Category: World Cup 2022

Safety concerns about the match in Basra.

With about fortnight to go for Team Melli’s match against Iraq, FIFA and the Iraqi football federations have insisted that the security situation in southern city of Basra is safe enough to play the FIFA World Cup qualifier game, despite the continued deadly clashes and demonstrations that have resulted in as many as 230 deaths in Iraq.

in the latest news ,  Umm Qasr commodities port near Basra was closed after protesters blocked its entrance, port employees and local officials said. Early Thursday, Iraqi officials said a cartoonist and his wife who had been participating in the protests were shot and killed in their home in Basra by unknown assailants. More than a year ago, Basra was rocked by mass unrest and the situation there remains volatile and could erupt at any time.

It is also worth mentioning that Iraqi club Al Zawraa’s fans attacked Zob Ahan players in a match that was played in Karbala Stadium. The security was pathetic allowing many fans to jump the fences unopposed.

It seems that FIFA and AFC security policies have selective criterion and decide the status upon factors like politics, lobbying and other power-play rather than purely safety situation concerns. For example, Iran is deemed to be an unsafe place for Saudi Arabian teams but safe for other countries including UAE teams. If you have followed the politics of the region, you would certainly know that Saudi Arabia and UAE are the axes of evils that have been venting hostility against Iran including supporting and encouraging American military attacks against targets in Iran. The media of both countries are obvious tools of such hostilities and aggressions.

Despite its charters that prohibit political interference in football, FIFA is an organization where political influences in its governance are widespread and that has been marred by corruption. Powerful federations make their own rules and exceptions in the corridor of power in Zurich. Those Petrodollar countries with strong lobbies get the support and votes against lessor capable members or those who do not offer inducements. In other words, FIFA does not necessarily provide a level playing field.

The current Iran football federation lacks the status, competency and skills to be a strong member of AFC and FIFA and as such, it can be easily overlooked and ignored. FFIRI is a weak organization at best, hardly has any clout in FIFA and AFC with very few allies in both organizations. With so much organizational failures by FFIRI including but not limited to weak representations, poor international relation, it is not a surprise that the sharks can devour its rights. A good example is the approximate 12 Million dollars owed to the FFIRI that is still pending with FIFA and AFC.

The city of Basra is and has been volatile. The Iraqi league has been suspended, Arabian Clubs Championship match between the Algerian AlMawloodiya vs Iraq’s Quwa Al Jawiya has been postponed, while AFC has postponed the qualifications rounds of Youth Age tournament due to the suspect security situation. Despite all that, it seems all is good for Iran’s Team Melli to play without any concerns. To complicate the situation even further, Iraqi demonstrators had expressed strong anti-Islamic Republic sentiments in Basra and Karbala.

Analysis of the loss to Bahrain.

Team Melli’s loss to Bahrain is far from destructive and it is too early to call on the success of the coach. However, there were many factors in the loss that needs to be highlighted. Those factors are thus discussed

  • Weather
  • Tactical error
  • Players Selections
  • Late substitutions
  • Lack of Discipline
  • Bahrain’s solid defensive game plan.

Weather

The unbearable weather condition culminated into a lethargic & energy-less performance by Team Melli players. Of course, the bad weather conditions, principally the high temperature and humidity is the biggest challenge for players. It is true that weather affected both teams, Bahrain players, however, are more adapt to such weather than the Iranians.

Tactical Error

If the coaching staff of Team Melli analyzed and studied the opposition, then their reading was faulty for one main reason. Playing 4-3-3 away from home against a fairly solid defence is a risk especially when the weather condition is a disadvantage. A line up to fulfil a balanced game-plan seems a better proposition than prioritizing offence. There was no need for 3 front players, none of whom are adapt to supporting the defence on transitions or retreat on counter-attacks against them. It would have been more prudent for Wilmots to secure the back four with a couple of competent holding midfield players and two offensive midfield players.

As time was passing, it would have been quite clear for the coaches of Team Melli that the opposition has a solid defensive game. At no time was there an obvious plan change to penetrate this defensive wall. The lack of variety in Iranian attacks only helped Bahrain coach read the Iranians well and counter it.

