Tag: Iraq

AFC teams qualified for 3rd Round of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

With the end of the games of the second qualifying round of the FIFA  World Cup in Qatar 2022, the name of the teams advancing to the third round of this competition was determined.

Under AFC rules, the top eight teams in each group advanced to the next round with the top four, but North Korea’s withdrawal complicated the equation so that the AFC decided not to count the results of the second teams with the team placed last in the group. Qatar as host of the World Cup, which topped group E, will not be playing in the third round.

The two biggest losers of this round are Kuwait and Uzbekistan. Kuwait has already qualified for the World Cup in 1982 lost to Jordan and Australia. Uzbekistan which has been quite a contender in Asian football was grouped with Saudi Arabia. It lost on the final day and did not make the list of the best five runner-ups.

The draw for the third round will be held at AFC Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday 24th June.

The top teams that made it to the final round of these games are as follows:

SYRIA
AUSTRALIA
IRAN
SAUDI ARABIA
OMAN
JAPAN
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
KOREA REP
LEBANON
CHINA
IRAQ
VIETNAM

Team Melli qualifies to the next round Of World Cup preliminaries

Iran defeated Iraq 1 -0 in Muharraq Stadium in Bahrain to qualify for the next round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The goal was scored by Sardar Azmoun in the first half from a perfect diagonal pass from Ehsan Hajsafy.

In a match that started with lots of stress on both teams, the first 20 minutes of the match was more like street football with many loose passes, poor tackles, and as expected much theatrics and grass rolling by the Iraqi players.

Team Melli however, was quite strong against the Iraqi midfield who had just one player that could slice the Iranian defenders in Bashar Resan. However, he was tightly controlled to minimize any threats from him which isolated Iraq’s lone forward Muhand Ali, and rendered him ineffective.

The goal scored by Azmoun was a beauty in all sense of the word. A long cross-field pass from Gholizadeh who spotted Hajsafy run on the left flank, the captain controlled the ball, run a few meters, and sent a diagonal immaculate pass to the onrushing Azmoun to slot home. A classical finish by Azmoun.

IN the second half, with Iran still in control, the Iraqi’s run out of steam as they hardly created any serious threat to Beiranvand. ON the other hand, Team Melli had at least 5 scoring chances for scoring all wasted because the shoots were directed at Jalalk Hassan’s body. It started with Azmoun who received a glorious pass from Taremi, similar to the goal against Bahrain. Azmoun shot into the Iraq goalkeeper. Then it was Aligholizadeh’s turn who wiggled past all the Iraq defenders and was facing Jalal Hassan, but his timid shot was gladly collected by the keeper. The true miss of the match must be the last-second ball after some great work by Kaveh Rezaei to give Ghaedi a perfect chance to score from meters away. The substitute missed too and spoon after that the referee whistled for the end of the game.

Although Iraq hardly created any threat, it was like a cesarian win for Team Melli. The starting lineup was far from perfect and a close analysis of the match will show Skocic that there are quite a few things that need revision and improvement on the team.

In Any case, Iran well deserved this win and will join the 11 other qualified teams in the third round.

What does it take to win?

The penultimate game of Group C of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be played in less than 24 hours in Muharraq island in Bahrain between Iran and Iraq.

The objective for both teams is quite clear, Iran must win to top the group and avoid the complicated calculations for qualifying to the next round. Iraq will slip in with a draw which will assure it the top place and qualification.

The results and the stats favor Team Melli for the match on Tuesday, however, it is a cliche that fans have heard many times. Past Results means nothing at kick-off, the team that would win is the better team that has played according to its ability and gameplan.

Team Melli realistic chances.

Not only on paper but also on the last performances of Team Melli against the other group teams and friendly match versus Syria, Dragan Skocic has improved the team several folds. This team is incomparable to the one that the lackluster Belgian coach Wilomts fielded and lost to Bahrain and Iraq. The leadership and the marks of the Croat are quite vivid in a team that is basically the same players, minus a few veterans that have lost their places. The team is younger more confident and certainly capable of defeating Iraq with the same ease they have defeated Bahrain a few days ago.

In every department, Iran has the edge over Iraq, although Iraq’s coach Katanic has the upper edge on experience at the international level over Skocic.  Beiranvand was only really tested once in this series against Hong Kong which he unfortunately failed, but his experience and character should assure him a place in the starting lineup.

In defense, Moharrami has been solid, but not the same can be said about Milad Mohammadi. However, they seem to be the top best choices right now with a few other options available;e for Skocis. The Center of the defense is perhaps the most concerning. Khalizadeh and Kanani-Zadegan. The pair have played together well at club level and they formed a good understanding. They are solid defenders with the ability to support the offensive lines during dead ball situations. There is a question mark of the reliability of Kanani who lacks international experience and at times seems unsure of himself committing basic errors of judgments. Pouralganji is a better choice in many aspects, however, Skocic might opt to stick with the pair because of their good understanding.

