Tag: Argentina

Iran maintains Top FIFA ranking in Asia.

Iran climbed two places up in the latest FIFA ranking issued today.

After the European tour where Team Melli defeated Chile and then lost to Sweden , Iran’s ranking in the table improved to maintain the top position in Asian followed by Japan and South Korea. Australia , The AFC Asian Cup holder was ranked 4th.

At world level , World Cup holder Germany continues at the top followed by Argentina , Belgium , Colombia and Brazil.

 

AFC Teams Ranking

Rank Total Points Previous Points +/-   Avg. AVG WGT Avg. AVG WGT Avg. AVG WGT Avg.  AVG WGT
40 IRNIran 689(689.43) 692 2 336.87 336.87 439.32 219.66 250.48 75.14 288.80 57.76
50 JPNJapan 614(613.94) 617 3 335.96 335.96 213.61 106.81 392.56 117.77 267.01 53.40
57 KORKorea Republic 575(575.44) 594 -1 312.46 312.46 217.75 108.87 267.84 80.35 368.81 73.76
63 AUSAustralia 531(531.08) 549 2 272.17 272.17 240.62 120.31 192.79 57.84 403.82 80.76
68 UAEUnited Arab Emirates 501(500.59) 523 1 242.20 242.20 291.77 145.88 277.90 83.37 145.70 29.14
73 UZBUzbekistan 476(476.22) 483 -1 181.07 181.07 303.39 151.69 277.53 83.26 301.00 60.20
82 CHNChina PR 408(408.01) 423 1 245.50 245.50 132.40 66.20 131.43 39.43 284.41 56.88
86 IRQIraq 385(384.76) 353 11 218.68 218.68 119.25 59.63 150.88 45.26 305.95 61.19
95 KSASaudi Arabia 349(349.39) 339 4 118.20 118.20 297.06 148.53 149.41 44.82 189.20 37.84
97 OMAOman 341(341.11) 356 -1 124.70 124.70 242.23 121.11 173.89 52.17 215.63 43.13
99 QATQatar 337(336.65) 300 10 171.62 171.62 160.54 80.27 153.89 46.17 192.94 38.59
103 JORJordan 316(316.20) 326 -2 61.72 61.72 272.08 136.04 241.77 72.53 229.57 45.91
108 BHRBahrain 299(298.85) 319 -4 147.44 147.44 151.92 75.96 120.79 36.24 196.05 39.21
125 VIEVietnam 229(228.83) 220 5 96.12 96.12 119.71 59.86 61.37 18.41 272.19 54.44
126 SYRSyria 225(224.74) 141 26 131.58 131.58 85.69 42.85 86.70 26.01 121.51 24.30

Iran slump out of World Cup with disappointing defeat to Bosnia

Argentina played their part and won in Porte Alegre, yet Iran could not rouse themselves to take advantage and progress at Nigeria’s expense. Iran needed a win by a couple of goals to finish second, but goals are evidently not their speciality.

For more than 80 minutes it looked like they would fail to trouble the scorer for a third match in succession, and in the end said a meek goodbye to the tournament, allowing Bosnia to record a convincing first win at their first World Cup finals even if their overall experience was soured by a poor refereeing decision.

It was Edin Dzeko’s wrongly disallowed goal against Nigeria that Bosnia feel changed the course of their World Cup, and though the consolation was entirely hollow once his side had been eliminated after two games, at least the Manchester City striker registered a goal that did count.

After seeing a shot on the turn clear the bar and a header saved by the goalkeeper in the opening minutes, Dzeko came back down the pitch in search of the ball and was successful with a longer range attempt midway through the first half. Picking up the ball from 40 yards out from Miralem Pjanic, the Roma midfielder who initiates most of Bosnia’s attacks, Dzeko carried the ball forward then cut inside to make room for a left foot shot that found Alizera Haghighi’s bottom left corner with some precision. Perhaps the goalkeeper should not have been beaten from outside the area by a low shot that was less than thunderously struck, yet Dzeko aimed for exactly the right area.