Players Selections

There were no issues with the defensive line up where Hosseini & Kanan-Zadegan occupied the centre of the defence while Milad Mohammadi and Ramin Rezaeian operated on the flanks. Pouraliganji’s absence was claimed to be due to a slight knock but Majid Hosseini should have easily covered him. Unfortunately, the young Trabzonspor defender was far from his best committing two vital errors one of which lead to conceded a penalty. Hosseini was slow and caught off position several times in the match.

 The two main players’ selection issues were in the Midfield and Forward lines.

It is difficult to understand what the coach wanted to achieve with the trio of Ebrahimi, Hajsafi & Mohebbi in the centre of the field. There was a clear lack of a solid holding midfielder, and if Hajsafi was supposed to be the man then he fell short of carrying out the task. Mohebbi selection left many scratching their heads. Just because he scored two goals in his debut against Cambodia does not make him fit for a match away from home in a totally different environment and priorities. He was lost and should have been substituted much earlier. Ebrahimi was excellent in the midfield. He was the schemer and played some delightful balls for his teammates, but he was a one man show in the midfield. He would have benefitted from having Noorullahi or Dejagah on his side.

In the forward line, lining up with 3 forwards, one of whom was completely out of sync and disconnected from the rest, was a tactical suicide.   In fact, the trio was not complimenting each other but also becoming an obstacle in the heavy traffic of Bahrain’s penalty box. An experienced coach should have picked that as early as the first 20 minutes of the match. Karim Ansarifard was a non-performer in this lineup.

Late substitutions

Sometimes the game does not go according to plans and the team might need a shake-up or a change in the assets. Wilmots should have recognized that much earlier than he did against Bahrain. The coaching team was reactive rather than being proactive. It was easily one of the main shortfalls of Wilmots and his assistants in this match.

Lack of Discipline

The Achilles heels of Iranian football. Whether at club level or international, the players seem to be always in a combative mode arguing with referees and easily being intimidated by tricky opponents. Acts of indiscipline normally lead to loss of concertation and errors. In two consecutive matches, Team Melli must consider itself lucky not to lose two players for offences that deserved red cards. Against Cambodia, it was Pouraliganji with his wild lunge on the goalkeeper and against Bahrain; it was Azmoun who was the culprit.  Sardar reacted angrily against the referee for not giving a penalty to  Iran. Despite being awarded a yellow card for his dissent, Azmoun did not stop arguing. It was as if he was daring the Uzbek referee to give him another card! Such a petulant act by a player who does not seem to learn from his failings and continues committing these irrational acts.

Bahrain’s solid defensive game plan.

The Portuguese coach of Bahrain Hélio Filipe de Sousa was much better prepared for the match against Iran and put a solid defensive strategy that did not allow the top guns of Team Melli penetrating his defences. Using two layers of the defensive system, he managed to neutralize Azmoun and Taremi quite easily without allowing any of them clear shots at the target. With Ansarifard, the job of covering him was easier as the Iranian forward was ineffective. Bahrain depended on counter-attacks in the hoping of grabbing a goal which they did in their limited number of attacks.

Wilmots failed to react to such a defensive plan and slow to address it. Essentially, he had little solutions to counter the Portuguese game plan.

Final words

In summary, failure in a match is part and parcel of football. It is surely not a tragic loss to Bahrain as Team Melli still looked solid. This defeat, although caused by an individual error of Majid Hosseini, is the collective result of many factors that have been addressed above. Individual errors and slip-ups can occur anytime, the team that is prepared and has learned from its mistakes, usually can storm the weather and come out winners. The repeated occurrence of similar mistakes spells doom.

Marc Wilmots has not had enough time to get familiar with the team. It is quite doubtful that he selected many players, if any, of his own choice leaving Hashemian and others to offer suggestions. A two to three days training session before the match is simply not adequate enough for a new coach to get familiar with the capabilities of his squad.

However, Wilmots must address some issues immediately. In order for him to succeed, he needs to read the games much better and do his homework on Iraq from now.

Team Melli falls short in Bahrain

Bahrain once again inflicted injury to Iranian pride by beating Team Melli 1-0 today in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers in the match played at the National Stadium in Riffa.

The solitary goal scored by Bahrain’s Mohammed Al-Hardan in the 65th minute from a penalty kick as a result of a foul committed by Majid Hosseini on the Bahraini player in the box.

