Tag: Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh

Futsal Team Melli with a perfect record after defeating Kuwait.

Bangkok: Iran were at their best as they sailed 4-0 past Kuwait in their AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand™ 2024 Group D tie at the Hua Mark Indoor Arena on Monday.

The victory meant Iran topped the table with nine points with a quarter-final against Kyrgyz Republic next in their bid to win a 13th title.

Defeat for Kuwait meant elimination as debutants Afghanistan finished ahead of them on goal difference with both teams tied on four points. 

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Kuwait needed just a draw to reach the knockout stage and were the first to settle with Naser Alalban almost finding a way through on the right before Iran’s Mohammadhossein Derakhshani pulled off a fine tackle to clear the danger.

The momentum switched instantly in Iran’s favour as Kuwait keeper Fahad Alkhawari had to repel a series of shots, first a rocket of an effort from Moslem Oladghobad in the third minute, followed by attempts from Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh and Mohammadreza Sangsefidi.

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The goal finally arrived for Iran in the eighth minute when Ali Akrami showed his individual brilliance, dribbling past his marker down the right flank before scoring from a tight angle with the ball taking a deflection off Abdulrahman Altawail.

Kuwait almost equalised in the 15th minute when Alalban gained possession from Iran’s Oladghobad down the right flank, exchanging passes with Altawail before squandering his effort at the end.

Iran increased their tally in the 17th minute when Karimi squared the ball to Salar Aghapour, whose shot took a deflection off Kuwait’s Ahmad Alfarsi before sailing past Alkhawari.

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Kuwait were desperate to reduce the deficit but their full-court press was ineffective when Alalban lost the ball to Saeid Ahmad Abbasi, who struck cooly from the halfway line into an unattended net to put the score 3-0 going into the break.

Kuwait started the second half with the same intensity as the first half and threatened with Saleh Alfadhel testing Iran keeper Saeid Momeni from distance, while Altawail could only hit the side netting when he forced his effort from down the right flank in the 26th minute.

Iran futsal players candidates of the best in the world.

Iran’s Futsal is enjoying a successful period and is considered one of the top teams in the world. It is now ranked 6th and many players have enjoyed success as legionnaires too, Futsal Planet website which sponsors the annual best-of Futsal players has nominated Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh as the candidate for the best player of the year while his compatriot and national teammate Salar Aghapour as the candidates for the best young player of the year. Soheila Molmouli is also on the list of the best women futsal players.

The prestigious site of Futsal Planet is the global reference for futsal and the list of this year’s candidates includes the top layers in the world of futsal.

Additionally, Mes Sangoon is nominated as one of the best clubs in the world.

Tough test for Futsal Team Melli against Kazakhstan

Iran will face their toughest test yet when they play Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 at the Kaunas Arena on Monday.

In what promises to be a thrilling encounter, Kazakh fans will be hoping that the quarter-final is decided in normal time, as Team Melli won two penalty shootouts and another match after extra-time at the last Futsal World Cup.

On the other hand, Iran might want to avoid another open encounter like their Round of 16 epic against Uzbekistan, as scoring against Kazakhstan and their formidable goalkeeper Higuita, aided by defensive stalwart Douglas, has proven extremely difficult in Lithuania 2021.

 

  • Uzbekistan v IR Iran - FIFA FWC2021 (1)
    FIFA Futsal World Cup

 

Team Melli opened their campaign with a narrow 3-2 victory over Serbia before seeing off the United States 4-2, with a 2-1 defeat against Argentina being their only blemish as they finished second in Group F behind the South Americans.

In the Round of 16, Uzbekistan found a chink in Iran’s armor going toe to toe with the 12-time Asian Champions in a nail-bitting 9-8 scoreline in the Iranians favor.

Missing from the Iran line-up is Hossein Tayyebi, who featured in the two previous editions but captain Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh has still not lost his deft touch – evident in his cheeky lob over Argentina goalkeeper Lucas Farach.