201406251312475798689

Having barely crossed the halfway line by that point, Iran almost managed to equalise within a minute when the lively Masoud Shojaei crashed a shot against Asmir Begovic’s bar. Reza Ghoochannejhad was unable to accept the rebound but was in an offside position anyway. Interestingly the goalline technology replay was triggered, even though the ball had clearly rebounded back into play. A no-goal verdict was duly returned, though the suggestion that the ball had gone anywhere near the line was misleading.

While there is no doubt Iran can defend well – they proved that against Argentina – it is their attacking efforts that are often stodgy. They could theoretically have reached the round of 16 for the first time here, depending on Nigeria losing their final group game, though even when a goal behind they never drove forward with the sort of intensity that might have been expected.

They have scored only one goal in this tournament and it is not difficult to see why – they are much too conservative. It would have been amusing to have been a fly on the wall in the Iran dressing room at half-time when Carlos Queiroz, of all people, was presumably telling his players it was time to throw caution to the wind.

Iran did get forward a little more in the second half without looking entirely convincing. Ashkan Dejagah spent far too much of his time being pulled up for offside, as if unfamiliar with operating in such an advanced role. The television reaction shots of Iran supporters in the crowd showed disbelief and dejection when Pjanic’s well-taken second goal put the matter beyond doubt, but Queiroz and his players were hardly in a winning position before that.

At no time in this World Cup have Iran been in a winning position, and when Pjanic just about stayed onside to accept Tino Susic’s pass and elegantly slip the ball beyond the goalkeeper after an hour, they paid the price for lack of adventure.

Even when Ghoochannejhad finally opened their World Cup account with eight minutes of the competition remaining – Bosnia were waiting for an offside flag that never came – Avdija Vrsajevic hit back within a minute to restore a two-goal winning margin. Fair enough, Iran had a hard luck story after their Argentina defeat, yet even that does not match the one Bosnia can tell.

Uninspiring Team Melli bids farewell to the World Cup 2014

Team Melli lost its very slim chance of qualifying to the second round of the World cup when it was defeated by Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 at Arena Fonte Nova Salvador.
Bosnia goals were scored by E. Dzeko 23′ M. Pjanic 59′ and A. Vrsajevic 83′ while Iran scored through Reza Ghoochanejad 82′ assisted by Javad Nekounam.

The only consolation in this match which  Bosnia-Herzegovina controlled without much effort from the word go , as if it is the team that requires 3 points to qualify , is that Iran finally scored a goal to save some blushes and by no one more deserving than the hardworking Reza Ghoochannejad.

Miralem Pjanić congratulated on scoring Bosnia second goal

In the first sign of lack of ambition by Carlos Queiroz in a match that Iran desperately needed to win and score goals to qualify for the next round, Queiroz elected to stick to the same line up that played the last match against Argentina. Shojaei , probably the worst of Iran performers , once again was selected to start over Heydari and Jahanbakhsh.

With the match progressing , it was evident the Iran lacks the fire power, ambition and skills to challenge the Bosnians. The defense that operated so marvelously in the last two matches , crumbled against Bosnia with simple mistakes and lack of pace by the defenders. Traces of fatigue was clear on the defenders.

up front in the offensive line where Team Melli really needed to deliver, the lack of organization lead the two front players Dejagah and Ghoochannejad to fall in offside trap in numerous cases. Whatever crosses from the flanks by the backs of Team Melli were easily handled by the towering Amir Begovic in goal for Bosnia.  Begovic who is one of the better goalkeepers in the English Premiere League is a master at catching them. The crosses which continued in the second half when Heydari replaced Shojaei,  aimed at the two forwards, mostly ended up with Begovic and with ease. Such futile game plan is indicative of the failure of the coaching team of Iran to properly analyze the opposition.