IN Midfiled Ghoddos and Gholizadeh have been spotless and given the team the performance that forces the coach to start them in the match, Ezatollahi and Jahanbakhsh have many rough edges that might not be suitable for this critical match. ON the defensive side of the midfield, Nourallahi, and Hajsafy complete the midfield set that is well-balanced between defense and attack.

The forward line is without any argument belongs to Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi. There is little argument. against these two as starters.

Physically, Iran is stronger but what remains to be seen is if the coaching staff and counselors have instilled tactical discipline and strong mental agility in the players. The Iraqi’s are well known for play-acting and theatrics. The Iraqis will not miss any trick to distract the attention of Team Melli players even to the degree of intimidating them. There are several Iranian players who are vulnerable in this department and the Iraqis must have identified them. The solution is to ensure that these Team Melli players do not fall into the trap and continue playing their normal game which will be their tools to victory and qualifying for the next round.

Probable Line-Up

Alireza BEIRANVAND
Sadegh MOHARRAMI Hossein KANANI-ZADEGAN Shojaa KHALILZADEH Milad MOHAMMADI
Ehsan HAJSAFY Saman GHODDOS Ahmad NOUROLLAHI Ali GHOLIZADEH
Sardar AZMOUN Mehdi TAREMI

Match Preview: Iran vs. Iraq.

Muharraq: The Group C winners will be determined on Tuesday when Iran and Iraq clash at the Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium, while Bahrain faces Hong Kong in their final match in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

The race for top spot promises to see a thrilling end with Iraq – on 17 points – two ahead of Iran while Bahrain will need to defeat Hong Kong by a huge margin and hope for Iran to lose to secure second place as Group C goes down to the wire.

The top spot will secure a place in the final round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, while a strong finish may also see the group’s runners-up through.

IR IRAN v IRAQ

All eyes will be on Iran as Team Melli will look to make it four wins out four since Group C resumed earlier this month with Cambodia, Bahrain, and Hong Kong easily seen off.

Iraq, however, will be a tougher challenge and with victory, the only option in their bid to finish top, head coach Dragan Skocic will demand the winning consistency Iran have developed in Muharraq as they chase a third consecutive appearance in the FIFA World Cup Finals.

Iran have been clinical in front of the net, with 17 goals to their name while the defense has been resolute with only Chinese Taipei able to breach the backline in Muharraq.

Iraq, meanwhile, may only need a draw but it is highly unlikely that head coach Srecko Katanec will adopt a defensive gameplan against an Iran side who have been scoring at will.

Image

Iraq resumed their campaign with a 4-1 defeat of Cambodia but found the going tougher against Hong Kong, with an own goal by Fung Hing Wa securing the West Asians the three points.

Katanec wasn’t unduly bothered by the lack of goals against Hong Kong and will remind his charges that they defeated Iran when the two teams met in November 2019.

Iran vs Iraq – A history of close encounters

Iran and Iraq have been playing against each other for over 59 years. Their first-ever encounter was a friendly match in Amjadieh Stadium in June 1962 where that match ended in a 1-1 draw. Iran’s goal was scored by Parviz Kozekanani while Iraq scored the equalizer by Jameel Abbas.

On Tuesday 15th June, they will be meeting for the 29th time in a crucial match, especially for Team Melli. A win by Iran will assure both teams qualifying for the next round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Iran as a group leader, and Iraq as one of the best 5 runners up of the 8 Asian Groups.

 

A draw will reverse the ranking, with both going through. A win for Iraq will complicate the issue for Team Melli and its survival will be dependent on other groups’ results, however, Iran will still stand a strong chance to make it through if the second-ranked teams lose points against group leaders.

There is no doubt that Iran has the upper hand historically in the head-to-head meeting. IN the 28 matches played Iran has won 16 with 7 matches drawn and 5 losses.

The match results between the two neighboring countries have always been close. Only on two occasions, Iran managed to win with 3 goals or a better margin. A 4-0 victory in the Tokyo Olympic Games qualifiers in Amjadueha and in 3-0 in Bangkok during the 1972 Asian Cup. Interestingly, both these matches saw Iranian players score a hat trick, Hamid Shirzadegan, and Hossein Kalani respectively;y.

The highest aggregate score between the two teams Cam in AFC Asian Cup 2015 when the teams drew 3-3 before Iran losing on the penalty shootouts.