Kazakhstan

The Falcons boast the best defensive record of the tournament, having conceded just two goals in four matches.

In Group A, Kazakhstan flexed their muscles in their opener against Costa Rica winning 6-1, and a 3-0 victory against hosts Lithuania followed before being held to 1-1 draw by Venezuela to top their group.

Kazakhstan advanced to the last eight stage in style with a 7-0 win over ASEAN heavyweights Thailand in the Round of 16.

They have the best defensive record among the quarter-finalists and Iran, who have been in fine form up front, will have to be at their sharpest if they are to make the semi-finals for the second successive FIFA Futsal World Cup.

 

Head to head.

Iran never lost to the Kazakh before. Their first meeting was in the final of the AFC AFutsal Championship 2000 on 12th May. Kazakhstan was a member of AFC then before switching to UEFA.  Team Melli won 4-1 to lift yet another title. From then on, the two teams met 4 times with Iran winning 3 and drawing one. All the wins were with a margin of one goal.

 

Iran’s concern.

 

Despite winning a thrilling match against Uzbekistan and scoring 9 goals at this stage of the Futsal World Cup, all was not well with the team.

By now the whole world knows how Iran is vulnerable in defense during the power play as every time Uzbekistan deployed that plan, they scored at will! The reason for such failure is tactical and psychological.

In football and futsal for that matter, it is common knowledge that a team is most vulnerable to be scored against right after they score a goal. Elation and celebrations of the players put them at risk of forgetting their tasks. This happened repeatedly against the Uzbek team who cleverly took advantage.

The more serious of the issues, however, is the tactical shortfalls. It seems that the coaching staff was caught off guard and did not prepare the team well to counteract the power play of the opposition. Clearly, the marking was poor with goals being easily scored due to the abysmal marking.

If Nazim Al-Sharia wants to enhance the chances of Iran qualifying for the last four, he and his coaching staff must organize the defenses much better, especially during the power play. In fact, Iran’s defense was suspect through the whole tournament with the goalkeeper being the culprit in a few goals. The only decent defensive performance was against Argentina which Iran narrowly lost 2-1 to the defending champion.

There will be a lot of pressure tomorrow Mental strength and discipline have to be priorities else no tactical masterplan can help against the best defensive team of the tournament.

Injury List

Farhad Fakhim ( injured for the rest of the championship)

Hossein Tayebi (On the recovery, possible brief playing time)

 

Iran v Kazakhstan
Venue: Kaunas Arena
Kickoff: Monday, 20:00 (UTC+3)

 

A thrilling victory for Iran’s futsal.

Futsal Team Melli defeated its regional rival Uzbekistan 9-8 in one of the most exciting and thrilling of World Cup matches to qualify for the Quarter Finals of the competition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021

In a spectacular encounter between two of Asia’s biggest teams, 12-time Asian champions Iran walked away winners to set up a quarter-final tie against Kazakhstan.

The all-Asian affair got off to an exciting start right from the get-go with both sides battling for possession with Iran opening the scoring in the first minute through captain Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh, before Mahdi Javid doubled their lead in the fifth minute, courtesy of Farhad Fakhim’s assist.

The two teams last met in the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship with Iran emerging 7-1 winners but Uzbekistan – bolstered by reaching the Round of 16 for the first time – refused to be overawed and pulled one back in the ninth minute through Khusniddin Nishonov.

Uzbekistan v IR Iran - FIFA FWC2021 (5)

Iran restored their two-goal lead when Hassanzadeh turned provider for Saeid Ahmad Abbasi to find the back of the net in the 16th minute, but Uzbekistan’s persistence saw them score quick goals through Dilshod Rakhmatov and Ikhtiyor Ropiev in the 17th and 18th minutes respectively to level the tie.

Iran called their first time-out to take the edge out of Uzbekistan, which proved to be a successful move as Farhad Tavakoli struck moments into the restart.

