Tag: FC Rostov

Rostov Midfielder Mohammad Mohebi Shines Despite National Team Commitments


Rostov, Russia — In a thrilling match during the 22nd round of the Russian Premier League, Rostov secured a resounding victory over Dynamo Moscow, triumphing with a 4-1 scoreline. The standout performance of the day came from none other than Mohammad Mohebi, Team Melli, and Rostov’s talented midfielder.

Rostov remained the only RPL team that did not lose points after the winter break. In the previous two rounds, Karpin’s team beat Krylia Sovetov (2-0) and Krasnodar (2-1).

After 22 rounds, Rostov are in 7th place in the RPL with 30 points. Rostov are one point ahead of Rubin and Krylia Sovetov (29 points each), who have one game in hand. In the 23rd round, Valery Karpin’s team will host Sochi. The meeting will take place on April 6 in Rostov-on-Don and will begin at 20:00 Moscow time.

Mohebi’s Remarkable Double and Assist

Mohebi’s impact on the game was undeniable. He not only scored a brace, finding the back of the net twice but also contributed an assist that helped secure Rostov’s dominant win. His versatility and ability to create opportunities for his team were on full display.

National Team Commitments: No Hindrance for Mohebi

Despite recently representing the Iranian national team in two matches against Turkmenistan, Mohebi showed no signs of fatigue. When asked about his readiness for the match against Dynamo Moscow, he responded confidently:

“I talked with the physical training coach both in the national team and in Rostov. They gave me a plan that I followed. I have recovered. Three days ago, I played a difficult game against Turkmenistan on an artificial pitch that was not of the best quality, but today I was fresh. Thank God we won.”

Mohebi’s dedication to maintaining peak performance levels is evident. His commitment to both club and country is commendable.

Team Effort and Personal Rituals

When questioned about his consistent goal-scoring prowess, Mohebi humbly deflected the praise:

“This is the merit of the whole team; we play as a unit. Sometimes you can score one, sometimes two. Today, we succeeded. Let’s move forward. After the game, I always talk to my mother. She’s my rock, regardless of the result.”

Indeed, Mohebi’s pre- and post-match ritual of calling his mother underscores the importance of family support in his career.

Memorial Match in Memory of Tragedy

The match against Dynamo Moscow held deeper significance. It was a memorial match dedicated to the victims and survivors of a terrorist attack in Crocus. Mohebi expressed his unwavering commitment to the cause:

“Even if the team did not go to the scene of the tragedy, I would go alone or with an interpreter. Having played in Russia for about seven months now, I’ve experienced the warmth and kindness of the people. I can only be grateful for this.”

Mohebi’s compassion and empathy extend beyond the football pitch, reflecting the spirit of unity and resilience.

As Rostov continues its campaign in the Russian Premier League, fans eagerly anticipate more stellar performances from the Iranian. His dedication, skill, and heartwarming gestures make him a true asset to both the club and the community.


Mohebbi leads Rostov to victory over League leaders.

In the 20th round of the Russian Premiere League, Rostov FC hosted the league leader Krasnodar, on Friday evening and managed to win thanks to a brace by Iranian forward Mohammad Mohebbi.

The hosts won a landslide victory with a score of 2 -1, to upset the top of the table as both Zenit St. Petersburg (37 pts) and Dinamno (38 pts) are yet to play their matches in round 20.

Rostov started the game after the break in the RPL very energetically: they scored and played an excellent game against the league leaders. I expected them to have difficulties

Now Krasnodar must emotionally survive the previous draw and defeat from Rostov. If they can handle it, then they will fight for gold. If they sink into depression, then it will be the end – we will lose the option of a new champion,” Chervichenko commented in an interview with the correspondent of Championat.

After the victory, Rostov climbed to 9th place in the RPL table, Krasnodar remained at the top of the table..

in the 49th minute, Krasnodar‘s player Olakunle Olusegun was sent off for receiving a second yellow card.

Mohebbi was part of Team Melli squad that participated in the recent AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar where Iran was defeated by the eventual winner Qatar in the semi-finals.

