Tag: Korea Rep.

No reception party for Team Melli squad !!

Carlos Queiroz refused to give an interview on arrival at Imam Khomeini International airport as a result of what he claimed as lack or respect by the management of the federation. Team Melli squad arrived in Tehran after a long trip from South Korea after playing a goal-less draw against the host nation in the qualifying rounds of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. Iran maintained the lead in the Group with 21 points 7 points ahead of second place Korea with an incredible run of 12 clean sheets match in the qualifiers .

Team Melli players have already used the social media to complain about the lack of support and the indifference of the authorities in providing suitable resources including a proper training ground.  This type of federation indifference has become the norm from as far as Queiroz took over in 2011.  After several threats of resignation and refusal to go to Tehran , Queiroz was promised that support will improve and his requirements will be met. Promises after promises and 6 years later , the situation has hardly changed. The head of the FFIRI has changed but certainly not for the better and the same incompetence still prevails leaving Carlos Queiroz fuming at every opportunity.

This time in the Airport, there was not even a single FFIRI delegate to meet the squad. Such lack of interest by the officials left many players despondent. Khabar Varzeshi news which was televising live from the airport on Team Melli arrival was not granted any interviews because of FFIRI officials absence!!

 

Qatar vs. Iran : Preview

The last time the two teams met in Azadi , it took Team Melli two late goals to defeat Qatar which excelled in defending their goal before a calamitous goal keeping error allowed Gucci to score the first then Jahanbaksh to seal the win in injury time.

Carlos Queiroz’s side are the only unbeaten team in Group A but, after Sardar Azmoun’s goal secured a 1-0 victory over the Taeguk Warriors on Matchday Four, Iran saw their lead at the top of the standings cut four days later when they played out a goalless draw with Syria. Two main players are missing from squad. Ashkan Dejagah injury put him out of match practice , while Ando Teymourian dip in form rendered the duo unfit for duty.

Opponents Qatar got off to the worst possible start on the Road to Russia by suffering three defeats on the bounce, but responded well by defeating Syria 1-0 and claiming a point in China on Matchdays Four and Five respectively.

The home side, though, will be without four players through suspension with Khalid Muftah, Ahmed Yasser, Abdelkarim Hassan and Meshaal Abdulla all unavailable for selection.

Photos: Lagardère Sports

 TABLE

GROUP A
TEAMS MP W D L GF GA +/- Pts
5 3 2 0 4 0 4 11  DWWDW
5 3 1 1 8 6 2 10  WLWDW
5 3 0 2 5 3 2 9  LWLWW
5 1 2 2 1 2 -1 5  DLWDL
5 1 1 3 3 6 -3 4  DWLLL
5 0 2 3 2 6 -4 2  DLLDL

 

 

MATCHES

23 MAR 2017 – 19:35 Local time
GROUP A
Helong Stadium
Changsha , Hunan
China PR     CHINA PR vs   KOREA REPUBLIC Korea Republic
11:35 (GMT)

23 MAR 2017 – 20:00 Local time
GROUP A
Hang Jebat Stadium
Krubong
 Syria     SYRIA    vs.   UZBEKISTAN    Uzbekistan
12:00 (GMT)

23 MAR 2017 – 19:00 Local time
GROUP A
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
Doha
 Qatar     QATAR     vs.     IRAN     Iran
 16:00 (GMT)

 

 Head2Head

Home/Away / Neutral Matches Iran Wins Draw  Lost Goals + / –
H 8 6 2 0 19 – 4 +15
A 13 7 3 3 15 – 11 +4
N 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 +0
Total 21 13 5 3 34 – 15 +19

 

Iran drawn against Korea Rep. again.

Iran was drawn with Korea Rep. , Uzbekistan , Qatar , China and Syria in Group A of the FIFA World Cup 2018 Final qualification rounds.

The draw was conducted by AFC General Secretary Dato Windsor John, with a helping hand from former Korea Republic star Park Ji-sung. Numerous personalities were in attendance, headed by the coaches of the teams that will contest the third round.

The latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking was used to split the 12-country field into six pots. These were then drawn into two groups of six teams, who will do battle for direct qualification to Russia 2018 between 1 September 2016 and 5 September 2017.

Both group winners and runners-up will go straight through to the 2018 World Cup. Meanwhile, the two teams that finish third will meet in a two-legged showdown on 5 and 10 October 2017. Whoever triumphs in this double-header will look to secure their spot at the finals in an intercontinental play-off – also to be played over two legs – against the fourth-placed country from CONCACAF qualifying.

