt at AFC Asian Cup glory ended at the same stage when they dramatically lost on penalties to Iraq four years ago in Australia.

Although mindful of that result, Queiroz is determined for Iran to put what they have learned between then and now to good use when they face the East Asians

“No two games in football are ever the same, in football it is always a different story,” declared the Portuguese tactician.

“The game versus China is a new game, a new adventure, and one in which we can try to do our absolute best. However, what is key is to remember all the lessons we have learned – both when we have won and when we have lost – and put them to good use.

“This is just like a cup final as they are games which do not have a history, they do not have a past. You cannot lose a game because of history or statistics. This type of cup final match is very different to those we faced in the group stage and I believe the experience my players have will count for something in the game.”

“We are not favourites as I feel there are never favourites in a game like this. We are proud to be here for a game which is the most important game of our lives because it is the next game, and that is always the most crucial for both players and coaches.”

Despite China having impressed at the tournament so far, Queiroz is eager that his charges embrace the challenge rather than be distracted by what will undoubtedly be a formidable test.

“It will be a difficult game against a very tough team,” he said.

“China are a solid and well-prepared team with a great coach. We know a difficult task is in front of us, but we are excited and fully prepared. We are confident that we will play well, as we have the ability, our ambitions and our dreams.

“I want my players to keep it simple as football really is a simple game. It is just 90 minutes of 11 versus 11 and the players need to enjoy the match, enjoy the experience. If we are able to play with freedom and joy, I believe we will do well.”

Marcello Lippi reaction.

Iran, said China head coach Marcello Lippi, are the top team in Asia and there is a reason why the Central Asians has occupied the spot.

“Obviously Iran are one of the top teams in Asia, they played well at the (2018) FIFA World Cup and here too, are physically very strong, organised and have very good quality,” said Lippi at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference.

“From what we know of Iran, we know that we must be tactically perfect against them. There is no room for mistakes for they will punish you every chance they get.

“They are technically and tactically very sound and very good in playing long balls. We must be focused against them,” added Lippi.

“Iran may be ranked higher than us and I would say they are the favourites but nothing is impossible in football.

“We have been working hard correcting our mistakes and I am confident my players are ready for what will definitely be a very hard match but one which I think we can do well in.”

“We have been improving and will go into the match against Iran confident,” said Lippi.

Lippi said he would decide after training on Wednesday on whether Wu Lei, who is nursing a shoulder injury, would start after a final training session on Wednesday.

Head2Head

Iran has only lost one official match match against China in their long history o competitions and that was in the World Cup Qualifiers in 1989. In Asian Cup , the two team met 6 times with Iran winning 2 while the rest were draws. The biggest win for Team Melli was in 2001 in the Civilizations Tournament when China lost 4-0. The biggest win for China was 2-0 in 1989.

H / A / N	Matches	W	D	L	Goals	+ / –
H	6	6	0	0	17 – 4	+13
A	9	2	3	4	8 – 9	-1
N	9	4	4	1	13 – 8	+5
Total	24	12	7	5	38 – 21	+17

Asian Cup Results

Date	Stage	score	Stadium	Attendance
15.07.2007	Group C	2 – 2	National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur	5,938
03.08.2004	Semi Finals	1 – 1	Workers Stadium , Beijing	50,000
17.12.1988	3rd Place	0 – 0	Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium , Doha	2,000
03.12.1984	Group B	2 – 0	National Stadium – Singapore	18,525
20.09.1980	Group A	2 – 2	Al Arabi Stadium -Kuwait City	10,000
05.06.1976	Semi Final	2 – 0	Aryamehr Stadium, Tehran	60,000

22/01/2019

Lippi ” China need ‘more focus’ ahead of Iran Asian Cup quarter-final clash”

Marcello Lippi said China need to learn how to focus for an entire game ahead of their crunch Asian Cup quarter-final with Iran, the biggest – and possibly last – game of his tenure.

The Italian World Cup-winning coach hailed his players after they overcame Thailand 2-1 to reach the last-eight, saying they had proved they were among the best in Asia.

But Lippi, 70, said China still had a habit of drifting in and out of games after another Jekyll-and-Hyde performance in which they trailed 1-0 midway through the second half.

“Chinese players have to improve psychologically,” said Lippi, who is expected to leave China after the Asian Cup following two and a half years at the helm.

