Tag: Omid NOORAFKAN

Team Melli players news & transfers.

Omid Noorafkan, who is a member of the Belgian football club Sporting Charleroi has agreed terms with Foolad Sepahan on a one-year deal. Noorafkan was on a loan deal with Esteghlal but his contract with Sepahan is a permanent one, according to ISNA. Noorafkan has already joined Sepahan squad and has been training at the club training ground from today (Tuesday). Massoud Tabash, managing director of Sepahan Club, confirmed this in an interview with ISNA.

Saman Ghoddos transfer to the English Championship club Brentford has fallen apart at the last minute with the Iranian not agreeing personal terms.  Ghoddos returned back to his club Amiens SC in France and joined the squad for training.  Ghoddos already played two matches for his club in League 1. The Iranian midfielder is one of the very few successful Iranian legionnaires’ in Europe. Last season he played 27 times for Amiens and scored 4 goals.

Meanwhile, in Qatar, Omid Ebrahimi‘s contract with his club Al Ahli is about to run out. According to one source, Ebrahimi who had a very good season with Al Ahli is sought by several QSL clubs. Al Duhail seems to be the favourite to sign him. No official announcement has been out from either side.

In Belgium, Kaveh Rezaei is still registered with Club Brugge however, he has not featured in any matches yet. He was in the 18 man squad on one match but was an unused substitute. Club Brugge seems to be looking for options to sell the Iranian forward by the 2nd of September were the European transfer windows will close. The Iranian forward is surplus to requirements at Belgian team Club Brugge according to coach Philippe Clement who has made it clear that Rezaei no longer figures in his plans.

One of the options for Rezaei is to return to Charleroi. The 27-year-old striker has played 11 times for Club Brugge and scored just one goal. Rezaei joined Club Brugge for a reported club-record fee of €5 million in August 2018.

Ali Gholizadeh, another Team Melli player in Belgium has made a cameo appearance for his club, Sporting Charleroi coming in at the 88th minute of a league game. His status seems to be a bench warmer with Charleroi however there are no indications that the club is going to release him.

Iran Omid 3-0 Yemen

Iran U-23 National Team (Omid) defeated Yemen 3-0 on Sunday in Azadi Stadium to maintain its challenge for qualification to the final rounds of the AFC Asian U23 Championship Thailand 2020 and the Tokyo Olympic Games men football competition.

All the three goals were scored in the second half and all were from Headers. Reza Shekari headed the first goal from a corner, Reza Jabeireh added the second from a rebound also with a header, while the pick of the lot was Mehdikhani’s incredible back header from a free kick.

All of Iran’s 6 goals scored so far have been from set play as no goals were scored in the two matches from love play. This is very worrying trend as it seemed from the beginning of the match that Iran’s Omid team is offensively ineffective and depend on the old school of crosses from the wings to forwards in the box for scoring.  Yemen, gallantly put up a good fight and could have scored from the few chances they had.

This match was a continuation from the same old shortfalls of the match against Turkmenistan. Poor team work . old style and basic football, lack of penetration from the middle , general lack of positional awareness, and disconnect of midfield players with forwards marred today’s performance against Yemen.

The match against the powerful Iraqi teams will be decider for Iran. Anything short of a win, will risk the Team elimination from the competition and a loss of another opportunity to make the Olympics, a 39 years wait for Iran. Despite two wins in a row, the goal difference for the second position is not very healthy for Iran as other teams in the Asian groups have some sizable advantage.  So, Iran really needs to win against Iraq to be assured of a place in the finals.

Omid Team 

Meraj Esmaeili, Omid Noorafkan, Alireza Arta, Abolfazl Jalali, Mohammad Aghajanpour, Abolfazl Razzaghpour, Mohammad Khodabandehloo, Mehdi Mehdikhani, Mehdi Ghaedi, Reza Jabeireh , Mohammad Reza Azadi

Substitution 2ND HALF

Rwza Shakari & Hossein Saki (46 min)

GOALS

Reza Shekari (55)

Reza Jabeireh (66)

Mehdi Mehdikhani (75)

Omid starts with a win – Iran U23 3 -1 Turkmenistan U23

Iranian U-23 Omid Team commenced its long road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics football competition with a victory against Turkmenistan at Azadi Stadium on Friday.

