Team Melli cruised to a comfortable 6-0 win against Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday in the friendly International match held at Azadi Stadium in front of 4500 fans.
Iran scored early through Masoud Shojaei’s penalty on the 6th minute , before Mehdi Taremi made it 2-0 with a double-header , first saved by the keeper while the rebound to Taremi himself was headed home for a goal. Torabi sealed the first half with a brilliant shot from an angle at 29th minute.
The second half with several changes only came alive late after both teams struggled to find a rhythm due to the many substitutions that seems to disrupt the international friendly games nowadays.
However , as soon as Team Melli settled, the team played with style and finesse resulting in another three goals and many missed ones too. Karim Ansarifard eventually scored after missing many chances in the match in the 68th minute. Sardar Azmoun who just came in as a substitute for Taremi made it 5-0 with a spectacular ball from immaculate teamwork and finally Ansarifard scored the 6th after Azmoun’s ball rebounded from the post for Karim to slot in his 2nd of the match and Iran’s final goal.
This was a good practice match for Team Melli. The opposition was not as strong as hoped however , there were some brilliant teamwork, individual skills and fine ball distribution. Like always there were lessons to be learned from this match. The fact that the forwards were getting offside was quite noticeable. There is some works to be done on that. The player’s ball possession still needs to be looked at. The fact theat Iranian players keep the ball more than the average European professional is evident. This match was an improvement, but Queiroz has not yet managed to improve this to a higher level.
Haghighi in goal, despite not being truly tested in the match, was not convincing. His saves by punching and risky jumps between number of players was a sign of lack of real competition. His clearing of the ball by punching, left a lot to be desired.
The two debutant, Mahini and Tayebi performed played quite well. Both of the player played with confidence and did not look like it was their first international game for their country. Milad Mohammadi was a gem of a player especially when attacking from the flanks. His moves where delightful to watch. Mehdi Torabi , the Gazelle of Iran’s football , did not show his usual runs and skills yet still managed to score a beauty.