Tag: Karim Ansarifard

17/07/2016

Masoud Shojae to join Panionios FC

Team Melli’s winger and midfield player , Masoud Shojae (32 Years) have agreed a deal with the Greek Super League outfit, Panionios FC.

Shojaei , who was playing for the QSL Al Gharafa last season in Qatar, will be joining his compatriot , Karim Ansarifard in the same team in Greek league. Shojaei has played in the Spanish La Liga side Osasuna (101 games & 8 goals) and Segunda Division , Las Palmas (29 games & 5 goals) before returning east to the Persian Gulf and joining Qatar league.

Panionios FC were performing quite strongly in last season and with the help of Ansarifard’s goals , as they climbed the table near the top , but their campaign faltered towards the end and were finally ranked 5th , which was a massive improvement from the season before when they just managed to avoid relegation.

Panionios management has been trying to strengthen the squad to mount a good run and yet another title challenge in the Super League Greece season 2016/17. They play their home games in Nea Smyrni Stadium with a capacity of 11.700 seats. Panionios FC is one of the oldest and most historic Greek teams.

03/06/2016

Iran’s golden boy scores a hat trick against Macedonia

Sardar Azmoun scored a hat trick, his first at international level to lead Team Melli 3-1 against Macedonia in the match played At Philip II stadium at Skopje.

Azmoun scored early in the 8th minute from an assist by Dejagah , however the host quickly replied back and scored the equalizer in the 10th minute by A. Trajkovski assisted by I. Tričkovski

The parity however did not last long as once again Sardar Azmoun pounced on an easy opportunity to beat S. Dimitrievski with an easy shoot from Hajsafy’s assist. The half time finished 1-2 for Iran although Team Melli could have still added another goal.

In the second half Macedonia rested their star player Pandev and made a few changes but to no avail as The star of the Team was on a roll. Assisted by the fine pass of Saeed Ezatollahei , Azmoun found himself one on one from the through ball with only the keeper to beat. The FC Rostov top scorer finished immaculately to make it 3-1 for Team Melli. Azmoun was subbed in the 64th minute with Karimi Ansarifard who had a good season in the Greek League himself. Ansarifard managed to score a goal but it was disallowed for offside.

The result was never in doubt as Queiroz stuck to his game plan of building a solid defense and packing the midfield to feed the brilliant Azmoun. The result was a fine win for Team Melli against a European opponent , albeit not a very high ranked team. On the other hand South Korea was humiliated by Spain 6-1 in their international friendly in Switzerland.

Team Melli’s next friendly is against Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday.

28/11/2015

Karim Ansarifard scores a brace for his Greek club.

Karim Ansarifard Team Melli and Greek club Panionios FC center forward was the hero of the day as the Iranian player scored both of his team’s goals in the 2-0 victory over PAS Giannina on Saturday evening round 12 match of the Greek super League 2015/16 season.

With this win, Panionios FC secured the 3rd spot in the table behind the runaway leaders Olympiakos Piraeus with 30 and equal in points with Panathinaikos, lying 2nd with 22 with with a better goal margin ahead of Panionios .

Ansarifard scored his first goal in Stadio Néas Smírnis (Athína) early in the first half. Only 5 minutes has passed when Team Melli forward opened the scoring. 15 minutes later , L. Argyropoulos provided the assist for Ansarifard to complete his brace and secure an early commanding lead for Panionios FC.

Ansarifard was substituted in the 81st minute receiving a standing ovation from his fans.

11/08/2015

Karim Ansarifard signs for Greek club Panionios FC

Team Melli forward , Karim Ansarifard (25 years) signed a two-year contract with the Greek outfit Panionis FC.

Karim who last season experienced his worst ever season as a professional playing for Osasuna , was released by the Spanish second division club after he failed to score a single goal during the entire season. Playing alongside his Team Melli Captain Javad Nekounam was seen as a bonus for Ansarifard but his irregular selection, limited playing time , lack of confidence and his failure to gel with the other teams members resulted in a poor overall performance by the ex-Saipa and Persepolis & Tractorsazi striker.

Despite the woeful Season that Ansarifard suffered in Spain, he was adamant that he will continue to seek a European Club to continue his career. His confidence was high enough to make amends in another European country. The selection of Greece was more like immediate availability of a suitor for Ansarifard rather than choice

Greece, on the brink of bankruptcy as a country , does not seem to be the ideal place for the Iranian forward. During better days in the country, several Iranian professional footballer played in that country’s league including Nima Nakisa and current Naft Tehran coach , Alireza Mansourian. A few others also ended up playing in the Greek League.