Football. Russia. RPL. 20th round.

“Rostov” – “Krasnodar” – 2:1 (1:0).

Goals: Mohebi (25, 62) – Cordoba (66).

Red cards: Olusegun (49).

Mohebbi joins FC Rostov

Mohammad Mohebbi, is seeking a new adventure in Russia.

The Team Melli forward who played last season on loan from Portugal’s Santa Clara team in Iran’s Esteghlal, has signed a three-year contract with Russian side FC Rostov club. The club is based in Rostov-on-DonRostov Oblast, and is coached by Valery Karpin.

After signing Mohebi’s contract, his agent made a bold statement and claimed that Mohebbi could be the next Cristiano Ronaldo of world football! In this regard, Saadati told the Russian RB Sport website: I can write a book about Mohammad. First, he is the complete professional player and a person with an incredible character.

He added: “Mohebi was one of the best young talents that Iranian football has produced in recent years, and with all his football and physical characteristics, he can play in the top European clubs.”

Saadati emphasized: ” I am sure that if this player is used wisely, Mohebbi can be the next Cristiano Ronaldo! He added: “If the coach gives Mohebbi enough time to adapt to the Russian league, the club can get incredible benefits.”

Notwithstanding the promotion and the hype that the agent is creating, Mohebbi will find life quite tough in the Russian league that is dominated by Zenit St. Petersburg for many years. Of course, Sardar Azmoun also played in Rostov and contributed to the success of the club and his eventual transfer to Zenit.

Rostov was 2nd in the 2022–23 Russian Premier League with 5 games left, but lost 4 out of 5 games and dropped to 4th place at the final table. Russian clubs are suspended from European competitions.

Sardar Azmoun: Bayer Leverkusen Add Goals And Depth Below Market Value

Manuel Veth

It is one of the more exciting transfers of this Bundesliga transfer window. On the day before deadline day, Bayer Leverkusen signed Sardar Azmoun for $4.4 million from Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg. The 27-year-old Iranian had previously agreed on a free summer transfer with Die Werkself. Overall it is a brilliant deal for Leverkusen, who signed the forward in a deal significantly below Azmoun’s $27.5 million Transfermarkt market value.

“We’re delighted to have completed this transfer,” Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a club statement. “Sardar Azmoun has been one of Russian football’s top goalscorers for several years. He’s been champion three years in a row there with Zenit, regularly played in the Champions League, and shown himself to be of international class at the highest level. Our attack gains extra quality with him. Sardar will make our attack even more unpredictable and powerful.”

Azmoun, without a doubt, brings added depth to Leverkusen’s attack. The 27-year-old has been a star in Russia for some time and joined Zenit from Rubin Kazan in February 2019 in a deal worth $13.2 million. It was Kazan who found the striker in Iran, where he played for Sepahan’s youth academy. But it would be at Rostov where Azmoun made a name for himself, scoring 25 goals and six assists in 77 games. Two of those goals came against Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid in Rostov’s memorable 2016/17 Champions League campaign.

Rostov had bought the striker for just $2.53 million in 2016 from Rubin Kazan. But Russian football is not always that straightforward. Like many Russian clubs, Rostov always struggled with finances, and Azmoun wanted out of the club. Around that time, Azmoun was consistently linked with a move to one of the top four leagues; reports suggested links to Liverpool, several Italian clubs, but also Borussia Dortmund.

Instead, what happened was so very typical for business practices of clubs in the post-Soviet space. Only very few institutions in the region are able to develop players and sell them at the right time. Also, players often fail to find the right move, add agents to the mix, and it becomes a difficult proposition all around. Azmoun, for example, did not move to Europe but instead back to Rubin Kazan in 2017, where the owner, the Republic of Tatarstan, was once again on a spending spree.

Those spending sprees, however, also come and go; Rubin as a club has always been between very rich and very poor; there is no middle ground. As a result, Azmoun was sold to Zenit in 2019. For most talented players based in Russia, the story would have ended here—Zenit, owned by Gazprom, can pay wages at a tax rate that is often impossible to match for the big clubs in Europe and, as a result, players are unlikely to move on.