Uzbekistan v IR Iran - FIFA FWC2021 (3)

Team Melli maintained their high tempo in the second half with Abbasi and Javid scoring their second goals of the evening in the 22nd and 25th minutes respectively.

The scintillating match continued with its thrills as Anaskhon Rakhmatov reduced Uzbekistan’s deficit in the 28th minute, but Iran’s reply was immediate through Hassanzadeh, before Moslem Oladghobad scored two minutes later to make it 8-4.

Uzbekistan v IR Iran - FIFA FWC2021 (6)

Uzbekistan, however, refused to back down and closed the gap with Ilhomjon Hamroev and Nishonov beating Iran goalkeeper Alireza Samimi in the 31st and 33rd minutes.

The goals galore, however, were not yet over as Abbasi completed his hat-trick in the 37th minute but Uzbekistan fought back with Anaskhon and Hamroev giving their side hope only for the clock to run out on them.

 

Iran Scorers

First Half

Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh (1′), Mehdi Javid (5′), Saeed Ahmad Abbasi (16′) and Farhad Tavakoli (18′)

Second Half

Saeed Ahmad Abbasi (22′), Mehdi Javid (25′), Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh (29′), Moslem Oladghobad, Saeed Ahmad Abbasi (39′)

 

 

 

 

Hassanzadeh: We want to change the way people see Iran.

  • Ali Hassanzadeh is one of the best players in Asian futsal history

  • Lithuania 2021 is his fourth FIFA Futsal World Cup™

  • He’s anxious for Team Melli to receive more recognition

Argentina conceded a solitary goal in their third and final match in Group F of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™, a goal worthy of the big stage. The move that let to it began with a backheel and ended with a stunning lob over a defender and the goalkeeper into the goal, which measures a mere three metres by two, all from fewer than ten yards out. Had it been scored by Falcao, Ricardinho or Ferrao – three of the greats of the game – the whole world would have been talking about it.

The marksman happened to be Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh, who wears the shirt and the captain’s armband of IR Iran, something of which he is no doubt proud, even if it means he enjoys a lower profile than some of the game’s other leading lights. Appearing at his fourth Futsal World Cup, Hassanzadeh has a career record like few others and a talent that puts most of the world’s other futsal players in the shade. “It’s something I talk about a lot with my teammates and they always say to me: ‘If your name was Hassanzadinho, Hassanzadao or something like that, you’d be seen as one of the best players on the planet’,” he joked to FIFA.com. “I honestly don’t see it as all that important, though. The fact that I’m not seen as one of the best isn’t frustrating for me. I just try to focus on my game and to enjoy what I’m doing. That’s enough for me.”

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Ali Hassan Zadeh of Iran scores their team's first goal during the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 group F match between IR Iran and Argentina at Vilnius Arena on September 20, 2021 in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Photo by Alex Caparros - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Yet the question remains: how is it possible that a player who has won four AFC Futsal Championships, as many AFC Player of the Year awards, and who led Iran to third place at Colombia 2016 hardly ever gets a mention when the topic of the best futsal players in the world comes up for discussion? Attempting to answer that question, the winger said: “Asian teams have a technique and tactics all of their own. They play a more organized, team-oriented game that’s probably less entertaining and revolves fewer around star players. That maybe explains why our players get less exposure than the ones who play for the big European and South American teams.”

While the modest Hassanzadeh is not at all put out by the lack of praise for his individual skills, he struggles to comprehend the lack of recognition given to his team. “It’s not very often that we’re named among the favourites or the big guns in world futsal,” lamented Hassanzadeh, a key performer in that run to third at Colombia 2016, the best performance ever by an Asian team in the history of the competition. “That’s why we want to do well in the World Cup. “It shows us where we stand in relation to the other teams and it gives us more visibility than any other tournament. We’re here to change the way people see us, to change people’s opinions of Asian teams and of Iran in particular.”