It was the first defeat for Wilmots since he took over from Carlos Queiroz. The defeat came right after  14-0 win against Cambodia in Azadi. Team Melli performance was lethargic and lacked creativity. A few of the regular shortfalls were observed once again in this match including some disciplinary issues, surprisingly this time by the Captain of the team Ehsan Hajsafi who was guilty of being temperamental and unnecessary vocal after being awarded a yellow card. Not a good example for a person who should lead by example.

 Azmoun, by now well-known for his hot temperament and poor discipline, was seconds away from receiving two consecutive yellow cards and subsequent dismissal after a vehement protest against the Uzbek referee for not calling a penalty. The Uzbek referee V. Kovalenko seemed to be right on both calls.

The match played in sweltering heat and high humidity, was slow to take shape. Both teams seemed to conserve energy for better endurance. By the 15th minute, both teams players’ jerseys were wet as if were taken fresh out of water. Naturally, the hosts who are used to this sort of weather ¾ of the year managed to acclimatize better under the circumstances.

Marc Wilmots, elected to start with 3 forwards upfront, a plan that did not yield well. Karim Ansarifard, the 4 goal hero of last Thursday, was virtually just a bystander figure who did not seem to have turned up for the game. He was substituted in the 70th minute while Wilmots could have done much better if that substitution was done earlier.

There was very little to differentiate between the two teams as their defences did not have many problems against the opposition forwards. However, the trio Azmoun, Taremi and Ansarifard were quite disappointing. Whatever balls that reached the veteran Bahrain goalkeeper Seyed Mohammaed Jaffar was dealt with by him.

Omid Ebrahimi was the dynamo of the team and most of the offensive moves were started by his excellent distributions. However, Ebrahimi lacked support in the midfield as neither Hajsafi or Mohebi could add value to the schemer in the centre of the field. Wilmots would have been better off adding another specialized midfielder like Noorollahi using four players for better control of the midfield. The flanks did not operate well either as Milad Mohammadi and Ramin Rezaeian were limited in their action.

The defence line was fine but Majid Hosseini committed two critical errors, one of which cost Iran the game. In the first instance, the young central defender left a lot of space for Bahrain forward, but for his poor finishing, the host could have taken the lead much earlier. In the second, his poor position again and lunging at the Bahraini forward, cost the penalty.

The result takes Bahrain to the top of the group along with Iraq with 7 points while Iran with 6 points drops to 3rd. It was more than a disappointing result with several tactical errors observed. Wilmots need to seriously look at his lineup that lacked balanced. This mentality of an all-out offensive game plan must not obscure his vision and should be revisited.  Cracks began to appear early in the match as teams such as Bahrain and Iraq can exploit them.  the Belgian need to go back to the drawing board.

 

Iran’s next game is in one month’s time away to Iraq.

 

Tough battle for Team Melli in Bahrain.

the-afc.com

Kuala Lumpur:

After a rampant display on Matchday Three of the Asian Qualifiers, Group C leaders the Islamic Republic of Iran side are braced for their toughest test yet when they travel to play Bahrain in Manama on Tuesday.

The Iranians, who overcame Cambodia 14-0 last time out to make it two wins from two en route to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, are currently two points clear of Iraq who are scheduled to tackle Cambodia.

BAHRAIN vs IR IRAN

On a high following last week’s defeat of Cambodia, Iran will look to add yet more momentum to their Asian Qualifiers campaign when they take on Bahrain.

Karim Ansarifard scored four times and the ever-impressive Sardar Azmoun bagged a hat-trick as Iran sealed a comfortable victory against their Southeast Asian opponents at the Azadi Stadium, one which saw Team Melli add to the 2-0 win they recorded in Hong Kong on Matchday One.

Although delighted with his side’s display, Iran head coach Marc Wilmots has nevertheless been quick to point out that his charges must maintain their focus ahead of what promises to be a thrilling encounter in the Bahrain capital.

“We have an important match with Bahrain on Tuesday and we need to keep our concentration. We want three points. We haven’t done anything yet,” said the Belgian tactician.

Third-placed Bahrain, meanwhile, heads into the match aiming to register the first win over Iran since their 4-2 friendly success in 2009.