 

Ali Daei has scored 4 goals against Iraq, the most of any Iranian player. Many famous players are on the list of scorers vs. Iraq. The list below is for players who scored 2 or more goals.

Player Goals
Ali Daei 4
Hamid Shirzadegan 3
Hassan Rowshan 3
Hossein Kalani 3
Akbar Eftekhari 2
Mohammad Ali Karimi 2
Parviz Ghleechkhani 2
Parviz Kozekanani 2
Sardar Azmoun 2

Team Melli is on the march : Iran 10 – 0 Cambodia

Iran defeated Cambodia 10-0 in Group C of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 on Friday to ensure their qualification hopes are very much in their own hands.

The win took Iran to 15 points and with Iraq – who defeated Hong Kong later on Friday to stay two points ahead at the top – up next on the final day of the Asian Qualifiers, a win for Team Melli will mean finishing as group winners.

Cambodia, meanwhile, ended their campaign with just one point to their name from eight matches.

Iran head coach Dragan Skocic made six changes to the starting line-up that had defeated Bahrain 3-0 in their previous match, but there was no disruption to service as the Central Asians took a firm grip on the match.

Cambodia, however, showed early determination but suffered a setback in the 15th minute when Iran were awarded a penalty after defender Sor Rotana’s foul on Alireza Jahanbaksh (pictured below, right), with the Iran skipper converting the spot-kick.

Group C: Cambodia v IR Iran

Iran continued to press and were rewarded again with Shojae Khalizadeh rising highest to head home a corner kick in the 22nd minute before Mehdi Taremi (pictured below, left) got into the goalscoring action with a half-volley to make it 3-0 five minutes later.

Iran’s fourth goal came through Rotana deflecting Milad Mohammadi’s cross past custodian Keo Soksela in the 32nd minute, with the inside of the crossbar denying the Central Asians a fifth before the break as Saeid Ezatolahi’s penalty rebounded off the woodwork.

Cambodia v IR Iran (2)

Iran maintained a high tempo in the second half with Mohammadi etching his name on the scoresheet in the 57th minute, courtesy of Mehdi Ghayedi’s superb through pass, before Morteza Pouraliganji headed home a corner six minutes later.

Cambodia’s desperate defending led to another Iran penalty in the 77th minute, with Karim Ansarifard slotting home to make it 7-0.

Saeid Ezatolahi - Cambodia v IR Iran

There was no stopping Iran’s quest for goals, with Kaveh Rezaei becoming the seventh Team Melli player to find the back of the net after heading in Sadegh Moharammi’s cross in the 80th minute before Ghayedi displayed his dribbling talent in the box to beat Soksela from close range.

Rezaei bagged his second of the night in the 87th minute as Iran completed an emphatic win and set its sights on Iraq.

Skocic satisfied with his team but the focus is now on Cambodia game.

Dragan Skucic, the head coach of Iran, in the pre-match press conference before tomorrow’s (Friday) match against Cambodia said “I would like to express my satisfaction with the performance and the result of our match against Bahrain. While there was a lot of stress on the players in that game, we were able to get a satisfactory result.”

He added: “I ask my players to forget about the game against Bahrain. In football, you need to forget memories and past results. We do not want to underestimate Cambodia and we have a lot of respect for them. I watched their games and realized that their performance is much improved and they are better than their results imply, and I would like to ask my team to keep their focus on this game and show their quality. We are going for a win against Cambodia while we have a lot of respect for them. We came to Bahrain to get the maximum points and we have nothing to do with calculations and ifs and buts,” Skocic said.

Asked about the last result against Cambodia in Azadi stadium, and the impact of that game while facing them again on Friday ” All the players and the technical staff are focused this game against Cambodia, and I  have emphasized on them to forget about the game against Iraq and the ifs and buts for that game. We put everything we have to play against Cambodia and we are looking for maximum points.”

Dragan Skocic was accompanied by Saman Ghoddos in this press conference.

Team Melli is presently lying second after Iraq in Group C of the qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022.

Game review: Iran vs. Bahrain

Following the comprehensive 0 – 3 defeat against Iran in the return match of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers, Bahrain head coach Helio Sousa in his post-match statement said “the difference between the two sides was that Iran had the likes of Azmoun and Taremi.”

“The strength of Iran was their ability to launch attacks from the middle and we should have not given the space to do what they want,” said the Portuguese coach.

Sousa was accurate in his analysis but what he opted to mention was that he was outwitted by a less famous coach that hardly anyone has heard off beyond Iran and his homeland Croatia’s borders.