Overall , it was a disappointing performance and result for Iran , however , not entirely unexpected either. The biggest surprise was the lack of ambition by the team as a unit. There were far too many factors against Team Melli in this match to win it and qualify ahead of Nigeria. The undue pressure on the players, fatigue , lack of stamina , lack of quality players , organized and high quality of Bosnia players and a definite lack of ambition by the coach were far too much odds for Iran to register a win.

Initial reports from several TV panels mostly indicate that Iran’s defeat was a result but the disappointing part was the ;lack of fighting spirit and the defensive organization that Team Melli made a name of itself.

 

World Cup 2014 Group’F’: How can the teams qualify?

Ahead of the final round of fixtures in Group F, we look at the various permutations.

Argentina – Qualified

Lionel Messi’s late goal over Iran last week booked a place for the Argentinians in the last 16.  A draw over second place Nigeria will see them top Group F.

Nigeria – Must draw with Argentina

A draw between Nigeria and Argentina will work well for both teams as the South Americans will win the group with the Africans guaranteeing their place in the knock-out stages. A win for Nigeria over Argentina will see them top Group F, sending Argentina into second place.

Iran – Need to beat Bosnia-Hercegovina and require Argentine win over Algeria, with a superior goal difference

After losing to Argentina in the cruellest fashion last week, the Iranians now rely on them to triumph over Algeria whilst making sure they beat Bosnia-Herzegovina in the process. Even then, Iran will need a superior goal difference to advance.

 Bosnia-Herzegovina – Out

With two losses from two games, Bosnia-Herzegovina are guaranteed to be spectators following the conclusion of the group matches.

Dejagah: Iran will be going for goals

Dejagah: Iran will be going for goals
© Getty Images

FIFA.com
 

There are two sides to any successful team and, for 181 minutes at Brazil 2014, Iran have been near-flawless in one. Certainly, few defences at this FIFA World Cup™ have been as disciplined or well-drilled as Carlos Queiroz’s, and it took a goal out of nothing – a moment of pure Lionel Messi inspiration – for all their diligence to be undone.

That flash of Messi magic denied the Iranians a second successive clean sheet, and according to Ashkan Dejagah, there is an inevitability to their campaign having been built on such foundations. As he told FIFA.com: ” We don’t have players like Messi, [Sergio] Aguero and [Angel] Di Maria, so we need to focus on making ourselves as well-organised as possible The shape of the team, making sure we’re tough to get through defensively, is something that has been very important for the coach in the build-up to this tournament.

“He’s spent a lot of time on the training field making sure that we have that we’re compact and ready to take on the best teams in the world. Neither Nigeria nor Argentina had many chances against us and, realistically, that’s the only way we can go about things. If we played a really open game against players like Messi, they would have killed us.”

He’s spent a lot of time on the training field making sure that we have that we’re compact and ready to take on the best teams in the world.

Iran’s Ashkan Dejagah on coach Carlos Queiroz

Opening up and going on the offensive has, though – thanks to Argentina’s No. 10 – gone from being a dangerous option to being Iran’s only option. Anything but victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina will, after all, dash any lingering hopes of reaching the last 16, which makes finding a way to goal the key challenge.

“The fact we’ve not scored yet is something we need to put right,” acknowledged Dejagah. “I think we were really unlucky against Argentina though. We had a lot of chances and it was one of those games where everyone in the team did their job and played well. It’s hard when you lose a game like that, although you have to stand back and give credit to Messi. It’s times like those, when games are really tight, that the great players show how important they are. But we can still take positives and be proud of our performance.

“I actually thought I’d scored in the game against Argentina – that header I had, I thought it was in for sure. But again, you have to applaud their keeper for a really fantastic save. I think a goal will come for us though. We definitely have players who can score and I think we were more dangerous in our second game compared to our first.

“Hopefully this third match will bring another step up. We’ll definitely be going for goals and we still have a chance to go through, I’m sure of that. What we need to do is take the good things we’ve done so far, improve a little bit in other areas and give everything to beat Bosnia. If we do that – and I think it’s a game we can win – we can still qualify.”