The same was thought of Azmoun, but instead, the Iranian has made the move to a top-four league after all. What remains to be seen is whether the move comes at the right time; Azmoun is no longer a talent but, at 27, a veteran. At the same time, that can be an asset too; Leverkusen receives a player with significant experience in the ups and downs of a football career.

But how will Azmoun fit in the squad? At first glance, Azmoun is a clear-cut number 9, and in that position, Leverkusen has Patrik Schick, one of the most productive strikers in European football. But Schick has been heavily linked with a move to Borussia Dortmund, where he could replace Erling Haaland. Azmoun could be an investment for the future, a possible replacement for the Czech goalscoring machine.

There is, however, also room for Schick and Azmoun to play together. Although most commonly employed as a lone-striker in a 3-4-3 system by Zenit this season, Azmoun has also played with a Schick type of number 9 in Artem Dzyuba this year. Azmoun can add more tactical depth to Gerardo Seoane’s side at Leverkusen. In fact, the Swiss head coach previously preferred a 4-4-2 system rather than the 4-2-3-1 system used by Leverkusen this year, adding Azmoun now.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth 

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Saeed Ezatollahi returns to Rostov

The Iranian midfielder Saeed Ezatollahi has returned to his original team Rostov after finishing his loan period with Eupen, since his contract with the Belgian team will expire by the end of this month.

Ezatollahi,  23-year-old midfielder, spent the 2019-2020 season on loan at Upen Belgium. During this time, he has played only six games and provided one assist. Of course, Ezatollahi spent some extended time off the field due to injury and could not play for his team.

His contract with Rostov expires at the end of June, and it is unclear whether Valerie Carpin will need the player in his roster. Rostov has not yet announced any plans in regard to the injury-prone midfielder, and it remains to be seen whether he will stay at Rostov or join another team. Ezatollahi will become a free agent at the end of June unless Rostove renews his contract.

Since 2017, the footballer has played four times on loan at Anzhi Makhachkala, Amkar, England’s Reading and Eupen Belgium, but so far he has not been able to get a secure a starting lineup with any of the clubs he was loaned to or a good position in “Rostov”.

Mahdavikia urges Sardar Azmoun to continue his European success.

Sardar Azmoun has been one of the few Iranian players that continue shinning in European football.

The Team Melli striker who has never played a league game in Iran’s domestic league has broken the record of goals scored in UEFA Champions League competition by Iranian players held jointly by Ali Daei and Mehdi Mahdavikia who both scored 3 goals in total in that competition.

On Wednesday 2nd October 2019, in the Zenit St. Petersburg match against Benfica, Sardar scored his second goal in as many matches in this competition this season to increase his tally to 4 goals overall. Sardar has already scored for FC Rostov before joining Zenit.

Mehdi MahdaviKia in response to Sardar Azmoun’s achievement said: “I am very happy to see Sardar scoring in the Champions League. After a few years, we see a bright Iranian player at this level who is making us all proud.” He continued: “We have not had an Iranian player at this level for many years and I am very happy Azmoun has been able to achieve this. I hope his goals scoring continues.

Mahdavi Kia, in response to Sardar’s passing his record, said: “It was not a record that was impossible to achieve as three goals were there to be broken. However, I hope Sardar can score more goals and continue his success in the UEFA Champions League to achieve a much better record”

On the other side of Europe, and to be precise, in Glasgow, there still seems to be some regret with the fact that Sardar did not transfer to the Scottish Champion and instead elected to Join Zenit.

Glasgow Celtic reportedly wanted to bring Sadar Azmoun to the Scottish Premiership before he started scoring Champions League goals for Zenit St Petersburg.

Most Celtic fans would give an arm, or perhaps a finger or two, to reach the latter stages of the Europa League this season according to Scottish sports journalist, Danny Owen

“It’s been far too long since The Hoops really competed on the continent and Neil Lennon has a huge challenge even plotting a way out of a Europa League group containing Lazio, Rennes and a Cluj side who triumphed 4-3 at Parkhead just two months ago.” He wrote in his blog.

