Category: Topics

Beach Soccer: Iran outlast Senegal amid goal-rush

Iran revived their Tahiti 2013 hopes with an action-packed 5-3 victory over Senegal to leave Group C intriguingly poised.

Senegal scored a powerful 5-4 win over Ukraine to open their Tahiti 2013 campaign two days ago, while the west Asians knew their tournament ambitions were on the line having fallen to a 4-1 defeat to Brazil.

Iran made the perfect start with Mohammad Ahmadzadeh scoring in the second minute. Senegal thought they had equalised from the ensuing kick-off only for the goal to be ruled out by the match officials.

It was to be double anguish for Senegal soon after as Ahmadzadeh doubled the advantage with a flicked header to give Iran a 2-0 lead by the third minute mark.

It could have soon been a three-goal margin as Farid Boulobashi came within inches of perhaps the most spectacular goal of the tournament but his athletic volley crashed off the underside of the goal and onto the line.

Senegal hit the frame of the goal after the restart, and captain Ngalla Sylla halved the margin soon after.

Incredibly they equalised almost immediately with goalkeeper Peyman Hosseini conceding an own goal, only for Amir Akbari to score virtually from the kick-off for a third goal within 30 seconds.

Ahmadzadeh nabbed his second before the end of the middle period as Iran made it 4-2 for a handy advantage.

Senegal pushed hard in the dying period of a torrid encounter and came within inches of scoring on several occasions, before Sylla rocketed home a third.

But still the scoring was not over as Boulobashi netted with a sweet strike midway through the final period.

Iran announces 12 man Beach Soccer Squad.

Iran has announced the squad for th upcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti.

 

IRAN are set to grace the world stage once again when the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013 gets underway this September. Having failed to make it to the quarter-final stage at their last four appearances at the tournament, the Iranians are looking to a new clutch of stars to put the past behind them.

Top of the list is striker Moslem Mesigar, a cornerstone of the team’s plans, who will be playing in his fourth FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Speaking to FIFA.com, the sharp-shooting Mesigar opened up about his dreams for Tahiti and looked back at some of the highlights of his beach soccer career.

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With three competition appearances behind him, Mesigar believes the time has come to change the reputation his national side have earned in their previous four campaigns: “We’ve competed at the World Cup on four previous occasions and never made it to the quarter-finals. Our stumbling block has always been the first round. We have a lot to learn in this game but I reckon the time has arrived for us to make the experience we’ve accumulated count.”

“We are looking forward to taking part in Tahiti 2013,” he went on, “and we’re eager to set new benchmarks. Qualifying is our first target and if we manage that then there’s nothing to stop us thinking of going even further. Reaching the quarter-finals is a big deal and that is what we hope to do.”

Iran have played a total of 12 matches in their previous FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup campaigns, losing 11 of them. It was at Rio de Janeiro 2007, their second tournament appearance, that they managed their only win to date, beating Spain 5-4, before their winning ways deserted them once again.

Their most recent outing at Ravenna 2011 saw the Iranians put in their finest performance to date. Their tally of three first round defeats does not to justice to the quality of their play in a group that comprised Italy, Switzerland and Senegal. There were clear signs that the Iranian beach soccer team was finally making progress.

Mesigar certainly sees a pattern: “Looking at how far we’ve come, from our first tournament to our most recent campaign, we’ve improved our performances. We have played great games, taking on strong teams and making it hard for them. If we step up our preparations a little, I believe we can close the gap, though nothing’s certain in football.”

The hard yards
To get themselves up to the standard required for a tournament of this magnitude, Iran have been working flat out since they booked their tickets for Tahiti. Central to their plans is an intensive training program, as Mesigar explains: “When the Asian qualifiers finished at the beginning of the year, we drew up plans to develop our technical skills. Our Brazilian coach Marco Octavio has brought some new ideas with him, plus the latest tactics, and we will continue working hard to gain the attributes we need.”

Things have not been so easy in the past. “One of the reasons for our failure to win at past tournaments is changes to the coaching staff,” Mesigar said, “as well as a lack of adequate preparation for such a major event. We did not play friendly internationals against the big teams. Things have improved a lot. We are set to play suitably competitive warm-up games, which will definitely raise our standards. Our aim is to progress and in this game you need everything to be in place to ensure you give a good account of yourself.”

Hopes and dreams
Moslem Mesigar began his footballing career at Iranian club Shahin Bushehr before a chance encounter led him to take up beach soccer, playing for local side Daryanavardan. A move to Vision Tehran brought the youngster his first taste of success, with two league titles, three runners-up medals and the personal accolade of the season’s top goalscorer on two occasions.

His form soon brought him to the attention of the national team and he played in his first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2007, retaining his place for Marseille 2008 and Ravenna 2011. As Tahiti looms on the horizon, Mesigar still has fire in his belly: “Looking back on my journey with the national side gives me the hunger to put my technical and physical skills to the test at a World Cup. I want to prove my ability alongside my teammates and show the world how much we want to make it to the later stages. We want to show them that Iranian football can evolve.”

“We got off to a great start this year,” the 28-year-old continued. “We put on some fine performances at the Asian Beach Soccer Cup in Qatar and beat Japan to take the title. It was a wonderful achievement. In that final I managed to bring the scores level in the dying second then I was the last one to hit the net during the penalty shoot-out. I also made it to the list of top goalscorers with 11 strikes. That was just terrific. I felt amazing and my morale is sky-high going into the biggest tournament of all.”