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Damian Stazzone of Argentina celebrates with team mates after scoring their team's second goal during the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 group F match between IR Iran and Argentina at Vilnius Arena on September 20, 2021 in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Photo by Alexander Scheuber - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Aside from their desire for greater recognition, Team Melli has another source of motivation ahead of their last-16 tie against Uzbekistan: memories of their stoppage-time semi-final defeat to Russia at Colombia 2016. “Most of the players who are here were on the court that day,” said Hassanzadeh. “We talk about it a lot and we remember how painful it was. “We don’t want to go through that again. We’re aiming higher, though we have to be realistic.

The matches are getting tougher and tougher and the teams more and more professional. We know it will be hard, but our goal is to go one step further, to the final.” Though the Iranians just missed out on the showpiece match five years ago, they enjoyed a magnificent run to the last four, knocking out defending champions and tournament favourites Brazil in the Round of 16. It was an unforgettable achievement, made all the more so by the fact it was the last game of the legendary Falcao’s career. “It was a very special moment,” recalled Hassanzadeh, a goalscorer that day. “Nobody thought we could beat Brazil. It was a game of contrasting emotions, though. We had the immense joy of beating the world’s best team, mixed with the immense sadness of knowing we’d never see Falcao again, the most spectacular player the game has ever produced.” If  Iran’s 2016 campaign was memorable for that and other reasons, their 2021 adventure may yet end with World Cup glory and global recognition, all achieved under a captain who is not called Hassanzadao or Hassanzadinho but Ali Hassanzadeh, one of the best players in the world.

BUCARAMANGA, COLOMBIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Falcao #12 of Brazil tries for a bicycle kick as Hamid Ahmadi #5 of Iran during round of 16 match play between Brazil and Iran in the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup at Coliseo Bicentenario on September 21, 2016 in Bucaramanga, Colombia. (Photo by Victor Decolongon - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

BUCARAMANGA, COLOMBIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Ali Hassan Zadeh #7 is congratulated by teammate Mohammad Keshavarz #4 after Zadeh tied the game at 3-3 as Falcao #12 of Brazil hangs his head during round of 16 match play in the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup at Coliseo Bicentenario on September 21, 2016 in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Brazil and Iran played to a 4-4 draw after full-time. Iran went on to defeat Brazil 3-2 on penalty kicks. (Photo by Victor Decolongon - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Nazem Al-Sharia happy with the performance of Futsal Team Melli.

In a post-match interview, Seyed Mohammad Nazem Al-Sharia, the Head Coach of Futsal Team Melli commented on the loss to Argentine in the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 and qualification to the Round of 16 as the second team in Group F,

 “The game against Argentina was a good match for us and one of the reasons was that the sensitivity of the Game and stress level was low as we both have already qualified. In this match, we did not go full throttle as we did not need to. It was important for us that no player gets a card and is none get injured.” Nazem Al-Sharia said.

He continued: “The referee disallowed our equalizing goal. The situation of the match would have seen a different outcome if this goal was allowed. With second place in the group, we now have to meet Uzbekistan. In my opinion, Uzbekistan is no different from Paraguay and is even better than this team.”

“The advantage of meeting Uzbekistan is that it is an Asian team and we know this opponent quite well.”  The head coach of the Iranian national futsal team stressed that his team should not underestimate Uzbekistan, noting that Uzbekistan has made a lot of progress in the last few years and has played 18 very good preparation games before the World Cup. They played against Iran, Venezuela, Argentina, and Portugal and participated in the tournament in Thailand. Uzbekistan even camped in Spain.

” I do not want to under or overestimate this team, but we have to be careful.” Nazim al-Sharia emphasized

in response to the question of what is the strength of the Uzbek team that Iran should pay attention to? “Uzbekistan is a tactical team,” he said. “They also work well on free kicks and even score good goals this way.” Nazim al-Sharia added.