The Bahrainis are, though, unbeaten thus far and appear set to provide a stern test of Iran’s credentials, especially if midfielder Komail Al Aswad can continue the fine form which has seen him net two goals in as many games. The veteran Ismaeil Abdul-Latif sustained an injury in the friendly loss to Azerbaijan and expected to be sidelined for the match.

In the Iranian camp, despite the slight knock in the Cambodia match, it is believed that Sardar Azmoun has fully recovered although Ashkan Dejagah is still doubtful for the match.

BAHRAIN vs IR IRAN
Venue: Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa
Kick-off: 19:30 (UTC +3)

Team Melli slaughter Cambodia.

in a memorial day in Iranian football Team, Melli defeated hapless Cambodia 14-0 in the qualifying rounds of FIFA World Cup 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup 2023. The match also was the first where females were allowed to enter football stadiums.

Team Melli opened the scoring early in the 4th minute by a spectacular long-range shoot by Ahmad Nourallahi after which the floodgates were simply opened, The first half ended 7-0, in the second Team Melli added another 7 to increase the Tally to 14 goals.

Karim Ansarifard scored 4 goals, Sardar Azmoun scored a hat trick, Mehdi Taremi and debutant Mohammad Mohebi both scored a brace while the other debutant Mehrdad Mohammadi also scored a goal While Kanani-Zadegan and Nouralahi made it 14.

While Marc Wilmots has already made it clear that his style will be an offensive one, not many believed that Team Melli will annihilate their guests with such a margin.

Two events in the match would have spoilt the result of the match. the first one was the reckless penalty that Beiranvand conceded but he remedied his error by saving the subsequent penalty kick,

The other was a more serious one occurred while Iran was leading 12-0.  on an attack on the Cambodia goal, Morteza Pouraliganji came rushing with raised his foot dangerously high on the cross while Cambodia keeper Keo Soksela had the ball safely in his possession. Pouraliganji foot contacted the keeper who fell in agony. It was a straight red card for the Team Melli defender but surprisingly the Indian referee only pulled a yellow card.!

Those two fouls were uncalled for. While against a team such as Cambodia, it would have made little difference, such silly fouls could be costly against stronger teams. It needs to be addressed by the coaching staff.

World Media in suspense for the Iran-Cambodia match, and it has little to do with game-plans!!

The Public Relations Manager of Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that 21 foreign media outlets from 21 countries have applied for media credentials to cover the match between Iran and Cambodia in Azadi Stadium on 10th October 2019.

The match will be observed by a FIFA delegation to ensure that women are allowed in the stadium as per FIFA regulations. According to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, journalists, photographers and cameramen  from various networks and news agencies are seeking coverage of the Iran-Cambodia World Cup qualifiers,

Iranian female spectators are supposed to be allowed in the stadium for the match which will be subject to FIFA oversight.

It is clear that international media care less about the result of the match and more concerned with the case of Iranian women entry into football stadiums. Although the government and FFIRI have assured FIFA and confirmed that the authorities will have no objections in controlled entry and segrations of women, a recent statement by Iranian Attorney General has put a question mark on the whole affair.

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, Iran’s chief prosecutor, (Attorney General) spoke at a ceremony in Qom on the issue of women’s entry to the stadiums and criticized FIFA for forcing a country to allow women in the stadium. It is not clear if this person, Montazeri, has the authority to stop the implementation of the government decree.

However, the consequences of FIFA banning Iran and in the process, the elimination of the Team Melli from the World Cup will definitely be having serious conseqiuences in the country. Many fear mass riots and clashes which will be surely met by brute force from the security forces as always against any show of dissent or mass protests in Iran.

 

Team Melli starts with a comfortable win vs Hong Kong.

Team Melli defeated host Hong Kong 2-0 in its first match of Group C in the Qualifying rounds of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers China 2023. The match played in front of 14,000 cheering fans at Hong Kong Stadium in So Kon Po was marred by political protest including jeers while playing the anthem.

The goals were scored by Sardar Azmoun and Karim Ansarifard.

In hot and humid conditions which were interrupted in both halves for a minute compulsory cooling break, Team Melli had main challenge seemed to be the weather conditions rather than the strength of the opposition. Hong Kong which came into the match with one point from a draw in the first round against Cambodia was no match for Iran

In the first, with the majority of ball possession, Team Melli went into the lead at the 23rd minute when Ansaifard tees the ball for Azmoun to volley into the far corner of Hong Kong keeper. The goal was a result of some fine work initiated by Ramin Rezaeian on the right-wing.