Dragan Skočić’s appointment as a head coach of Iran couldn’t have come at any worst time for himself and the team. The outbreak of the covid19 pandemic spoilt all his plans, in fact, he did not sit on the bench for his first match until 9 months after his 6th February 2020 appointment. His record now is a perfect 100%.

5 matches played 3 friendlies and 2 World Cup qualifiers so far. There is little doubt that he will make it 6 out of 6 comes Friday in the match against Cambodia.

There is no escaping the fact that Skočić is not a household name in Iran’s football as he coached lackluster or middle of the table teams before being appointed as Head Coach of Team Melli, however, in the few matches that he coached especially in the FIFA qualifiers, the 52 years old Croat has displayed a level of skill and vision that is unique. Give him the right players and this coach will bring glory to any team.

He rightly recognized that Jahanbakhsh despite his status is not delivering at the moment. He also rightly recognized that the team needs a skillful running player in the midfield who can supply quality balls to the forwards and hence Saman Ghoddos.

In the first half of the match against Bahrain, he recognized that Bahrain defensive plan is solid. It was a chapter from Carlos Queiroz’s book which his protégé Helios Sous has learned and implemented quite well in Bahrain National Team. Before the match against Iran, Bahrain conceded one goal only in six group matches. That proves how well their defensive plan is effective.

With that in mind, introducing a player such as Ghoddos, or Torabi was the best mean of beating such defenses. It worked quite well for Team Melli and Skočić was rightly delighted with his successful plan. The second goal scored by Azmoun had all the attributes and beauties of a great goal with amove started by Azmoun himself.

No plan will work unless you have the quality players. With Taremi and Azmoun, Skocic could not ask for more. At the end of the day, these two made the difference. Clearly, if they receive the services, they will deliver. In the case of Taremi, perhaps it is a question of focus and concentration as he seems to waste many scoring chances provided to him. Perhaps that is the ceiling of his abilities, but there might be some psychological work that Skocic and other coaches can work on increase his accuracy in front of the goal. He also needs to stop acting innocent and protesting whenever he misses the goal, or loses the ball and get on with the game.

Pouraliganji was an assuring figure when he came in. Although the pair Khalilzadeh and Kanai-Zadegan have performed well, they have not really been tested properly yet. The latter is a bit of a risk and lacks the experience of Pouraliganji. Shojaa Khalilzadeh is more solid but a player that could ignite at any time. Level heads and experience are really required in the center of defense.

The midfield of Team Melli must be credited for achieving the comprehensive victory against Bahrain. Their defensive and offensive roles were played quite efficiently. It was the midfield players who restricted Bahrain forwards and cut their supplies, although to be fair Bahrain midfield players were poor compared to their previous matches. Skocic bemoaned the loss of Amiri for the rest of the competition. Amiri had a very solid game against Bahrain. However, there are better players at the coach’s disposal, and Amiri’s absence against Iraq would not even be noticed.

Gholizadeh, Ezatollahi, Hajsafy, Torabi, Nourallahi, Jahanbakhsh are all available and do the job as well if not better than Amiri.

It was a good solid overall performance by Team Melli with some rough edges. The result was sweet and crucial. More of the same against Iraq will surely propel Iran to the next rounds of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

 

Team Melli battles for qualification.

On Monday, Bahrain will be hosting Team Melli in one of the most peculiar of injustices of football. The match which is supposed to be the home game fr Iran is instead played in Bahrain! Never in the history of the FIFA World Cup, a team played both its home and away matches in one side’s venue like it is happening now with Iran.

Iran not only needs to battle the politics but pass a difficult hurdle in Bahrain Team, which to its credit, has been playing very good football through the preliminaries and now occupying the top of the table with 12 points. The battle between Iran and Bahrain promises to be a spectacular encounter, as a win for either side could make a huge difference in the final outcome of Group C.

Team Melli returned to form with their 3-1 win over Hong Kong last Thursday, reviving their top spot aspirations and with a match in hand, head coach Dragan Skocic will expect his side to take the game to hosts Bahrain. The weather on Monday at kick-off time is expected to be 35 degrees Celsius with a humidity of 39% with a wind speed of 26 Km/h. Generally speaking, it is a mildly warm day for Bahrain, which could have been much worst.l

Bahrain fancies their chances as they will head into the tie boosted by their win over Cambodia and, more importantly, in the knowledge that they have already defeated Iran in the Asian Qualifiers – with Mohamed Al Hardan scoring the only goal in their October 2019 meeting. Al Hardan will be missing due to an operation on his foot.

