The tiny Persian Gulf Island state of Bahrain , has given Iran quite a few problems in football matches.
In 1974 during the Asian games , Bahrain came to Tehran not so much to challenge the Big Boys of Asia , but more to learn how the masters of the continent play their football. A 6-0 drubbing against a Team Melli which had a large number of reserves players in the team , was the beginning of what looked like a long domination by mighty Iran.
However, the first shock to the Iranians came in 2000 in Syria, when Bahrain defeated team Melli in Damascus during the Asian Cup 2000 qualifiers, thus recording the first setback of Team Melli against the minnows. Despite winning 7 out of 16 matches played between the two, Iran’s record against Bahrain can hardly be described as dominant and assured.
The worst result for Team Melli must have been the 3-1 defeat in Bahrain , when Iran needed just a draw to make it to the finals of the World Cup in 2002. This left a permanent mark in the ego of Team Melli and the fans especially since some Bahrain players did carried out unsportsmanship act by carrying the Saudi Arabian flag on their victory march at the end of the match.
This is only the 2nd time that the teams meet in the AFC Asian Cup finals. The first , back in 2004 in Workers Stadium , Beijing, China was the third place play off where Team Melli scored a 4-2 victory against the best team that Bahrain ever produced in its history.
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Quotes
Hadi Tabatabaei , Former Team Melli goalkeeper ” Bahrain is not going to be an easy team to defeat. One of the advantages of our team is their fighting spirit than can come to our advantage.”
“Since it is the first game of the competition , we need to tread carefully and ensure that we have strong defensive. We should not allow their players much maneuvering space. From what I have seen of other teams, our task is going b e quite hard to make it all the way, but let us not forget one of our strongest attributes and that is our fighting spirit .”
Vahid Talebloo, Former Team Melli goalkeeper “Our biggest advantage is the solid defense. We have performed very well in this area during the World Cup and since the standards in the Asian Cup is not as high as the World Cup , we should be doing fine. First matches always have this intriguing feel to it and can spring surprises. We did will in our first match against Nigeria in the World Cup and that gave us a boost for the nest against Argentina. We need to repeat that in Australia”
“I think we can make it to the finals but that is not going to be an easy job at all. There are so many strong teams in this edition and it is very difficult to pick a winner at this stage. We have the resolve, the quality and the willpower to make it all the way. the boys need to focus and do their best.”
Mahmoud Fekri , former Team Melli defender ” We must defeat Bahrain to have any chance of qualifying ti the next round. If we fail to qualify , then this is a real wake up call for Iran’s football and a disaster in making.”
“The normal cliché of the first match difficulties still applies, but the quality and standard of Iranian football is way above Bahrain’s despite this team being a stubborn opponent for us. If we have any aspiration , any claims for lifting the title , we have to win such matches. Let us not forget that our neighbors on the other side of the Persian Gulf , are progressing steadily and firmly in football. They have managed to build strong teams and are in the top ranks of Asian football.”
Mehdi Foonoonizadeh , Former Team Melli midfielder ” Considering the current team status and the poor preparation, I seriously doubt that our Team, Melli will be among the top 4 in this competition.”
“I also have virtually no hope of Team Melli lifting the trophy. In order to make the grade, the team should have had a proper program with as many friendly games as possible starting way back. This team has not had such preparation and all that the coaching staff have done is to summarize a six months work in two-week of intensive physical training in South Africa and Australia. You cannot substitute proper training by intensified two weeks hard labour camp. One other problem in the team is the high average age of the players compared to other teams. We have not really embarked in renewing the blood in our Team Melli in earnest. I hope that Queiroz starts doing that in Australia.”
“Japan and then Australia , are the two strongest candidates for the championship. ”
Mohammed Hussain , Bahrain Captain and central defender “The difference in standards between Bahrain and Iran is marginal. However , we still have to play to our best level against Iran else it will be difficult for us. We have several players playing in professional leagues out of Bahrain , many of them in Qatar where a number of Iranian national team players are also playing. We have a good knowledge about them and hopefully such knowledge will help us to gain the right result tomorrow.”
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Betting odds
| Iran Win | Draw | Bahrain Win |
| 1.62 | 3.5 | 6.25 |
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Match Details.
Iran vs. Bahrain
AFC Asian Cup 2015 – Group ‘C’
09:00 (GMT) – 12:30 (Tehran)
Rectangular Stadium , Melbourne.
Referee: Benjamin Williams (Australia)
Past records Head to Head
| H / A / N | Matches | W | D | L | Goals | + / – |
| Home | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 – 0 | +19 |
| Away | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 – 9 | -5 |
| Neutral | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 – 3 | +4 |
| Total | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 30 – 12 | +18 |
| Date | Comp. | H / A / N | Final score | Stadium | Attendance |
| 12.12.2012 | WAFF | N | 0 – 0 | Kazma SC Stadium, Kuwait City | 1200 |
| 11.11.2011 | World Cup Qualifier / Round 3 – Group E | A | 1 – 1 | National Stadium – Riffa | 18000 |
| 11.10.2011 | World Cup Qualifier / Round 3 – Group E | H | 6 – 0 | Azadi Stadium , Tehran | 83000 |
| 24.09.2010 | WAFF / Group A | N | 3 – 0 | King Abdullah Stadium – Amman | 12000 |
| 31.08.2009 | Friendly | A | 2 – 4 | NATIONAL STADIUM , Manama | 1500 |
| 21.03.2008 | Friendly | A | 0 – 1 | National Stadium | 3000 |
| 08.06.2005 | World Cup Qualifier / Second Round | H | 1 – 0 | Azadi – Tehran | 90000 |
| 09.02.2005 | World Cup Qualifier | A | 0 – 0 | Manama | 30000 |
| 06.08.2004 | Asian Cup / 3rd Place | N | 4 – 2 | Workers Stadium , Beijing | 10000 |
| 19.10.2001 | World Cup Qualifier / WCQ | A | 1 – 3 | NATIONAL STADIUM , Manama | 8000 |
| 14.09.2001 | World Cup Qualifier / WCQ | H | 0 – 0 | Azadi – Tehran | 50000 |
| 07.04.2000 | Asian Cup Qualifier / Group 2 | H | 3 – 0 | Azadi – Tehran | 40000 |
| 04.04.2000 | Asian Cup Qualifier / Group 2 | N | 0 – 1 | Al Hamdaniya Stadium , Aleppo | 30000 |
| 03.10.1994 | Asian Games / Group A | N | 0 – 0 | Hiroshima | 5000 |
| 20.08.1975 | Olympics Qualifier | H | 3 – 0 | Amjadiah – Tehran | 25000 |
| 07.09.1974 | Asian Games | H | 6 – 0 | Amjadiah , Tehran | 10000 |