Having come up against most of his upcoming opponents either in the Bundesliga or the English Premier League, Dejagah knows better than most that the debutants boast plenty of individual talent. However, the 27-year-old Fulham midfielder – who represented Germany at youth level before declaring for Iran – is relishing his first experience of the World Cup, and has no desire to join the Bosnians in heading for home.

He said: “Being at this World Cup has the highlight of my career, for sure. Every footballer wants to play at this tournament and, here in Brazil, with the atmosphere, it’s even more special. I’m really enjoying it. And, believe me, I really want to make sure we stay here for as long as possible.

Should Iran have had a penalty for Pablo Zabaleta’s foul on Ashkan Dejagah in the box?

Metro.co.uk

Saturday 21 Jun 2014 6:34 pm

Argentina defender Pablo Zabaleta went close to conceding a penalty in his team’s World Cup match against Iran after the Manchester City man tackled Ashkan Dejagah in the area but only just got his toe to the ball.

With Carlos Queiroz’s side doing a superb job at keeping Argentina at bay, Dejagah raced into the box – only for Zabaleta to bring down the Fulham star in the 55th minute.

The incident sparked a furious response from the Iranian players but referee Milorad Mazic waved away their appeals although replays showed Iran should have been awarded a spot-kick.

Iran went on to lose the clash after Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored a sublime long-range winner in the 91st minute.

 

Last count 

YES                                              NO

86%                                           14%

 

 

“If this foul was committed by a player on the other side on Messi , it would have been called a penalty”

Emil Heskey , Ex-England forward on BeIn sports Panel.

 

Should Iran have had a penalty against Argentina?

  • YES

    86%

  • NO

    14%

Iran vs. Argentina Reports & Analysis..and a bit of Maradona.

 BBC.com Review

Lionel Messi curled a stunning 91st-minute winner to send Argentina through to the World Cup knockout stage and rob the excellent Iran of a deserved point.

Iran spent much of the first half under pressure but more than once threatened to inflict what would have been a huge upset.

Argentina's Lionel Messi
 

Lionel Messi scores stunning goal in stoppage time

Argentina’s celebrations at the final whistle were wild and prolonged, while the sight of coach Alejandro Sabella embracing Messi at the tunnel gave an indication of what this meant to the two-time champions.

The build-up was dominated by talk of a rift between Messi and Sabella, the captain having expressed his displeasure at the 5-3-2 formation used in the first half againstBosnia-Hercegovina when Messi also scored the decisive goal.

Sabella duly reverted to the Barcelona forward’s preferred 4-3-3 and was rewarded by his star man at the last.

[box title=”KEY FACTS” style=”bubbles” box_color=”#eaee3d” title_color=”#00000″ radius=”5″] Key facts Argentina have won 11 and lost just one of their past 14 World Cup group games, scoring 27 goals and conceding just five in total in this run. Iran attempted just 130 passes against Argentina, the fewest made by a team in a World Cup match since 1966. Lionel Messi has now scored 40 goals for Argentina.[/box]

Iran looked devastated at the end but must take immense confidence from a performance that combined defensive resilience with attacking adventure – and from the knowledge they could still qualify.

Carlos Queiroz’s men actually created the first meaningful chance when Jala Hosseini headed wide from Ashkan Dejagah’s free-kick, although Argentina then assumed control.

Javier Mascherano and Fernando Gago provided a solid base for Angel Di Maria and full-backs Pablo Zabaleta and Marcos Rojo to support Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero.

Iran goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi displayed superb reflexes to foil Higuain and save one-handed from Aguero. Rojo then headed narrowly wide, Messi was off target with a free-kick and Ezequiel Garay nodded inches over the bar. The Iran fans celebrated every reprieve like a goal.

“Lionel Messi is the difference in so many games and he’s done it again. You know what he’s going to do, take a step and curl it, but there’s nothing the magnificent Iranians can do. It is just world class.”

