In the post-match press conference following Iran’s win against Syria in the round of 16, Team Melli head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, breathed a sigh of relief and admitted it was a difficult win despite his team being superior to the Syrians.

“thank God that we managed to qualify for the quarterfinals. I would like to thank all the players of the national team for their tremendous efforts in this game. Even with one player down, we managed to control the game and even had more chances.”

He added: ” We should have finished this match with a difference of four or five goals. I think it was one of our best games of the competition until we conceded the goal. Unfortunately, some players played in a way that put pressure on the national team. This look down and some inappropriate behavior of some players should be resolved in our team and we should address such negative attitude and this behavior before the next match “.