“Sometimes they need to be much more focused and concentrated and pay more attention during the game. It’s a psychological thing. It’s very important to have the same intensity, the same determination from the beginning of the game.”

China were under the cosh against Thailand on Sunday until Lippi switched his formation at half-time, turning the tables as they swamped the Thais for much of the second period.

But Iran, Asia’s top-ranked team, will provide a much stiffer test and the expectation is that after Thursday’s game in Abu Dhabi, China will be packing their bags.

Lippi already appeared to be defending his record when he volunteered statistics that in his 10 competitive matches, China have won six and lost only two, to Iran and South Korea.

“That means I have to be very proud of my players,” he said, adding: “I’m very satisfied because this team is getting great results and we’re in the quarter-finals, which means we’re one of the top eight Asian teams.”

Reaching the quarters matches China’s performance of 2015, when the Asian Cup had only 16 teams rather than 24. China have never won the trophy in 11 previous attempts.

However, Lippi also sounded the alarm for future Chinese teams after fielding an ageing line-up including four starters in their thirties, and only one younger than 26.

Captain Zheng Zhi, widely expected to quit the national set-up after the Asian Cup, remains a vital cog at 38, while goal-scorers Xiao Zhi and Gao Lin are 33 and 32 respectively.

“I can say this is a problem for the future of the Chinese team,” Lippi said. “Because if the best players are always (in their thirties) it means that right behind them there aren’t any young players coming up.”

19/05/2017

Iran cruise in AFC U-20 Futsal Championship 2017

Bangkok: Iran confirmed their place in quarter-finals of the AFC U-20 Futsal Championship as a 6-1 win over China saw them cement top spot in Group D with one game to go.

The victory was Iran’s third straight three-point haul in Bangkok, a fine run of form that has now set up a last eight showdown with either Uzbekistan or Lebanon.

A Zhou Xu own goal after five minutes set Iran on their way at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, before strikes from Mohammed Jamebalani and Mohammad Taheri further strengthened their position going into half-time.

Hamidreza Karimi grabbed Iran’s fourth on 33 minutes, and despite Wang Jiahao finding the net for China, further goals from Mohammad Heidari and Hamid Ghahramani rounded off yet another scintillating Iranian display.

Iran next game: May 20, Islamic Republic of Iran v Kyrgyz Republic

China: Wang 34’
Iran: Zhou 5’ (OG), Jamebalani 15’, Taheri 19’, Karimi 33’, Heidari 36’, Ghahramani 40’

Iran U20 futsal results

17 May 2017

Mongolia	0–6	Iran
		Taheri 7′ Rezapour 11′, 20′ Lotfi 13′ Kadkhoda 16′ M. Karimi 30′

Indoor Stadium Huamark, Bangkok
Attendance: 100

Referee: Osama Saeed Idrees (Bahrain)

18 May 2017

Iran	5–1	United Arab Emirates
Kadkhoda 5′, 37′ M. Karimi 24′ Ghahramani 25′, 36′	Report	A. Ahmed 30′

Indoor Stadium Huamark, Bangkok
Attendance: 100
Referee: Kim Jong-hee (South Korea)

28/03/2017

Iran 1-0 China : Another firm step towards the World Cup 2018

Team Melli defeated China 1-0 in the seventh round of the FIFA World Cup 2018 Asian zone qualifiers to cement its lead on group A. Iran now leads the group with 17 points , four ahead of closest rival Korea Republic with 3 rounds to go.

The match was played in front of capacity crowd estimated to be over 110,000 fans played early in the afternoon, The doors of the stadium had to be closed early as the fans were still flocking in with the stadium already full.

China which defeated Korea in the last round , was hoping to repeat the same against Iran to have any chance of reaching the World Cup for only its second time in history. A large number of Chinese fans all wearing red , were in Azadi;s special guests section cheering their team. Marcello Lippi has successfully led the Chinese in the last two matches.

The first half :

Queiroz made 3 changes in the line up from the Qatar match including Ghoochannejad replacing Azmoun in forward line, while Shojae replaced Hajsafy. TM did not waste much time going forward as Ghoochannejad shot powerfully in the 6^th minute for the Chinese keeper Zeng Cheng to parry over the bar for corner.