Karim Ansarifard is one of the few Iranian footballers who has played in every age group of the national teams. A talented striker with a lot of potential, when he was first discovered by Ali Daei, he lost his bearing between Leaving Saipa to Persepolis and ending up in Spain. He still has a plenty of time to recover and return to the top.

Panionis FC is a based in Nea Smyrni suburb of Athens. Panionios has spent nearly its entire history in the Greek First Division (now called ‘Superleague’).

The team had its own share of financial troubles since the nineties and changed ownership several times. Last season it finished in the 13^th position and avoided relegation. The club home ground is Stadio Néas Smírnis in Athens with a capacity of 11,756

11/07/2015

Team Melli players promote charity work.

A group of Iranian footballers including Team Melli players visited a children’s charity organization that cares for cancer and Leukemia patients.

According to ISNA, Javad Nekounam, Fereydoon Zandi, Karim Ansarifard, Pejman Montazeri, Hashem Beigzadeh and Kazem Borjlou visited the charity on Saturday 11th July 2015 and concluded the visit with the signing of the most valuable football agreement in the history of Iran’s football.

Javad Nekounam, Fereydoon Zandi and Karim Ansarifard are regular visitors to the charity

In this agreement , a group of Iranian footballers, including Team Melli past and present players, joined the big family of the Mahak Charity and pledged to the children who suffer from cancer that they will not forget them and shall establish a permanent friendship bond with the children.

The footballers promised that regular visits will be established to cheer the children and play with them at least once every three months. The footballers also pledged to introduce MAHAK Charity to their friends and colleagues and encourage them to join this charity.

The agreement was signed in the presence of the founder and CEO of MAHAK Charity organization Saideh Ghods , a group of reporters and children and along with their families. The agreement contains 4 clauses. The provisions of this contract are all based love and compassion for their fellow human beings.

The importance of this agreement is the introduction of charity work as part of the commitment of football professionals in Iran and the need of the footballers to pay back to the society that has backed and supported them.

Saideh Ghod is an Iranian born social Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, started MAHAK to help indigent children suffering from cancer and their families. As a result, MAHAK, Society to Support Children Suffering from Cancer was registered in Iran in 1991 as a non-profit, non-governmental organization and it continues its work 16 years later solely with the help of charitable people. It was built on and for love and it thrives on hope.

At the start of its activities her small group met in a basement room but today with the persistence of Mrs. Ghods and the help of its supporters and volunteers MAHAK has grown into a respected, transparent, internationally recognized entity operating a hospital of its own. MAHAK is truly a dream that came true.

In addition to work done through MAHAK, Mrs. Ghods has gone on to help develop other NGOs such as ISCC, BCSI, and the GFI to promote Iran’s cancer treatment as well as help the environment. Today she continues to travel throughout Iran and the world organizing, meeting, fund raising, and developing way to foster and grow these organizations.

07/06/2015

Team Melli is further depleted !

A depleted Team Melli will be flying to Tashkent on Tuesday 11:00 am missing 7 players. The latest additions, is one of the most experienced players, Seyed Jalal Hosseini and Foolad young starlet , Soroush Rafei. The pair is facing administration issues preventing them from leaving Iran.

As reported earlier in teammelli.com , Hosseini is facing tax evasion charges due to the non-payment of taxes while he was playing with Persepolis. Hosseini learned of his dilemma when he returned to Iran after the end of the QSL season where he was playing with Al Ahli in Qatar. Hosseini is adamant that according to his contract , Persepolis was supposed to pay for his income taxes , something they never did.

Soroush Rafei is faced with the military service which in Iran means the person is not allowed to leave the country until the completion of his duty. However, there are exemptions based on admissible evidences. Queiroz personally took Rafei’s issue to task but it appears that his efforts were fruitless.

Although the decision on both are not final with another 30 odd hours remaining to the flight , it is hardly unlikely that the matter will be resolved. Hosseini’s absence will be a real blow to Team Melli already missing Amir Hossein Sadeghi in the central defense and Mehrdad Pooladi. Montazeri will most probably be paired with young Pouraliganji in the central defense while Ghafoori , Heydari or Beikzadeh will be occupying the defensive flanks.