Iran won 3-1 with goals scored by an own goal, Omid Noorafkan and Reza Jabierah

Although Omid won with a two goal margin, it was far from an easy game and the result was too flattering for the host with Turkmenistan , a persistent and strong team giving the host a run for their money. All the goals of the match were scored from set pieces.

At the Azadi Stadium, about 1,000 fans watched this game with the majority obviously opting to spend the Nowrooz holidays away from football.

Iran Omid Team,  already aware of the result of the earlier game between Iraq and Yemen, with the former comprehensively winning 5-0,  seems to be in urgency to open the scoring early. However, poor organization & finishing, smart defending by Turkmenistan and generally uncertain game plan, they could not reach the opponent’s goalkeeper except for a few times. While the Iranian players failed to score, it was a friendly fire which did the job for them. In the 35th minute a ball cleared from the goal line hit a Turkmen defender and it deflected back into his own goal, 1-0 to Iran.

This was result by the end of a scruffy first half in which the Omid team was far from impressive or organized.

In the second half, Iran appeared to be more calculated and calmer perhaps as the result of the pip talk by the coach. There were no more ideas of an easy win against a stubborn and physically stronger Turkmen team.

However, against the run of play , Iran was awarded a free kick in a perfect area just behind the box in the 53rd minute. The resulting free kick was beautifully dispatched by Captain Omid Noorafkan, whose shot penetrated the defensive wall and hit the far left corner of the goalkeeper

While Iran was happy to play out the game with a 2 goal lead, Turkmenistan hit out.

In the 74th minute, Turkmenistan got a corner kick, which was met by the towering Giordonov who headed the ball beautifully to the left of Meraj Esmaeili in Iran’s goal reducing the margin to a minimum. Suddenly, it was game on and Iranians started panicking.

In the remaining 15 minutes, Omid team played a defensive game thus inviting more pressure from the opponents, who were the more likely team to score the equalizer.

Iranian players were more concerned with maintaining the result than attacking and despite venturing forward on limited occasions, one such attacks ended up with a free kick

It was late in the game  when lady luck saved Iran. The Turkmen goalkeeper failed to hold a ball from the resultant free kick and the ball dropped in front of the Reza Jebeirah who headed from close range to score Iran’s third and seal the game.

While the result of the match was quite satisfactory for Omid Team , the performance was far from it. This team looks incoherent at best and has no natural leader in the field. Perhaps the relatively young age of the majority is one factor. There is distinct lack of maturity in their football with silly and uncalled for showboating such as scissor kicks in impossible situations, back heel passes that did not work or excessive dribbling by Ghaedi who looks like typical back-alley footballer.

One noticeable observation on the Iran bench was the number of people sending instruction to players. At one stage, it looked like Hamid Estili was the head coach with his touchline instructions, then it was the turn of Reza Sharoudi and even Chalangar, who is Kranjcar’s interpreter got on the act !!!

The team is definitely a work in progress which needs a lot of improvement. On Sunday, there will be an easy game against Yemen which they expect to win, but the last match against Iraq is far from easy

Iran U-23 Line up:

Meraj Ismaili; Alireza Arta, Mohammad Aghajanpour, Sina Zadmehran, Mohammad Moslempour, Mehdi Mahdikhani, Omid Noorafkan, Vahid Namdari (78 AbolFazl Razaghpour), Mehdi Ghaedi, Amir Roustaei (63 Reza Jabierah) and Mohammad Reza Azadi

A Milestone for Younis Delphi

The young footballer from Khuzestan set a new record in Iranian Football. Younis Delphi, born in Shush, was a member of the Esteghlal Khuzestan Club and has featured in the 2016/17 season by playing five matches for the Full team.