Following a series of slick passing moves in the 20^th minute, Jahanbakhsh fired a shot that just shaved the bar

Next serious threat on Chinese goal was on minute 35 where Taremi’s shot was saved by the outstretched legs of Zeng Cheng.

Team Melli continued its assault on China’s goal and should have scored a minute later after another set of passes following quick interchange of positions. Masoud Shojaei, the captain of the team, sent a measured ball to the fast advancing Milad Mohammadi on the left flank. The Grozny player controlled the ball nicely, passed his marker and was one on one with Zeng Cheng. However, with the angle closing and becoming acute , Mohammadi shot was met by the excellent Chinese custodian, and sent to the corner.

5 minutes later , another marvelous passing game, this time from the right resulted in Ghafoori sending an inch perfect pass to Shojaei. The Captain shot cleanly but once again Zeng Cheng saved China’s blushes. The ensuing corner saw Taremi’s scissor kick marginally missing target.

The first half ended goal-less.

It only took 30 seconds in the second half for Iran to take the lead. After a series of shamble clearances by the Chinese defense, Taremi found the ball at his feet inside the six yards box. His halfhearted lefty shot beat the wrong footed Zeng Cheng and finally passed the goal line.

It was much deserved and long waited goal for Team Melli.

China on the other hand, showed very little initiative and ambition. Only late in the second half that the Chinese really pressed hard to score an equalizer , which incidentally would not have made a big difference in their chances.

Iran now awaits the crucial encounter at Azadi with Uzbekistan. A win, will guarantee Iran early qualification.

27/03/2017

A new face in Team Melli’s final prectise session.

Team Melli conducted its last practise session before the China game at Sanat Naft research institute field in Tehran today morning. The session was attended by all the 23 players of the squad and no injuries were reported among the players. There was an initial fear that Alireza Jahanbakhsk who received a knock against Qatar, might be absent for this match, however, Jahanbakhsh practised with the squad and there is no sign of any problem.

The interesting event was the appearance of a new face in the coaching staff. A Portuguese coach named Alexander López , turned up quietly and started coaching the three goalkeepers, Alireza Biranvand , Mazaheri and Akhbari. Of course, Team Melli management from Saket to the PR officer maintained absolute silent about the sudden disappearance of the American Goal Keeping coach Dan Gaspar who has accompanied Queiroz for a long time and was the most popular of all the coaches amongst the players and the administrators. It is believe that he has been sacked like Peyrovani, Nekounam & Aghajanian.

What is known of these changes, is that Queiroz by his own wisdom, suddenly decides that these staff are of no use to his plans and fires them. Dan Gasper was the only non-Iranian in the list. Since there has been no official announcement, or communication by the FFIRI , that is the strongest of the many speculations.

Lack of transparency, covert like practices, extreme self-centeredness has marred Team Melli for many years now. In such circumstances, rumors and speculation play a major role and as such , is detrimental for the squad.

In another development, The Italian Marcello Lippi , China’s national team head coach , failed to appear for the post-match press conference. The Chinese failed to provide a justification for his absence which is mandatory practice by the FIFA ruling, hence China will be fined. Not that such a fine will rattle the finances of the Mega-rich Chinese.

15/03/201718/03/2017

Team Melli commence training.

Team Melli training will start in earnest after an initial squad was announced earlier today by Carlos Queiroz. Iran is facing Qatar on the 22nd of March and then 5 days later, will play against China in Azadi.

Two wins will go a long way in assuring the qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2018 Finals.

The squad includes domestic league players plus two from Qatar Star League while the European based players are excluded. According to FIFA rules, the club will only release the players 3 days before the official match, hardly allowing the players to gel in the team training.

the 19 selected players will commence training after the last round of the AFC champions League matches. All Persepolis players were selected despite the fears that the Queiroz might play hard ball and take revenge after his verbal war with Branko Ivankovic. and sending the Persepolis contingent back home from the training squad in Dubai.

One significant omission of the list is Andranik Teymourina , the captain and veteran Team Melli midfielder whose performance have been on the downhill this season. However , two players who have not been faring much better than Ando, have made the list.

Jalal Hosseini, (35 years) another veteran of the team made the list despite his poor all round performances with Persepolis this season. The aging central defender was blamed for two of the goals scored against his team in that match against Al Rayyan in the AFC Champions league 3-1 defeat , while more significantly , his slow pace and suspect control cost Persepolis dearly in several matches in the League.