Neil LennonFormer Celtic manager on BBC Radio 5 live

Argentina were meeting a wall of resistance every time they attacked but Iran’s impressive defending ought to have been no surprise – they kept more clean sheets in qualifying than any team at the tournament. And when not thwarting the South Americans’ forwards, Queiroz’s team again came close to a goal of their own with another Hosseini header.

Iran’s preparations for the competition had been hampered by political sanctions that affected their funding and ability to organise friendlies, but they looked fully prepared and again came close to taking a shock lead through Reza Ghoochannejhad.

Masoud Shojaei surged forward and fed Pejman Montazeri to cross for the Charlton Athletic striker, who would have scored had his header been aimed anywhere other than straight at Argentine keeper Sergio Romero.

But the chance served to further bolster Iran’s self-belief and after Dejagah had a strong penalty claim rejected by referee Milorad Mazic, the Fulham man was thwarted by Romero’s fingertips as he met another Montazeri cross with a powerful header.

Messi worked hard to swing the momentum back in Argentina’s favour, slotting wide after a quick break and sending a free-kick into the side-netting, while Sabella introduced Rodrigo Palacio and Ezequiel Lavezzi in place of Aguero and Higuain as his side pushed hard for a winner.

Still chances came for Iran, however, Ghoochannejhad nearly stealing the win, only for Romero to make a diving stop – and that miss proved costly when captain Messi stepped up with a wonderful finish into the far corner to send Argentina through with a game to spare and keep them on course for a first World Cup since 1986.

[divider]

ESPNFC.com REVIEW

Team Melli looked excellent in defeat

Before the start of this World Cup not many Iran fans imagined that going into the third and final round of the group stage Iran would still have chance to fight for a spot in the Round of 16.

Yet, despite Saturday’s heartbreaking 1-0 defeat against Argentina, Team Melli still has a fair chance to go beyond the group stage in a World Cup tournament that has turned out to be anything but predictable.

Team Melli put up a valiant fight against a star studded Argentina in Belo Horizonte; however, a magical extra-time moment from the world’s best player rubbed them off what would have been the best result in the country’s footballing history.

Once the initial disappointment of this difficult defeat has passed, most Team Melli fans will come to recognize and appreciate their team’s inspired performance for what it was.

To put it in perspective consider these facts: the Argentina team that took the field against Team Melli included four of the best attacking players in the game today.

Of the four, Lionel Messi has the top total annual earnings of 64.7 million dollars, plus Sergio Aguero with 23.3 million dollars are respectively the second and fifth top earners in this World Cup according to Forbes magazine. That is more than triple the total annual budget of Iranian football federation.

Furthermore, Argentina’s squad included seven or more players who have won major trophies with top European clubs.

And finally, Iran came to this World Cup as one of the lowest ranked teams in the tournament while Argentina are one of the early favorites to go all the way.

Many football purists criticised coach Carlos Queiroz’s defensive approach against African champions Nigeria in the first match of Group F. However, today we saw a different side to his team. They did put numbers behind the ball for most of the first half, but in the second half they took advantage of a frustrated Argentina and created a few dangerous opportunities of their own.

Sergio Romero, the Argentina goalkeeper, was forced to make four saves during the match (as compared to eight by his Iranian counterpart), and one of them had to be a top class acrobatic fingertip save. Queiroz may not have the luxury of many big names on his roster, but he has somehow managed to drill a ton of self-belief in his players and extract every ounce of performance he possibly can out of them.

The boys, for their part, have played their hearts out in more than 180 minutes of football at the highest stage. Against Argentina every single Team Melli starter, including the three who were substituted out late in the game, ran over 9 kilometers. Lone striker Reza Ghoochannejhad ran over 11 kilometers as did 33 year old midfielder and captain Javad Nekounam. Midfielder Andranik Teymourian who ran over 10 km had a match high 48 sprints followed by Ghoochannejhad who had 44.