During two and a half years, Delphi was considered by many as one of the greatest talents in the League, whose brilliant performance has also led to his invitation to Omid Team (Iran U23) despite his young age. The fledgling and upcoming striker scored 7 goals in the previous season in 24 Premier League matches and added the FIFA U17 World Cup, held in India to his resume.

That tournament attracted many European scouts looking for young talented players to recruit. A few months back there were discussion about Delphi transferring to the Dutch club, Eindhoven, but the opposition by his club Esteghlal Khuzestan put an end to that transfer as the club would not release him at the start of the new season.

Younis Delphi, however, eventually became a legionnaire in the winter transfer window when he signed a contract to join Sporting Charleroi of Belgium. This club which is owned by an Iranian has attracted several Iranian players in the last couple of seasons such as Kaveh Rezaei, Ali Gholizadeh and Omid Noorafkan

Last Sunday evening Sporting Charleroi hosted Fourth placed KV Oostende at Stade du Pays de Charleroi. Younis Delphi, was included in the squad for the first time since his transfer. In the absence of the other Iranian player, Ali Gholizadeh who is suffering from a leg injury, Delphi made his debut. With the presence of Younis Delphi in the Charleroi team, he becomes the youngest legionnaire in Iranian football history with 18 years and 129 days. It is a good age to start gaining experience of European football. The match between Charleroi and Oostende ended 1 -1. Delphi played for 64 minutes and was substituted midway through the second half.

Omid Team scores 5 against Kuwait

Iran’s Omid Team (U23) defeated Kuwait 5-0  in the second match of the Round-Ribbon invitational tournament in Qatar. After losing to Tajikistan in the first match, the Iranian team bounced back with a vengeance against Kuwait and ended up scoring five goals without reply.

Kranjcar’s players took control of the game from the very first minutes of the match and managed to open the scoring as early as the 3rd minute through Alireza Arta’s shot. Iran continued to put pressure on the opponent’s goal throughout the match , while Kuwait was content with defending.

In the 40th minute, Sayyad-Manish scored  from a rebound after the Kuwait goalkeeper failed to hold on to the ball.  First half ended 2-0 with a decisive superiority by Omid Team.

In the second half, again, Iran continued the same with superior control and possession. The third goals was just a matter of time. Younis Delphi scored the third , five minutes after the start of the second half in the 50th minute on a clever ball stealing and accurate shot from an acute angle.

Hosseinzadeh scored the fourth in 54th minute with a precise shot to raise the pressure on the Kuwait team.

Omid Noorafkan was the fifth Iranian player on the score sheet, with a precise free kick in the 72nd minute. After the fifth goal, the humiliated Kuwaitis resorted to rough and aggressive play with some wild tackles flying. As a result , Iranian players retaliated in the absence of proper protection from the referee. In the aftermath of one such intense clashes, two players from each team were shown the red card. Amir Roustaei and Kuwait defender received their marching order in the 80th minute.

 In the 90th minute, Hamid Taherkhani was sent off as well , for Omid team to continue with 9 players , however the match ended with an emphatic 5-0 win for Iran’s Omid Team.

Qatar and Iran will play the final match on the 21st of January in Aspire Training field in Doha. Kuwait will meet Tajikistan in their last match.

Iran Omid team defeats Oman 2-1

Iran’s Omid Team (U-23) defeated its host Oman 2-1 in the friendly match played at Sultan Qaboos Stadium, in Muscat Oman.

Zlatko Krancjar started the match with Shahab Adeli, Omid Darreh, Omid Noorafkan, Abolfazl Razzagpour, Mohammad Aghajanpour, Ali Taheran, Mohammad Khodabandelo, Mehdi Ghaedi, Reza Bachari, Mehdi MehdiKhani and Allahyar Sayadmanish.

The first half ended 1-0 for the host after Oman scored on the 40th minute of the match.

Iran’s Omid Team had many good scoring opportunities but the Omani goalkeeper saved them all, at times with heroics.

In the second half, Krancjar sent on Abolfazl Jalali, Amir Roustahi, Hamid Taherkhani, Hassan Saki and Isma’ili to the field. In the 52th minute, Ali Taheran scored the equalizer from a perfect cross by Taherkhani. Two minutes later, Mehdi Ghaedi scored the winner from a set piece.