Another Persepolis player who made the list , not on merit, is Ramin Rezaeian. The player has been suspended from his club for indiscipline and was thrown out of the team, yet he was selected by Queiroz despite being out of match practise.

On the bright side, Morteza Tabrizi who has been one of more significant Zob Ahan players, made the list after some excellent games in the league and the AFC Champion league. Ehsan Pahlavan and Sasan Ansari are two new players who have joined the squad for the first time, While Masoud Ebrahimzadeh makes a return after some absence.

List of the 19 players

AKHBARI, Mohammad Reza

ANSARI, Sasan

EBRAHIMZADEH, Masoud

MAZAHERI, Mohammad Rashid

MONTAZERI, Pejman

PAHLAVAN, Ehsan

POURALIGANJI, Morteza

TABRIZI, Morteza

04/03/2017

AFC BEACH SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP 2017: GROUP A PREVIEW

Kuala Terengganu- Malaysia

Malaysia head coach Ismail Zakaria is optimistic his side can more than hold their own when the 2017 AFC Beach Soccer Championship begins in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday.

With the competition also serving as the qualifiers for April’s 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer Championship in the Bahamas, the stakes are indeed high on the east coast of Malaysia.

And despite Malaysia only having previously appeared on the world stage in 1999 at the then Beach Soccer World Championship, Ismail believes the host nation will not be overawed when they face their more illustrious opponents.

“Malaysia are progressing in this exciting game and we want to show the people in our country that we can put up a good fight against the strong teams such as Iran and Bahrain,” said Ismail during Friday’s Group A press conference.

“We are surely developing this game and instead of feeling intimidated by the experience of the other teams, we want to have an experience of our own.”

Iran Beach soccer during Training in Malaysia

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran arrive in Malaysia as one of the pre-tournament favourites and – as 2013 title winners – are expected by many to progress beyond the Group Stage with relative ease.

However, head coach Mohammad Hoseyn Mirshamsi is refusing to attach too much relevance to previous performances and is, instead, fully focussed on the task at hand.

“We have had great preparations for the game which is growing rapidly in popularity in Iran,” he said. “I’ve been with the national team for close to two years and we need to focus on what we have to do now to be successful without looking back too much to our achievements.

“There have been a lot of changes to the national team and what we should be doing now is to gel together as a team and make it difficult for our opponents to beat us.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL MATCH SCHEDULE

Bahrain were the competition’s inaugural winners some 11 years ago after beating Japan in the 2006 final, but three years later, a twist of fate saw the West Asians lose out to the Japanese in the title showdown.

Bahrain head coach Joao Almeida is however refusing to believe that Japan, who are in Group C, are the only team to beat at this year’s AFC Beach Soccer Championship, saying that several other nations have what it takes to win silverware in Malaysia.

“Of course we are craving the title once again after so many years and it won’t be easy,” the Portuguese tactician declared.

“It’s been a long time and we and the other teams have changed a lot. Japan are still the most powerful team in my personal opinion but the other teams such as reigning champions Oman, Lebanon, the UAE and China will also definitely be teams to reckon with.

“Some teams will advance to the semi-finals through a lot of matches while others do so after fewer matches. This can affect our emotions but we have to check ourselves against this. What’s important is we give our best because all teams are different and have their own strengths.”

China’s previous best performances were fourth-place finishes in 2006 and 2008 when defeats to Iran proved their undoing. Although his charges are set to face the Iranians once again, head coach Ling Luhui views the competition as a potentially excellent learning curve for the East Asian side.

“I hold high opinions of the coaches of the other four teams as China are a young team in beach soccer,” said Ling. “We want to learn from them and also enjoy our games against the best teams in Asia in order to further develop ourselves.

“In 2006 and 2008, there were fewer teams participating, but now, there are more. There’s a great chance for everyone to make it further in the competition and therefore focus is the name of the game.”

Afghanistan are making only their second AFC Beach Soccer Championship appearance after a 2013 debut, and head coach Rohullah Rastagar has his sights firmly set on success.

“We have problems with our security back home and therefore we started our preparations only a month ago,” he said. “However, we do dream big, that is, to make it to the World Cup.