The list of the absentees on the trip to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan is as follows:

Ashkan Dejagah (Injury)
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (injury)
Ghassim Haddadifar (Fatigue)
Jalal Hosseini (Taxation)
Karim Ansarifard (Form)
Mehrdad Pooladi (Military Service)
Soroush Rafei (Military Service)

26/03/201527/03/2015

Team Melli downs Chile 2-0

Team Melli Captain Javad Nekounam scored in the first half while the excellent Vahid Amiri added another goal in the second half for Team Melli to register an important morale boosting win against the team that was ranked 4 in the FIFA World Cup 2015 and the host of Copa America 2015.

The friendly match was played in NV Arena in the small town of St. Poulten , Austra in front of a small but voicferious crowd.

The match was split equally in terms of control as Iran was the better team in the first apart from the last 10 minytes of the first half , while Chile was the team which had more ball posession in the second after the introdcution of Alxis Sanchez.

Iran first goal came from on the 21st minute with a perfect corner by Ando Teymourian who found his Captain in a telepathic style , Nekounam perfectly positioned with ample space just had to slot the ball past Oscar Bravo , the Barcelona keeper.

Team Melli was the better team in the first half playing a compact game mixed with pace and energy during offensive moves. Defensive orgnization was perfect with very few balls seriously bothering Haghighi.

Ashkan Dejagah was by far the best player on the pitch giving the Chilean defenders extra headache while providing several glorious balls to his teammates. Shojaei was guilty of wasting 3 certain scoring chances. Dejagah was finding his teammates in space and dribbling past the Chileans with ease even while double-teaming him.

Alireza Haghighi had to make one save in anger during the first half but it was an important one. in the last minute of the half Haghighi denied the Chilean forward Fernandez from scoring when he parried his powerful header from close range for an excellent save.

The First half ended IRAN 1-0 CHILE

In the second , Chile was out to wipe out Iran’s lead and score a few goals ahead of their encounter with Brazil on Sunday. The Introduction of Alexis Sanchez , the Arsenal star player , made a significant difference in the pace and organization of the Chileans.

Despite the initial substantial ball possession , it was Iran that scored from a text book counter attack move when Masoud Shojaei passed the ball to his right , where Ghoochannejad raced past the half back and then sent a diagonal perfectly weighted ball to the on rushing Vahid Amiri for the Naft player to score his first goal for Team Melli and Iran’s second of the game.

After the goal , a period of sustain pressure where Chile players gave it every thing to recover , but failed to score as the highly disciplined back four were more than a match for the powerful and skilful Latin Americans. Sanchez in particular was initiating most of the attacks by Chile and skillfully feeding his teammates but to no avail.

Iran , despite the lack of ball possession in the 2nd half , were still dangerous in the counter attack. Masoud Shojae was unfortunately the weak link and he could only drag his foot around till Queiroz realized he needed to be subbed for a fresh player.

Vahid Amiri and Ashkan Dejagah continued their excellent forms through the 2nd half which saw the introduction of Karim Ansarifard in place of Ghoochannejad.

The Osasuna forward had a nightmare of a match failing to complete any pass while nearly costing his team a goal while back defending a corner.

Chile had their own chances but their finishing was not up to scratch while the Iranian defense was at its best.

Line Up

IRAN: 1 A. Haghighi ; 4 J. Hosseini , 15 P. Montazeri , 19 H. Beikzadeh , 11 V. Ghafouri , 6 J. Nekounam , 7 M. Shojaei (O. Ebrahimi 70′) , 21 A. Dejagah , 14 A. Teymourian , 13 V. Amiri (R. Rezaeian 90′) , 16 R. Ghoochannejhad (K. Ansarifard 74′)

CHILE: 1 C. Bravo ; 18 G. Jara , 5 E. Roco (G. Medel 63′) , 13 J. Cornejo , 27 E. Pulgar (C. Aránguiz 46′) , 11 M. González (C.A. Gutiérrez 46′) , 14 M. Fernández , 19 F. Orellana (A. Sanchez 46′) , 24 J. Fuenzalida ( M. Isla 62′) , 15 R. Millar (D. Pizarro 63′) , 9 E. Vargas

19/01/2015

Iran shows players red card after selfies with female fans

PUBLISHED: JANUARY 19, 2015 05:39 PM

Iran fans pose for pictures before the start of their Asian Cup Group C match against UAE at the Brisbane Stadium in Brisbane January 19, 2015.

BRISBANE, Jan 19 — Iran’s footballers have been warned they could face punishment if they take “selfie” pictures with female fans who have turned out in large numbers at the Asian Cup.

The head of the Iranian Football Federation’s moral committee said players risked being used as a “political tool” if snapped with women fans.

Women are banned from attending men’s sports events in the Islamic republic but they have flocked to see Iran’s games at the Asian Cup in Australia.