It was a laboured effort, but Lionel Messi and Argentina overcame Iran to advance to the second round.
Lionel Messi sidesteps two Iranian defenders. He would go on to score the game-winning goal for Argentina in their Group F clash.

 

Unfortunately, from Team Melli’s perspective, the Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nigeria match ended with the worst possible result. The narrow 1-0 Nigerian victory means that Iran will not only have to win their final match against Bosnia, but also hope for a solid Argentine victory if they are to go through to the next round.

It is safe to assume that neither Argentina nor Nigeria will settle for a draw which would send both of them through at the expense of Iran, but who could blame them if they did exactly that?

It will be very interesting to see if Carlos Queiroz can manage to motivate his men for their last group match after such a deflating defeat. But regardless of what happens against Bosnia on June 25, it is a sure bet that the team will get a warm reception from the fans back home upon their return.

While the majority of Iranian football fans are purists who enjoy and appreciate free flowing and attacking football, they also recognize and value hard work and team effort even if it does not produce the beautiful football that they all love. Team Melli game to this tournament as overwhelming underdogs, but they have already outlasted two former world champions and given their fans another chance to dream of possibilities.

[divider]

Maradona’s a curse! El Diego leaves early… Lionel Messi scores Argentina winner v Iran!

Saturday, June 21st, 2014

 

maradona argentina efe2 Maradonas a curse! El Diego leaves early... Lionel Messi scores Argentina winner v Iran!

After his disastrous reign as coach of Argentina at the last World Cup, the evidence suggesting Diego Maradona is now a jinx on the country he famously led to World Cup glory in 1986 is overwhelming!

Diego Maradona has made headlines across the globe after he was unable to get into Rio’s Maracana for Argentina’s opening match win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

On Saturday in Belo Horizonte, Diego Maradona did make it into the stadium but to everyone in Argentina’s amusement… left early before Lionel Messi cracked home the beautiful winner against Iran.

As a result, the hashtag #Maradonamufa (‘Maradona’s a curse’) was trending on Twitter in Argentina after the 1-0 win over Iran.

 

And, La Nacion reports that Julio Grondona, president of the AFA, was celebrating in the Argentina dressing room, saying: “The jinx is gone, and we won.”

Maradona left his post as coach after the last World Cup with harsh words for Grondona, so it is no surprise the latter should celebrate in this manner.

A picture of Diego Maradona leaving early, before Lionel Messi scored against Iran, is above…

[divider]

WAR OF WORDS FOLLOWING JINX SLUR

Maradona gives “moron” Grondona the middle finger

DPA 06/22/2014

Diego Maradona came out all guns blazing in response to comments by the head of the Argentinian FA, Julio Grondona, suggesting that the legend had been bringing Argentina bad luck during the World Cup.

“The jinx left and we won”, Grondona was quoted as saying after the 1-0 victory over Iran at the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte, where Lionel Messi’s last-gasp wonder strike came once Maradona had left the stadium.

The Argentina legend wasted little time biting back at the AFA president. “So, someone said that the goal was scored because I left”, he noted, before referring to Grondona in person, calling him a “moron” and literally sticking his middle finger up to show just what he thought of the comments.

Maradona, who coached the ‘Albiceleste’ for their disappointing campaign at South Africa 2010, is currently working out of Rio de Janeiro as a World Cup pundit for Venezuela TV channel ‘Telesur’, for whom he presents a special show entitled ‘De Zurda’ in reference to his famous left foot.

Personal jibes
Maradona went even further in his riposte, labelling the AFA chief a stooge: “My message to Grondona is that I paid for the clothes on my back through hard work; he bought everything he has on thanks to his cronies at FIFA”.

Queiroz faults officials in loss

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz laid the blame for his team’s 1-0 loss to Argentina squarely on the shoulders of the referee Milorad Mazic after the game.

Near the start of the second half, Argentina’s Pablo Zabaleta mistimed a tackle and took down Iran’s Ashkan Dejagah in the penalty box, but Mazic let play continue despite protests from Dejagah.