“All the other teams presented their kind of challenge as they are different, so I’d say all of them are tough opponents, but we hope to be ready for them come matchdays.”

Schedule & Results:

Group Stage 04-03-2017 14:30	0 – 5
CHINA P.R.		BAHRAIN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Group Stage 04-03-2017 16:00	16:00
AFGHANISTAN		MALAYSIA
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Group Stage 05-03-2017 14:30	14:30
AFGHANISTAN		CHINA P.R.
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Group Stage 05-03-2017 16:00	16:00
MALAYSIA		I.R. IRAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Group Stage 06-03-2017 14:30	14:30
BAHRAIN		MALAYSIA
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Group Stage 06-03-2017 16:00	16:00
I.R. IRAN		AFGHANISTAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Group Stage 07-03-2017 14:30	14:30
BAHRAIN		AFGHANISTAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Group Stage 07-03-2017 16:00	16:00
CHINA P.R.		I.R. IRAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Group Stage 08-03-2017 14:30	14:30
MALAYSIA		CHINA P.R.
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Group Stage 08-03-2017 16:00	16:00
I.R. IRAN		BAHRAIN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

24/10/2016

Iran U-19 qualifies for the FIFA U-20 World Cup

Isa Town: Reza Jafari’s brace booked Islamic Republic of Iran a place in the semi-finals of the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 on Monday evening as Amir Peiravani’s side handed Uzbekistan a 2-0 defeat to also qualify for the finals of next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea Republic.

A goal in each half from Jafari sets up a meeting with Saudi Arabia in the last four, and also sees the Iranians qualify for the finals of the global youth tournament for the first time since 2001.

Jafari’s two well-taken goals were backed up by a resolute defensive performance by Iran, who largely limited Uzbekistan to a series of attempts from outside the area that caused goalkeeper Shahab Adeli few problems.

After making a raft of changes for his side’s final group match against China, Uzbekistan coach Jasur Abduraimov reverted to his preferred starting line-up as the Central Asian side set their sights on qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the third tournament in a row.

It was the Iranians, though, who made the strongest start and, by the 13th minute, Peiravani’s team had taken the lead. Abolfazl Razzaghpour’s free kick into the box was miss-controlled by Reza Shekari before the ball fell at the feet of Jafari and he thumped his shot beyond Umidjon Khamroev.

Uzbekistan pushed for the equaliser throughout the remainder of the half, but the Iranian defence restricted their opponents to attempts from long range.

Jasurbek Yakhshiboev slalomed his way into the area, only to see his shot blocked, before a series of attempts by Sharof Mukhitdinov from distance. The first from 30 yards was just over the bar while a free kick from similar distance was collected by Adeli at the second attempt. Meanwhile, Khojiakbar Alijonov’s shot hit the side netting 11 minutes before the break.

Less than two minutes after the restart, Iran doubled their lead, this time capitalising on some slack play in midfield by the Uzbeks. Shekari picked up possession just inside his own half and played a quick ball forward into the path of Jafari, who outsprinted Islom Kobilov before slotting the ball past Khamroev.

Another Mukhitdinov attempt flew over before Shekari squandered the chance to put the outcome beyond doubt when he dragged his attempt at goal well wide of the target, while with 18 minutes remaining Husniddin Gofurov missed the opportunity to pull Uzbekistan back into the game when he headed over the bar from less than six yards out.

The Uzbeks continued to press – and Shahab was forced to make a spectacular one-handed save from Yakhshiboev in the dying seconds – but Iran’s disciplined backline gave little away as Peiravani’s team closed out the game to seal an historic result.

Photo: Lagardère Sports

01/10/2016

A new game plan is needed!

Despite the 4 points in the bag , Team Melli has yet to produce a performance that eases the tension of its fans, nor did it satisfy the critics.

The well-organized Qatar team frustrated Team Melli for long spells and missed a couple of good opportunities to take the lead in the opener match of FIFA WC 2018 Qualifiers Round 3 played in Azadi. Against China 5 days later in Shenyang, there wasn’t much to rave about, either. Team Melli is not functioning on all cylinders.

Despite having all the key players available, Team Melli and coach Carlos Queiroz struggled against both Qatar & China.