Karim Ansarifard could have scored a spectacular goal himself when he hit a powerful scissors kick that ricocheted off the bar with the keeper helpless.

In the second half, Team Melli continued where they left off with even more possession and a barrage of corners. The result was another goal scored by Karim Ansarifard once again thanks to some fine work and cross by Rezaian from the right flank. As time was passing, the packed defences of the host and the instance of Team Melli to penetrate a pretty packed box did not lead to an increase in the tally.

Team Melli could not add to the score further despite several good opportunities were created including a late Sardar Azmoun attempt that the Hong Kong Keeper saved well.

The Hong Kong players resorted to some rough play with the Japanese referee showing 4 of the host players a yellow card. It could have been many more thant that.

In general it was a comfortable win by Team Melli with minimal effort. The weather was a factor in less than optimum performance and true attacking football. Despite the shy Hong Kong offensive attempts, the Iranian defence was solid as they turned Beiranvand role into a spectator in the majority of game time.

There were some shortfalls in Team Melli performance that Marc Wilmots will definitely address in the next few weeks. The major issue is the failure to take advantage of dead-ball situations. Despite double figures of corners, none of them created any serious scoring chances as the host defenders and the keeper had little difficulties in defending them. There were no variations in the corner kicks, and no attempt to use wide player plus the ball delivery was of low quality, that is until Dejagah was substituted in late in the match and took the corners much better.

The occasional sloppy play by team Melli players and several delays in passing was another area of concern that could be very well punished by the stronger teams.

The two best players today were Karim Ansarifard and Ramin Rezaeian. It is difficult to choose one over another as both played quite well and were instrumental in the two goals. It is not difficult to choose the worst player of the match though, as Alireza Jahanbakjhsh continued his dismal performance during the match. With little or no contribution to the match, it was quite surprising that Wilmots allowed him to play for 88 minutes. His replacement, Dejgah made a big impact in only a few minutes. This leads to many genuine questions on how Dejagah was left out of the squad initially, yet a non-performer like Jahanbakhsh was picked to start the match.

In the other match of the group today, Bahrain managed to beat Cambodia 1-0 in Phnom Penh to lead the group with 4 points in two games. Iran is second with 3 points.

Good test for Wilmots against Hong Kong

Hong Kong returns home for their second Fifa 2022 World Cup qualifier and, after a disappointing 1-1 draw away against Cambodia, they host Asia’s top-ranked team, Iran.
While Tuesday’s game already has a make-or-break feel to it for Hong Kong in their effort to make it through to a first World Cup finals and qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the same is not true for the opposition.

The heavy favourites to top the group will play their first game in this qualifying campaign when they visit Hong Kong Stadium.

There were fears the match would not go-ahead after the Iranian Football Federation appealed for the match to be played on neutral ground because of the ongoing social unrest in Hong Kong.

Iran’s Sardar Azmoun dribbles past China’s Feng Xiaoting in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup quarter-final. Photo: Xinhua

Despite the official protest, FIFA has not appeared to have agreed to the Iranians request, hence it takes full responsibility on players safety. It is generally assumed that the political protest by Hong Kong residents will have very little or no effect on the match.

With the game going ahead as planned, Hong Kong may have a chance on the pitch with Team Melli having slipped up in the past by failing to take seriously.

 Iranians had at times some tendency to “underestimate” its weaker opponents. With a new boss at the helm, it is highly doubtful that this will be the case against Hong Kong in the first competitive match for boss Marc Wilmots who is keen to start the World Cup qualifiers with a win.

Marc Wilmots, the former Belgium manager replaced Carlos Queiroz in June. The Portuguese left after a disappointing AFC Asian Cup in the UAE. They unexpectedly lost 3-0 to Japan in the semi-finals in a tournament many had tipped them to win. For Wilmots, this match will be ideal as he is facing a not-so-strong opposition in Hong Kong. Wilmots will not be satisfied with a close win wither as he has already made his views known about the style he wants his team play. His emphasis is not only on attacking football but also playing a modern passing game, something his predecessor did with caution.