“I’m proud and a little bit frustrated with the result. I hoped it would be different, but what can we do?” said Queiroz. “I have no complaints or excuses, only the frustration with a referee that nobody can understand in the world. How could he not give a clear penalty in front of 40 million people watching the game? It is very sad.”

Iran’s defence frustrated Argentina for much of the game, while their attack generated a number of legitimate chances in the second half. Dejagah had a header deflected over the crossbar by Sergio Romero at 67 minutes that was Iran’s best opportunity up to that point.

“The team played well. We defended very good. We tried to make it hard for Argentina and with a little bit of luck we could have won this game or a draw,” said Dejagah. 

 

Lionel Messi made sure his team picked up three points by hammering home a late winner vs. Iran.

 

Before Messi’s game-winning goal in injury time, Iran’s Reza Ghoochannejhad had a breakaway chance on a through ball that Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero deflected away. Minutes later, Messi worked the ball to his left at the top of Iran’s penalty box and buried a shot to give Argentina a 1-0 victory.

“When Messi scored it felt terrible,” said Dejagah. “But this is what the best players do. They change games in one second.”

Now Iran will try to move on. A point against Argentina would have positioned them well to advance from Group F, but the team’s hopes are still alive after an opening-round draw with Nigeria.

“The most important thing now is to refresh and focus on the game,” said Queiroz. “We need to forget what happened here. We can still go through.”

Nigeria faces Bosnia-Herzegovina in their final match on June 25. They’ll need a win and some help from Argentina to advance. A full list of possible Group F outcomes is listed here.

Magnificent Messi strike breaks the hearts of Queiroz’s men

Argentina 1-0 Iran

A stunning strike from Lionel Messi snatched a 1-0 victory for Argentina against a spirited Iran side in Saturday’s World Cup clash in Belo Horizonte.
Few would have expected Argentina, viewed as one of the favourites to win the tournament, to be given too much of a test by a team that has never gone beyond the first round of a World Cup in three previous appearances.

However, Carlos Queiroz’s side, who had been criticised for their defensive style of play following their opening Group F goalless stalemate against Nigeria, produced another resolute display at Estadio Mineirao on Saturday to come within a few minutes of a highly creditable

draw.

Argentina 1-0 Iran: Magnificent Messi strike breaks the hearts of Queiroz's men

 

But, in injury time, it was Messi who stepped up when it mattered most, curling home brilliantly into the corner to give the South Americans a place in the last 16.

Meanwhile, Iran will head into their final group game with Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday reflecting on an opportunity missed, and knowing that only victory will be enough to extend their tournament.

Argentina unsurprisingly dictated the opening stages without creating any clear-cut opportunities against an Iran defence that displayed the same determination as against Nigeria.

Gonzalo Higuain was the first to test the Iran backline after 13 minutes, but goalkeeper Alireza Haghigi showed quick reactions to race out and block the Napoli striker’s effort after he had been played through by Fernando Gago.

Higuain was involved again as he linked up with Sergio Aguero inside the area, only to see the Manchester City man’s curling effort brilliantly kept out by a fine diving save from Haghigi.

Aguero then headed wide from a corner as Argentina’s dominance of play continued, yet Iran, with impressive commitment and organisation, did not have too much difficulty in keeping the South Americans at bay.

Iran’s ability to maintain parity also owed much to Argentina’s profligacy, which was demonstrated in the 35th minute when defender Ezequiel Garay headed a Messi free kick over the crossbar.

Ghoochanejad reaction after missing a chance
Ghoochanejad reaction after missing a chance

Queiroz’s men were able to fashion some first-half opportunities of their own, the best of which came after 41 minutes as centre-back Jalal Hosseini turned Ashkan Dejagah’s corner narrowly wide of the post.

Pablo Zabaleta went close from the edge of the area in the opening stages of the second half, but it was Iran who continued to look more threatening.