Australia , the AFC Asian Cup title holders is grouped with Japan , Saudi Arabia, UAE , Thailand, and Iraq in group B.

The two teams Iran and Korea Rep. will renew their rivalry once again in the qualification for the World Cup. In the last encounter , the relationship between the coaches were making the headlines and as there was not love lost between Carlo Queiroz and the South Korean Choi KANG-HEE . The South Korean for all his rhetorics ended up in the losing side and eventually resigned his job, South Korea survived by the skin of their teeth after Uzbekistan failed to score one more goal to put them ahead on goal difference in the other group matches.

The draw avoided a potential problem for FIFA and AFC after the Saudi’s claimed they will refuse to play in Iran.

Iran, Japan, Korea Rep.,  Australia and Qatar are the top seeds for qualification. The first round will commence on 1st September 2016.

 

MATCHES SCHEDULE

Matchday One
September 01, 2016 Thursday Iran vs. Qatar – H

Matchday Two
September 06, 2016 Tuesday China vs. Iran – A

Matchday Three
October 06, 2016 Thursday Uzbekistan vs. Iran – A

Matchday Four
October 11, 2016 Tuesday Iran vs.  South Korea – H

Matchday Five
November 15, 2016 Tuesday  Syria  vs. Iran – A

Matchday Six
March 23, 2017 Thursday Qatar vs. Iran – A

Matchday Seven
March 28, 2017 Tuesday Iran vs  China – H

Matchday Eight
June 13, 2017 Tuesday Iran vs. Uzbekistan – H

Matchday Nine
August 31, 2017 Thursday South Korea vs. Iran – A

Matchday Ten
September 5th, 2017 Iran vs. Syria – H

Iran maintains top Asian FIFA Ranking Feb. 2016

  • 44         CURRENT FIFA WORLD RANKING
  • 47        AVERAGE POSITION SINCE FIFA WORLD RANKING CREATION
 Team Melli continued leading the Asian FIFA Ranking while remaining unchanged in the world at number 44.
In the figures published for the month of February 2016 today in Zürich, Iran was ranked ahead of Scotland while one rank below Paraguay.
Japan maintained its second place while Korea republic is third.

2016 (100 %) 2015 (50 %) 2014 (30 %) 2013 (20 %)
Rank Team Total Points Previous

Points

+/- Avg. AVG WGT Avg. AVG WGT Avg. AVG WGT Avg. AVG WGT
1 44 IRN   Iran 627(626.53) 626 0 275.78 275.78 323.29 161.65 460.10 138.03 255.35 51.07
 2 56 JPN   Japan 575(575.15) 569 2 263.60 263.60 327.02 163.51 205.07 61.52 432.61 86.52
 3 57 KOR   Korea Republic 566(565.74) 580 -4 282.46 282.46 343.57 171.78 225.59 67.68 219.09 43.82
 4 60 KSA   Saudi Arabia 562(562.38) 571 -5 384.56 384.56 122.58 61.29 297.06 89.12 137.05 27.41
 5 64 UAE   United Arab Emirates 517(517.42) 520 1 236.30 236.30 245.47 122.73 377.77 113.33 225.27 45.05
 6 67 AUS   Australia 506(505.85) 510 1 253.52 253.52 272.38 136.19 259.19 77.76 191.91 38.38
 7 74 UZB   Uzbekistan 484(484.31) 502 -3 239.19 239.19 202.48 101.24 287.67 86.30 287.89 57.58
 8 80 QAT   Qatar 441(440.99) 444 -2 292.40 292.40 141.62 70.81 150.66 45.20 162.91 32.58
 9 82 JOR   Jordan 414(413.65) 418 0 234.41 234.41 102.88 51.44 310.32 93.10 173.52 34.70
10 91 IRQ   Iraq 371(370.87) 372 -2 204.28 204.28 230.16 115.08 67.61 20.28 156.14 31.23
 11 94 PRK   Korea DPR 356(355.68) 350 1 283.58 283.58 42.12 21.06 16.51 4.95 230.44 46.09
 12 96 CHN   China PR 351(350.77) 365 -3 158.99 158.99 244.98 122.49 189.38 56.81 62.39 12.48
 13 97 OMA   Oman 342(341.55) 345 0 160.69 160.69 146.02 73.01 255.33 76.60 156.29 31.26
 14 105 KGZ   Kyrgyzstan 324(324.34) 324 0 246.80 246.80 66.96 33.48 146.86 44.06 0.00 0.00
15 113 TKM   Turkmenistan 298(298.41) 298 1 207.98 207.98 64.50 32.25 64.50 19.35 194.11 38.82