“Fortunately, Celtic have one of the sharpest young strikers anywhere on the continent now. In his third season in green and white, Odsonne Edouard is showing the sort of form that will have defenders everywhere quaking in their boots.”

But, for all his qualities, and that clinical header against Cluj on Thursday, Edouard still cannot hold a candle to Sardar Azmoun when it comes to scoring goals in European competition.”

According to The Mirror (22 April, page 48), Celtic wanted to sign the so-called ‘Iranian Messi’ back in the summer of 2018, shortly before he left Rubin Kazan for Zenit St Petersburg in a deal worth £10.5 million (L’Equipe).

Since Azmoun was linked with a move to the Scottish giants, he has taken his game to a whole new level, scoring five goals in just six games in both the Champions League and the Europa League. His most recent, a brilliantly taken solo effort against Benfica, sealed three points for Zenit on Wednesday night in the Champions League group stage.

In total, Azmoun averages a goal every 1.2 European games, compared to Edouard’s 2.7.

Saeed Ezzatollahi to Join Belgium’s Eupen

Team Melli player Saeed Ezzatollahi is joining Belgium’s K.A.S Eupen on a one-year loan deal, it was announced today

Ezzatollahi one of the most promising Iranian youngsters who was recruited by Atletico Madrid talent hunters during his youth has had a quite disappointing career. Marred by injury and instability in performance, Ezatollahi has never achieved his potential. The unsettled midfielder changed many clubs and hardly spending enough time to establish himself before moving to the another. The Gilani midfielder seemed to be prone to injury spending much time on the injury list at his clubs.

Saeed Ezatollahi has joined the lowly Belgian team which recently had Morteza Pouraliganji on its books, in a one-year loan contract from the Rostov-based Russian club. The 22-year-old has started his career in Malavan Bandar Anzali, Spain’s Atletico Madrid, Russia’s Anzhi Makhachkala, Amkar and  English Championship side Reading.

Ezzatollahi has played in 30 matches for Team Melli scoring a solitary goal. He was in Iran’s squad for FIFA World Cup 2018.

Sardar Azmoun vs. Manchester United under Queiroz watchful eyes.

The prolific young Team Melli striker, Sardar Azmoun has scored two goals on Friday for his club FC Rostov  in a 6-0 routing of the struggling Tom’ Tomsk in the Russian Premier league to lay a strong claim for a starting line up against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa cup next week.

On Thursday 9th March, FC Rostov will be hosting the famous Red Devils at home for a memorable encounter. Carlos Queiroz will have a golden opportunity to fly to Russia to be close to the action and hit two birds with one stone. Queiroz spend a few years in Manchester United as the right hand man of Sir Alex Ferguson. He has a chance to meet with his compatriot Jose Mourinho and some of the senior players he worked with , while also checking on the hot Sardar Azmoun against strong opposition of the highest class.

Azmoun has been performing admirably with Rostov and speculation are rife that he is wanted by many clubs while the Chinese have also shown interest in acquiring his services. Azmoun is adamant to continue with Rostov until the end of the World Cup before deciding on his future.

Queiroz will be also checking on Ghoochannejad and Jahanbakhsh in the Netherlands.  Both these plyers have been doing well and scoring vital goal for their repective clubs and helping them climb up the table.

While their is strong speculations that Queiroz is leaving to South Africa, a claim that seems to be be re-occuring every now and then, the Portuguese coach continues his preparation plans for two crucial FIFA  World Cup 2018 qualifiers against Qatar in Doha then at home in Azadi against China. Full points from these two matches virtually guarantees Iran qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.

 

Iran still leads the table ahead of Korea and Uzbekistan.

 

Football Management of Iran !

Much has been said about the weaknesses of management in Iran’s football circles. The endless tales of failures by management of the football federation and clubs in Iran, is becoming so intolerable to the extent that the state-controlled and highly conformist Iranian media is becoming increasingly critical of the poor showing and embarrassingly appalling performance and decisions of the men in charge of football in the country.