Commenting on the goal by Hassanzadeh against World Champions Argentina, he went on to say ” About that “chip” goal of Hassanzadeh, Asghar is a world-class international player. Those who said that the age of the national team players has increased should also watch this goal. This player has experienced four World Cup tournaments and showed how professional and international he is scoring such a unique goal”

Nazim al-Sharia elaborated on the disallowed goal against Argentina: “This goal was disallowed by the new FIFA rules. Alireza Rafieipour was in the defensive wall of the Argentine team when he hit the ball, and this is a foul in itself. Anyway, we had a plan for this freekick, and the players executed it to perfection, except for the foul.”

About the injury list, Nazim al-Sharia commented on the situation of Hossein Tayebi, Iran star striker, and whether he will be able to play against Uzbekistan or not: “Tayebi will be scanned today to see how the player is doing.”

Iran futsal qualifies despite a narrow loss to defending champions.

Iran National Futsal Team lost against Argentina 2-1 in the final match of Group F of the FIFA futsal World Cup 2021.

Defending champion Argentina heads the group with 9 points with 3 straight wins, while Iran is second with six. Both teams qualify for the next round where Iran is expected to meet continental rivals Uzbekistan,

Iran team played a strong defensive game in the first half and held Argentina 0-0 with the help of some superb saves by Sepeher Mohammadi in goal.

In the second half, a defensive mistake led to Argentina’s first goal, and shortly after that, they scored the second. That was the cue for Iran to change plans and go into the offensive mode. Iran looked like a different team giving the world champion a tough test despite the Argentine solid defense. However, the defensive walls of Argentine were broken by a sublime world Class chip goal from Captain Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh.

Iran continued the offensive and they got the equalizer from a free-kick with another smart play, however, it was ruled out due to an alleged blocking foul. The VAR did not clearly show any sign of a positive foul but in any case, the goal was ruled out. Iran kept the pressure up to the last seconds giving Argentine a real test with some slick moves and passing. The best team in the world, Argentina was pushed to the edge in this showdown for the first time in the Futsal World Cup 2021.

It was not to be as Iran suffered its first defeat narrowly.

The performance of Futsal Team Melli this evening was a huge improvement from the last two matches. Playing such a game, Team Melli must be considered one of the contenders for the cham[pionship.

Iran get FIFA Futsal World Cup campaign off to a flying start with win over Serbia

Vilnius Arena, Vilnius.

Iran opened their FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 campaign brightly with a 3-2 win over Serbia in Group F at the Vilnius Arena on Tuesday.

Iran, seeking to emulate if not better their third-place finish in the 2016 edition, were always on the front foot against Serbia and will now aim to make it two wins in a row when they play the United States on Sunday.

Iran, appearing in their eighth FIFA Futsal World Cup, raced off the blocks with Mahdi Javid spearheading the attack with captain Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh dictating the tempo of play.

It was not long before the Iranians found the back of the net with Hamid Ahmadi getting on the scoresheet with his fourth-minute strike off Moslem Oladghobad assist before Farhad Fakhim doubled their advantage seconds later.

Serbia, however, refused to buckle as Dejan Majes’ tried to find a way back despite the immense pressure from the Iranian side.

The Asian champions suffered a blow in the 11th minute when goalscorer Ahmadi was given his marching orders after picking up his second yellow card, with Serbia then seeing more of the ball with Slobodan Rajcevic, Dragan Tomic, and Mladen Kocic all making attempts but goalkeeper Alireza Samimi stayed firm.

Serbia, however, were not to be denied by the Mes Sungun FSC shot-stopper as Milos Stojkovic pulled one back courtesy of Marko Prsic’s assist with two minutes left in the first half.

The opening minutes of the second half was equally balanced as both teams traded blows but neither could find a breakthrough in a tense contest with Serbia growing in confidence as the match progressed.

Despite Serbia’s best efforts, Iran refused to be breached again and put the tie beyond reach through Ahmad Esmaeilpour’s strike three minutes from time with Dragan Tomic reducing the deficit seconds later.