The Iranians begin their Tahiti 2013 campaign in Group C alongside Brazil, Ukraine and Senegal. Mesigar has no illusions about the size of the task ahead: “It’s a strong group and a tough one for sure. Brazil are the complete team and have been crowned world champions several times. But we will try to compete hard in all three games and make it through to the quarter-finals. We will fight with all we’ve got.”

Mesigar’s record with the national team is a good one. After taking third place at three previous editions of the Asian Beach Soccer Cup, he can now place this year’s champion’s medal alongside one from a WAFF Beach Soccer Championship and an Asian Games gold on his mantelpiece. In addition, he has twice finished top goalscorer in Asian beach soccer.

But the trophies and acclaim have not dimmed his ambition: “There is still so much to achieve. My great dream is to turn pro for one of the top European clubs. I will do everything in my power to prove that I deserve that chance and that an Iranian player like me has what it takes to play abroad.”

 

 

The Squad 2013

Peyman HOSSEINI
12 Mohammad HAJIPOUR
Defenders
2 Amir AKBARI
3 Hassan ABDOLLAHI
4 Mehdi HASSANI
6 Mostafa KIANI
7 Mehran MORSHEDI
Pivot
9 Mohammad MOKHTARI
10 Moslem MESIGAR
11 Mohammad AHMADZADEH
Wing
5 Ali NADERI
8 Farid BOULOKBASHI
Coach
OCTAVIO Marco 

Iran continues its domination of Asian futsal with an Aussie drubbing.

Dubai – Maktoum bin Rashid Arena – Al Wasl Club..

Iran futsal team dominated their strongest group rival and scored 9 goals without return in what was dubbed as the battle for group leadership. At the end , it was just another practice session for the Persians as they run over Australia 9-0 in a one sided match.

Vahid Shamsaei , the ever green Iranian Captain was on the score sheet again as he lead his young teammates to an emphatic third victory on a row scoring an average of 10 goals a game ( Played 3 Won 3 Goals for 31 against 1). The first half ended 5-0 for Iran and despite some strong efforts by the Australians , they could not manage to penetrate the solid Iranian defense. On the rare occasion that they managed , Nazari , Iran’s goalkeeper was more than capable of handling any threats.

Iran , therefor concludes its group matches with an impressive record. Team Melli will be facing Uzbekistan in the Quarter Finals on Monday.

Queiroz quest for World Cup qualification

Ando Teymourian

Team Melli is embarking on its ultimate stage in qualification for FIFA World Cup 2014 by playing Uzbekistan in Tashkent on June 3rd and then Qatar within a few days in Azadi. Carlos Queiroz has selected the best available players but as a matter of routine, he always has a surprise or two in his selection.

The Portuguese coach selection of a much unknown player playing in the Swedish League by the name of Omid Nazari (21 years) has risen more than a few eyebrows.  The young Malmo born midfield player is eligible to play for Sweden, Iran and Philippines, is of unknown quality as hardly anyone has seen him in action in Iran.  What has impressed Queiroz so much in Nazari remains a mystery but the fans and the experts hope that Nazari ‘s debut , if he manages some playing time , would be similar to the German-Iranian Ashkan Dejagah who scored a brace against Qatar in his debut.  However, Dejagah was a known quality playing in one of the best leagues in Europe while such cannot be said of Omid Nazari’s case.

Due to injuries, Queiroz has lost 3 key players including Dejagah who will not be available for the first two matches. Hadadifar who has been on and off the injury list, could not make the list. A late addition to the injury list was striker Mohammad Ghazi who was unfortunate to suffer an injury during a practice match against Iran’s U23 team a few days back.

The list however, has some very welcome additions. Teymourian and Jabbari who have fully recovered from their injuries are once again included in the squad, but perhaps the most interesting and refreshing addition is Fereydoon Zandi. The German born Iranian has been out of Team Melli squad for nearly two years. His stint with the Cypriot Club Omnia Nicosia and then his unsuccessful time in the doomed club Steel  Azin , discouraged Team Melli selectors from including in the previous squads. Zandi joined Esteghlal after the relegation of Steel Azin and quickly found his true form and imposed his class becoming one of the best Esteghlal players in this current season and convincing Carlos Queiroz to add his to the team.

There are also some fresh names like Shojaa Khalilzadeh , a young Mes Kerman defender who has played in many age levels for Iran , Dehnavi also from Mes Kerman and Ebrahimi of Tractorzasi. Although it is hardly unlikely that anyone of these players will make the starting 11 or even in the subs bench, Queiroz is smart enough to realize that some of the current players have already reached their peaks and alternatives should be looked at from the onset of the final qualifying round in order to build a strong team comes July 2014.

TM vs. Mozambique
Team Melli line up vs. Mozambique

The easily agitated and sometimes impulsive coach once again displayed his frustration with the football federation by complaining bitterly about the inability of Sepahan , Esteghlal and Perspolis Players from flying to Istanbul with the squad due to the commitments of these clubs in the Round 16 of the AFC Champions league. The 3 qualified Iranian clubs will be playing their knock out stage matches on the 22nd and 23rd May.

Iran will play Uzbekistan on 3rd of June, and Qatar at Azadi on 12th June. The squad flew to Istanbul on Monday 21st May and will be meeting Albania for a friendly international on the 27th May before flying directly to Tashkent 2 days before the match.