Indeed, they would have taken the lead in the 53rd minute had forward Reza Ghoochannejhad not directed his header straight at Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero following a fine break.

Iran felt they should have been awarded a penalty a minute later after Zabaleta appeared to bring down Dejagah, with replays suggesting that the South Americans had been given a let-off.

At the other end, Messi failed to find a finish after surging forward with an archetypal run from midfield and curling wide of the post.

Messi's free kick
Messi’s free kick

With time running out, Romero was called into action to tip Dejagah’s header over and Iran had an even better chance when Ghoochannejhad was sent clear one-on-one but saw his somewhat tired finish parried.

But just as they looked set to celebrate their famous point, Messi struck.

The Barcelona man worked space on the edge of the area before opening his body to bend a shot into the corner, as Argentina’s class – and more accurately that of their captain – finally told.

Argentina vs. Iran – Pre-Match stats

Group F: Argentina v Iran

Venue: Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte

Kick-off: 5pm (1pm, Brazil time)

TV coverage: ITV1, from 4pm

Odds: Argentina 1/8, Draw 8/1, Iran 22/1

Referee: Milorad Mazic, Serbia

Managers: Alejandro Sabella (Argentina),  Carlos Queiroz (Iran)

Team news to follow

Key clash: Lionel Messi (Argentina) v Jalal Hosseini (Iran)

Iran’s 32-year-old centre-back will have to keep his wits about him against Argentina’s talented attack. The spotlight will be on him as he tries to stop Messi from sparkling like he did in the second half against Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

 
Star man: Argentina forward Lionel Messi (centre) will be looking for his second goal of the tournament against Iran

 

+3

Star man: Argentina forward Lionel Messi (centre) will be looking for his second goal of the tournament against Iran

 

One to watch: Angel di Maria (Argentina)

The Real Madrid midfielder was full of tricks against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Argentina’s opening win. He plays a key role for Sabella’s side, acting as a link between the defensive midfielders and the likes of Sergio Aguero and Messi in attack.

Head-to-head record: Played 1 Argentina Wins 0 Draws 1 

Familiar face: Manchester City right back Pablo Zabaleta is a rock at the back for Argentina.

History lesson: This is Argentina and Iran’s first World Cup encounter. Their only previous meeting was in a friendly in March 1977 in Madrid, with the game ending 1-1.

Did you know? Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella is a closet Yorkshireman. From 1978-1981 he played for Sheffield United and Leeds.

Best bet: Argentina to win 3-0 – 9/2

 
Centre of attention: Iran boss Carlos Queiroz speaks with his players on the pitch at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte

 

+3

Centre of attention: Iran boss Carlos Queiroz speaks with his players on the pitch at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte

 

Argentina vs Iran probable teams

 

+3

 

Opta stats

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2664217/Argentina-vs-Iran-All-stats-facts-team-news-Group-F-clash.html#ixzz35GBh8FMz 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

 

  • This is Argentina and Iran’s first World Cup encounter.
  • Their only previous meeting was in a friendly on 22 March 1977 in Madrid, with the game ending 1-1.
  • Iran’s only previous World Cup game against a South American side was a 4-1 defeat against Peru in 1978.
  • Argentina have won ten and lost just one of their last 13 World Cup group games (D2), scoring 26 and conceding just five in total in this run.
  • Argentina have won five of their last six World Cup games, with the 4-0 defeat against Germany in 2010 the only exception.
  • Lionel Messi has scored one goal in one game at the 2014 World Cup, that’s already as many as in his eight games at the World Cups 2006 and 2010 combined.
  • Iran have won only one of their ten games at the World Cup (D3 L6), against USA in 1998 (2-1).
  • Argentina have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last three World Cup games, the last time they failed to do so in four successive matches was in the 80’s (1982/86).
  • The last two goals Iran have scored at World Cups have come from corners (both in 2006).
  • Five of the last nine goals Iran have conceded at World Cups have been headed.

 

 

© 2024 Team Melli
Designed by ThemeBoy