Lack of proper selection and appointment mechanism of directors and personnel in Iranian clubs, dearth of experienced and skilled managers in football, poor international influences and relations building strategy, non-existent public relations , lack of vision , deficiency in  commercial activities and marketing skills , and absence of long term strategies are just a few of a long list of shortcomings that mars the working of football management in Iran.

It is quite safe to say, that without the government financial backing, none of the major clubs would be in existence and would have been bankrupt. That includes the major big clubs such as Esteghlal and Persepolis the two giants of Tehran, Zob Ahan and Sepahan of Esfahan and all the way to clubs in the South and North of Iran. Simply said these clubs could not run successfully and independently because there are very few capable, experienced and qualified football management running these clubs. The fact that government handouts is readily available, makes the situation even worse because these managers do not need to work hard to generate revenue to sustain the clubs activities.

 It is believed that Sepahan is one of the best run and most successful clubs in Iran. That is all relative, of course, as other clubs believe that the generous contribution by the state owned steel industry has been the main factor behind Sepahan’s success by pouring money into it.

However, it is prudent to review Sepahan and Sardar Azmoun episode

The prolific Team Melli young striker comes from the Turkmen region and was born in Gonbad-e Kāvus ,  of Golestan province on the New Year’s eve in 1995. He played football in various small provincial clubs before the scouts of Sepahan club spotted him in 2010 and invited him to join the youth Academy for development of talented player. It was definitely a fine move by the Esfahani club.

In the 3 years that Azmoun was registered under Sepahan, he was selected to represent Iran at several age Teams. He was always excellent and full of potential. However, Sepahan failed to see his real potential and opted to put on the sideline until a club from far away land of Chechnya decided that there is an enormous potential in this young Iranian lad that is worth investing in.

Sardar Azmoun, arguably, the best Iranian talent in the past two decades, left to Rubin Kazan without playing a single match for Sepahan senior team, not in the league nor in the cup.

Furthermore,  Sepahan Management never thought of protecting their investment by binding the player to a contract or writing a clause in it for future, like most other professional clubs do. Clauses to claim part of future transfers as their share of development of the player. So, after 3 years of work by Sepahan coaches at all levels, the boy left to Russia without Sepahan getting anything of significance.

Today, Azmoun’s current market value is close to £11.05 million, which FC Rostov will be getting from his sale to any club interested in the 22 year old striker; Those clubs include Première league Liverpool and Arsenal.

What about Sepahan? They will get zilch, no development right fees and no percentage of transfer fee, simply because amateurs’ are running the commercial departments of the clubs. People short of vision and devoid of ideas and strategy.

One can only imagine how bad & chaotic the business is conducted in clubs like Esteghlal and Persepolis, who are getting the lion-share of the public funds and government handouts without producing single Iranian young talented players in the last two decades.

 

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Liverpool lining up move for Rostov & Team Melli Forward Sardar Azmoun

Liverpool are considering a January move for the FC Rostov forward Sardar Azmoun in response to Jürgen Klopp’s concerns over the loss of Danny Ings and Sadio Mané in the new year.

Azmoun has been linked with several Premier League clubs, Everton and Stoke City among them, having impressed for the Russian club since a controversial move from Rubin Kazan. Liverpool, with the newly appointed sporting director, Michael Edwards, leading their recruitment department, have monitored the 21-year-old this season and are considering an offer when the transfer window reopens.

The Iran international has carried his goalscoring form into Rostov’s Champions League campaign this season, playing an influential role in their progress through the qualifying rounds with goals against Anderlecht and Ajax and also scoring against Atlético Madrid in last week’s group game.

Azmoun joined Rostov in February 2015 on loan from Rubin Kazan, who appealed to the Court of Arbitration – and lost – when his current employers triggered what Kazan claimed was a non-existent buy-out clause this summer.

With Ings out for the season following knee surgery and Mané bound for the Africa Cup of Nations, Klopp has admitted that Liverpool require reinforcement in attack, specifically out wide, in January.