It took a horrendous error by Qatar’s custodian for Team Melli to break the deadlock. Even when Claude Amin gifted Karim Ansarifard the ball , the Panionios FC forward could not believe his luck however he was too slow to react allowing a Qatari defender to tackle him cleanly from behind and push the ball away. Lady luck was in favor of Iran however, as Gucci gladly accepted the loose ball and finished clinically and in style.

Jahanbakhsh’s second was the one to marvel about. His diagonal run and the one side step dribble past two Qatari markers with a accurate shot into the far corner of Qatar goal was the icing on the cake and the most valuable play of the two games.
There was no such luck for Team Melli against China, though.

Carlos Queiroz who led Team Melli to the FIFA 2014 World Cup, seems to struggle with his game plan against oppositions who seem to have analyzed Team Melli quite well. His players seems to run out of ideas against packed opposition defenses.
The majority of the balls fed to the forwards , were crosses to the isolated Sardar Azmoun in center forward position, which both Qatari and Chinese defenders handled quite easily. It seems that Queiroz had a wishful thinking that Ali Daei is spearheading Team Melli forward line, according to one newspaper article!

The biggest shortfall of Queiroz game plan is lack of variations and alternative moves to unsettle opposing defenders. One or two players have the ability to shot from long range , but from what we have seen so far in the last two matches , no players seem to make it count. Some of the shots attempted were more suited for the fans to collect the ball as souvenirs.

One of the ways to unsettle defenders is dribbling into the box, or short swift passes between forwards inside, both techniques that Team Melli is quite capable of executing and have the skills for , were not attempted .

Team Melli had one method of attacking , that was to send crosses from flanks none of which yielded any result in 180 minutes of play. It will be even more futile against a strong , well organized and tall Uzbek defenders.

Queiroz needs to dig deep into his long years of coaching experience at top level to come up with much better game plans if he is to challenge for one of possible 5 places for Russia. Qualification is certainly and definitely feasible on paper, however , it is not as easy as saying it. Instead of blaming the earth and sky , Queiroz needs to sit and alter his strategy utilizing the ability of his players , his own skills One and the weaknesses of the opposition. One Game-plan for all , simply does not work and is highly predictable and risky.

Queiroz ’s capacity to heap negative publicity on Team Melli needs to be curtailed too. Taj and FFIRI need to encourage him to adopt a less combative and anarchist profile. He is in perpetual conflict with League managers, ghost enemies , the media and, to some extent, fans. The man never tires from spreading negative vibes before , during and after the games. His lack of self control and temperament in matches, highlighted by his antics in the home game against Qatar, eventually spreads into the players , as a result 4 Iranian players received the yellow card in one home match!

05/09/2016

Feng Xiaoting confident ahead of China’s World Cup qualifier vs. Iran

espnfc.com

BY MICHAEL CHURCH

China captain Feng Xiaoting is confident he and his teammates can put their World Cup qualifying campaign on track when they take on Iran in Shenyang as they aim to bounce back from Thursday’s defeat against South Korea.

China almost rescued a point from their meeting with the Red Devils, fighting back from three goals down to lose 3-2, but the performance has given Feng and his colleagues confidence ahead of their next qualifier for Russia 2018.

“We lost the game but we haven’t lost our faith,” said the Guangzhou Evergrande central defender. “On the contrary, we gained experience and the ability to play in a difficult situation.

“I’m very proud of my teammates. Next Tuesday we will win the game against Iran in Shenyang.”

A win will be vital for the Chinese after their opening loss and Gao Hongbo’s team take on an Iran side that picked up a 2-0 victory over Qatar in Tehran in their first qualifying match, with Reza Ghoochannejhad and Alireza Jahanbaksh both scoring in added time to give Carlos Queiroz’s side a winning start to their campaign.

However, veteran midfielder Zheng Zhi, who scored an own goal on Thursday to give the Koreans the lead, echoed Feng’s thoughts on the feeling within the China squad after the defeat.

“It’s a pity for us that we lost 3-2,” said the former Asian Player of the Year. “It should have been a draw. We didn’t give up when we went three goals behind because we prepared well in advance and this is how football should be. Good preparation gives you confidence.

“The qualifying campaign is long. There are 10 rounds so it is like a league season and we have to prepare different strategies for different opponents.

“But from this game, what we have gained is confidence and faith, and also experience. It is a good start of our long journey.”