Final result

IRAN   3 –  2  SERBIA 

NEXT MATCH

17 September: Iran vs United States (Vilnius)

Iran ready for the first challenge of Futsal World Cup 2021

Iran’s national futsal team is ready for the first match of FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 against Serbia this evening.

The squad played its last training session last evening with another early session this morning before entering the match against Serbia.

Asia will be represented by five teams at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 with the continent’s representatives determined to make an impact.

To be played across three venues, the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 will see Iran, Japan, Uzbekistan, Thailand, and Vietnam carrying Asia’s challenge.

The six group winners and runners-up, together with the four best third-placed teams will advance to the Round of 16. The tournament is played from  September 12-October 3 FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021.

There are still two players on the injury list as Ahmadzadeh and Hossein Tayebi will be undergoing late fitness checks.

Perhaps the first match is the most important of the three group games as Serbia has shown remarkable improvement of late. Recently the Serbians played the might Brazil and drew the match. The defending champions, Argentine will be the obvious toughest game for Iran.

 

Matchday 1 of Group F

Serbia-IR Iran, Vilnius, 18:00

Argentina-USA, Vilnius, 20:00

Overview

Iran will enter their eighth FIFA Futsal World Cup campaign as genuine challengers, having lifted the AFC Futsal Championship trophy 12 times. The Iranians made history in 2016 by finishing third, the best-ever achievement by an Asian team, and head coach Mohammed Nazemosharia is aiming for the title in Lithuania 2021.

Nazemosharia has retained most of the 2016 squad with the likes of Mahdi Javid, Hossein Tayebi and captain Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh – a four-time AFC Futsal Player of the Year – leading the charge with defending champions Argentina the toughest hurdle.

Ahmad Esmaeilpour and Ali Hassanzadeh inspired Iran to bronze in 2016, and the 33-year-olds believe they can do even better in Lithuania. Serbia will provide a stern test in their curtain-raiser.

 

History: 7 previous appearances – 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016; 12-time Asian champions

Recent Form – 3W: Thailand (5-1), Belarus (8-2, 5-1)

Players to Watch: Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh, Mahdi Javid, Farhad Fakhim

Challengers: Serbia (Sept 14), USA (Sept 17), Argentina (Sept 20)

Futsal National Team players invited for Training camp.

Iran’s National Futsal Team is setting a training camp with a list of players invited.

the names of the players invited to the camp are as follows:

Salar Aghapour, Alireza Samimi, Farhad Fakhim, Hamid Ahmadi, Hamzeh Kadkhodaei 

Sepehr Mohammadi, Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh, Mohammad Reza Sang Sefidi, Saeed Ahmad Abbasi , Farhad Tavakoli

Mehdi Javid, Behzad Azimi, Alireza Rafieipour, Muslim Olad Ghobad, Sina Perkas, Mohammad Shajari 

Taha Nematian, Ahmad Ismailpour

Baqer Mohammadi (Benfica ) and Hossein Tayyebi (Shenzhen)

The National Futsal Team Training squad will be travelling to Belarus for two friendly preparation matches and finally participate in the 2021 Futsal World Cup hosted by Lithuania. The above camp will be held until 31 August.

The draw for the 2021 Futsal World Cup grouped Argentina, the USA and Serbia with Iran in Group F

Iran will be playing its first match in the world championship against Serbia on 14th September 2021

 

   Venue: Avia Solutions Group Arena, Vilnius
14 Sep 2021 [18:00] Serbia  Match 11  Iran
14 Sep 2021 [20:00] Argentina  Match 12  United States
17 Sep 2021 [18:00]  Iran Match 23  United States
17 Sep 2021 [20:00] Argentina  Match 24  Serbia
20 Sep 2021 [20:00] Iran  Match 35 Argentina 
20 Sep 2021 [20:00]  United States Match 36 *  Serbia
Švyturys Arena, Klaipėda *