Iran players react after losing to Portugal at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia. Photo: EPA

Team Melli has one major absentee in Mehdi Taremi, their top scorer. Taremi suffered a knock in a league match in Portugual with his club Rio Ave that prevented him from training and taking part in this opener. The former Al Gharafa and Persepolis striker has been in top form in Portugal scoring a hat trick in a match while winning an incredible six penalties for his team early in the season.
Team Melli will hardly be shaken by Taremi’s absence, though, as Sardar Azmoun is enjoying his best season with Russian Champions Zenit St. Petersburg. Azmoun will spearhead Iran’s attack against Hong Kong.

Mixu Paatelainen’s Hong Kong side will have their work cut out against a team ranked 23rd in the world, 116 places above them.

At 18, Sayyadmanesh is the youngest of Iranian players who will face Hong Kong. Team Melli has a mix of experience and youth in a squad that includes 100-plus cap Ehsan Hajsafi.

Not even Hajsafi was around when the teams last met in 1988, but the result might end the same. Iran has won four of the five meetings between the teams, and have a 100 per cent record over Hong Kong in competitive games.

TEAM MELLI SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Hossein Hosseini (Esteghlal), Rashid Mazaheri (Tractor)

Defenders: Ramin Rezaeian (Al-Shahania SC), Majid Hosseini (Trabzonspor), Milad Mohammadi (Gent), Vouria Ghafouri (Esteghlal), Mohammadhossein Kananizadegan (Persepolis), Siavash Yazdani (Esteghlal), Morteza Pouraliganji (Al-Arabi), Mohammad Naderi (Persepolis)

Midfielders: Omid Ebrahimi (Al Ahli, Qatar), Masoud Shojaei (Tractor), Ahmad Nourollahi (Persepolis), Ali Karimi (Esteghlal), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis), Ehsan Hai Safi (Tractor)

Strikers: Ashkan Dejagah (Tractor), Sardar Azmoun (Zenit), Karim Ansarifard (Al-Sailiya), Mehdi Torabi (Persepolis), Allahyar Sayyadmanesh (Fenerbahce), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Brighton)

WC 2022 Qualifiers : Group C teams share the spoils

The four teams of Group C of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers were in action on Thursday, while Iran took a day off in Matchday 1.

Both matches in Phnom Penh and Riffa ended in a 1-1 draw

Cambodia produced an impressive display despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Hong Kong at the Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium in their opening FIFA World Cup 2022 second-round qualifier.

Heading into the match arguably as slight favourites, it was Hong Kong who broke the deadlock in the 16th minute when Tan Chun Lok burst down the right and into the area before finishing into the back of the net.

But, three minutes after the half-hour mark, the hosts equalized after Sath Rosib caught the opposition defence napping a slipped a neat pass through to Keo Sokpheng, who made no mistake in coolly firing past Yapp Hung Fai.

As the game wore on, it was Cambodia who showed the greater endeavour and looked the likelier of the two sides to go on and win it. However, the winner eluded the Cambodians.

In Riffa, Host Bahrain took an early lead against Iraq with a blunder by Iraq goalkeeper.  On the 9th minute, Komeil Al Aswad sent cross from outside the box intended to the forwards, but his angle was way off as the ball went straight to Iraq’s keeper Mohammad Hassan Farhan’s lap for a safe catch, however the Iraqi keeper somehow managed to let the ball lose to slip underneath him into the goal.

Iraq young attacker Mohanad Ali rescued a point for his team five minutes from time with a fine half volley while Seyed Mohammad Jafar in Bahrain goal could have done much better.

Cambodia will continue their Group C campaign on Tuesday with another home game against Bahrain while Hong Kong entertains heavyweights Iran in Hong Kong.

Injured Mehdi Taremi left out of the squad.

Team Melli squad left Tehran on Wednesday evening enroute to Hong Kong via Dubai airport.

Top scorer and forward, Mehdi Taremi was left out due to an injury. After a check by the medical staff of the team, it was decided that Taremi will be better off recovering from a knee injury he has sustained in a recent match in the Portuguese league.

Yesterday, Ashkan Dejagah was added to the squad and hence the 23 players quota is complete for the Team.

Iran will play Hong Kong on 10th September in the 40,000 capacity Hong Kong Stadium in Group C of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.