Ali Akbar Mohamedzade, head of the moral committee of the Iranian Football Federation, issued the warning last week as photos of players with women fans circulated on social media.

“National team players should be aware that they won’t be used as a political tool so that those who take pictures with them don’t use these photos against the players,” Iran’s Shahrvand newspaper quoted him as saying.

“So according to this they should not take photos with everyone. If the players don’t respect this, we will be obliged to take action.”

No detail was given on what punishment the players might face. Enthusiastic male and female fans of Iran, many wearing the team shirt, have been a feature of the Asian Cup.

The scenes contrast with the situation in Iran, where women are banned from men’s sports events on moral grounds.

Iran’s Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz has carefully steered clear of any controversy, giving a firm “no comment” when asked about the presence of women fans.

One female fan Tweeted pictures of goalkeeper Ali Reza Haghighi and midfielder Karim Ansari Fard posing with women, while another photo shows a woman holding an Iranian flag inscribed with a marriage proposal to Haghighi.

Three-time champions Iran are already through to the quarter-finals. Their games have been noisily supported with thousands of fans, some banging drums and blowing trumpets.

“We are monitoring what is happening in Australia, we haven’t sent any representative to Australia,” Mohamedzade was quoted as saying. — AFP

26/12/2014

The misfortunes of Team Melli forwards.

With around 3 weeks to go for Iran’s first match in the AFC Asian Cup 2015, Team Melli’s bad fortunes continues unabated,

Reza Ghoochannejad , the forward who singlehandedly took Iran to the World Cup 2014 with his precious vital goals in the qualifiers , has just been shown the door by a uninspiring team, low level team playing in less than modest league. Ghoochannejad has been told by Al Kuwait FC that his services are no longer required and has to return to his club , Charlton Athletics. Gucci in fact scored 7 goals for AL Kuwait during the half season , but it was deemed not a good return on investment that the Kuwaiti club which has paid over a million Euro for his services.

Reza Ghoochannejad scored the only goal for Team Melli in the World Cup against Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 3-1 defeat.

Karim Ansarifard, the young player who promised so much in the last few years , has fared much worse than Gucci . The reserve Team Melli forward has not managed to score any goals for his club Osasuna during his 8 matches and 351 minutes of playing time.

Ansarifard has been told by the Pamplona club that he needs to find another club in the January transfer windows as he will be no longer wanted in Osasuna where his Captain Javad Nekounam is a key player in the Segunda Division side.

Team Melli is not renowned for their offensive prowess in Asia , as the tactical policy of the team is built around solid defense, however with their two main forwards being out of a job , it does not augur well for the team in Australia.

Just as expected after Umm Salal last league game, Pejman Montazeri’s injury looks like a serious one. It has been announced today that Team Melli’s central defender will not be available for selection for the Asian Cup due to the injury.

Another player who might miss the trip to Australia is Khosro Haidary whose recovery has been slow from his injury. The Esteghlal right back is currently under special observation.

11/11/2014

Ansarifard and Azamoun join Team Melli squad.

The two European based Team Melli players, Karim Ansarifard of Osasuna and Sardar Azmoun of Rubin Kazan have joint their teammates in Tehran.

With the arrival of these two, Team Melli is now training with full squad in preparation for Next week’s match against South Korea in Azadi. Today morning was the third training session under the supervision of Carlos Queiroz and most of the players were active in training including Hashim Beikzadeh who suffered a knock during training and given a day off.

Alireza Haghighi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh were given a day off following their late arrival from Europe , while Nekounam and Ghoochanejad were given light training in the gym as a recovery exercise following their involvement in league matches with their respective teams before their arrival to Tehran.

Ashkan Dejagah in a brief interview with ISNA admitted that many fans were disappointed with him for leaving a European Team to play for a Qatari team “I am aware of such sentiment by some of the fans. It is a matter of people’s opinion and I respect that. I am the same Ashkan who grew up playing in Europe and will remain true to my standards and principles. The fact that I am in a different league now will not result in performances degradation.”

Dejagah also acknowledged that they are in a tough group n the Asian Games. “These teams prepared themselves well and played several friendly matches. I monitor Qatar team closely and I see that they have developed into a fine and organized team much better than what they were at a few years back. We have to admit that we are in a tough group and need to be at our best to qualify.”

“I urge the fans to flock to Azadi to support the team. The Koreans are here to take revenge after two consecutive defeats, We need the backing of the fans and I dearly hope that they will fill Azadi” the ex-Fulham player , Dejagah said