Iran’s strikeforce may be the most famous of the four lines with world-famous names like Taremi and Azmoun, however, the pair failed to score any of the three goals against Hong Kong in the last match. On the other hand, Komail Al Aswad, Ali Madan, and veteran striker Ismaeel Abdulatif all scored twice each against Cambodia and head coach Helio Sousa will be happy with the fact that his team has multiple sources for goals against a team seeking to qualify for their third consecutive FIFA World Cup Finals.

While Sousa was all praise for Team Melli during the press conference, it is no secret that he has been focusing on this match and considering it as a decider. A shrewd tactician who managed his squad rotation and substitution quite well during the Gulf Cup tournament of 2019 leading Bahrain to left the cup for the first time in their history.

Dragan Skocic has kept the starting line up close to his heart. In the Hong Kong match, when it was clear that the forwards were having difficulties, with few substitutes he revived the team. It is unknown if he will stick with Azamoun and Taremi, but most probably he will awaiting the deliveries of these two before any substitutions are carried out.

Off-field, the authorities have been hyping the fans who would be able to watch the match on TV only. Bahrain TV has broadcast that infamous match of World Cup 2002 qualifiers when Bahrain defeated Iran on the same ground to let Saudi Arabia go through.

Meanwhile, a source in the Iraqi Team delegation, confirmed, on Saturday, that Iraq Player, Ali Fayez, was infected with the Coronavirus. The source said in an interview with “Mawazine News” that “the Bahraini health authorities informed the team’s delegation of the positive corona result of  Ali Fayez.

According to the regulations, the player will be isolated from the rest and will not be appearing for his team in any further matches.

The source pointed out that “the Iraqi defender will miss the Asian qualifiers due to being quarantined in Bahrain.” The team’s delegation made several contacts with the Bahraini side to return the swab to the player Ali Fayez and to confirm that he was infected with the Coronavirus, so that the player was subjected to a second swab yesterday evening, Friday, the results of which appeared today, Saturday, and it was confirmed that the player was infected and who will be subject to quarantine for a period of ten days, which means his official absence from all the Iraq matches in the double Asian qualifiers against Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Iran.

Iran v Bahrain
Venue: Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa
Kick-off: 19:30 hours (UTC+3) – 21:00 Iran Time

Rank M W D L GF GA GD PTS
1 BAHRAIN 6 3 3 0 11 1 +10 12
2 IRAQ 5 3 2 0 9 2 +7 11
3 IRAN 5 3 0 2 20 4 +16 9
4 HONG KONG 6 1 2 3 4 8 -4 5
5 CAMBODIA 6 0 1 5 1 30 -29 1

Possible Line Up against Hong Kong.

Skocic knows very well that he has no choice but to win four of his four matches in order to have a chance of qualifying for the next stage of the World Cup 2022 qualifiers and more importantly for him, to keep his job as the head coach of this team. Hence, his slightest mistake in picking the lineup could be irreparable.

Team Melli, which has the most stars compared to previous years, has gone to Bahrain without a preparation game in recent months so the match against Hong Kong will not only a must-win 3 pointer, but also a preparation for the tougher oppositions ahead in form of Bahrain and Iraq.

Dragan Skocic intends to deploy a 2-4-4 formation in this match, in which Alireza Beiranvand will keep his post in the goal. Skocic will continue using the pair.  Shojaa Khalilzadeh and Mohammad Hossein Kananizadegan in the heart of the defense. He will use  Sadegh Moharremi, who was called up to the national team again after months of injury, as a right-back. In the left-back post, although the coach has many options such as Ehsan Haj Safi and Milad Mohammadi for selection, his intentions seem to be on using Vahid Amiri as a left-back. The Persepolis midfielder, who has also played as a defender for his club team in the last two months, has impressed Skocic in this makeshift role.

In the midfield, Skocic intends to use Ahmad Nourollahi and Saeed Ezzatolahi along with Ali Gholizadeh. The selection of the fourth player among options such as Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mehdi Torabi is none other than Saman Ghoddos. The Brentford midfielder, who has been delayed from joining the national team due to his club play-off and subsequent promotion to the English Premier League, is set to start the match against Hong Kong.. The possible presence of Ghoddos in today’s squad will be seen as a surprise from Skocic by many observers, however, it makes sense as Ghoddos has completed a successful season while Jahanbakhsh was the opposite.

Skocic’s easiest job was picking the two forwards. The head coach of Team Melli has a potent strike force that automatically picks itself upfront.  Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun, are the most powerful strikers of the national team in the last couple of decades and will be starting the match. Kaveh Rezaei, Mehdi Ghaedi, and Karim Ansarifard will be on the bench with the possibility of one of them being introduced late in the match.

It remains to be seen how Skocic’s technical thinking will play out on the pitch in the first leg of the return leg. Last minutes events could also affect his final selection.

 

Possible Line Up