Omid Team list for Oman match is announced.

Zlatko Kranjcar has announced the list of 22 players who will join the U23 team for the friendly match against Oman on 20th November.  The match will be held in the Omani Capital Muscat and is a part of the preparation for the upcoming challenge at continental level and the qualifying for the Olympics.

 

the squad

 

Abol Fazl Jalali (Saipa)

Abolfazl Razzaghpour, (Peykan)

Ali Taheran (Tractoration Tabriz)

Allahyar Sayadmanesh (Esteghlal Tehran)

Amir Roustaei, (Peykan)

Aref Aghasi (Foolad Khouzestan)

Hamid Reza Taherkhani (Persepolis)

Hossein Saki (Sanat Naft Abadan)

Mehdi Ghaedi (Esteghlal Tehran)

Meiraj Ismaili (Zob Ahan)

Mohammad Aghajanpour (Padideh Mashhad)

Mohammad Khodabandehlo  (Peykan)

Mohammad Mehdi Mehdikhani (Padideh Mashhad)

Mohammad Reza Azadi (Tractoration Tabriz)

Nader Mohammadi (Peykan)

Omid Darreh (Saipa)

Omid Noorafkan  (Chareloi )

Reza Jebeireh  (Sanat Naft Abadan)

Reza Karimi (Esteghlal Tehran)

Reza Shakari (Rubin Kazan)

Shahab Adeli (Sepahan),

Sina Zamehran (Padideh Mashhad)

Ali Gholizadeh joins the belgian club Sporting de Charleroi

The Iran international winger has joined the Belgium football team Sporting de Charleroi from Saipa Alborz

Ali Gholizadeh, 22, who scored six goals and registered six assists this season in the Persian Gulf Professional League, signed a two-year contract with the Zebras.

Gholizadeh, who is in the team Melli squad for the World Cup in Russia, was followed by several European clubs but chose Sporting de Charleroi, where he will be playing alongside his compatriot Kaveh Rezaei.

SC Charleroi is also considering another Team Melli player , Omid Noorafkan of Esteghlal Tehran. The young Noorafkan is in negotiations with the club.

4-0 victory for Team Melli vs. Sierra Leone

The Iranian national team defeated Sierra Leone 4-0 win in an international friendly match held in nearly empty Azadi Stadium on Saturday.

Queiroz had a mix of players in the initial line up giving debuts to 3 players, Omid Noorafkan, Goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini and midfielder from Saipa Alborz Ali Gholizadeh. All 3 enjoyed a good game and performed well in their first international. 

This was the first preparation match for Team Melli in a series of matches which will continue into March after Nowrooz including the matches against Tunisia and Algeria in Europe.

Iran’s goals were scored by Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh (14), Ali Gholizadeh (16 and 46) and Kaveh Rezaei (35). The 100,000 capacity stadium was virtually empty as no more than 3000 fans turned up. The period of Eid Nowrooz shopping season plus the very humble opponents (Ranked 94 in FIFA Ranking list) prevented many fans from attending the match. less than a week ago, the same stadium was full to the capacity for an AFC champions League match between Esteghlal and Al Ain from UAE.

Team Melli very quickly dictated the game proceedings. It was just a matter of time before the first goal would be scored and it was on a corner that Khanzadeh , returning to the team after a 3 year break, scored from a corner on the 14th minute. The African team had very little to offer as it took 40 minutes for the Iranian keeper Hamed Lak to actually handle a ball from live play.

First half

Min 14: On a free kick, Omid Noorafkan sent a nicely weighted ball to the crowded penalty area of ​​Sierra Leone, which Mohammad Reza KhanZadeh slid into the net for the first goal

Min 16: Ali Golizadeh long-range kick from a solo move from outside the penalty box , wrong footed  Sierra Leone keeper after the ball was deflected by his own defenders. First goal for the debutant. 

Minutes 35: Ramin Rezaeian crossed from the right into Sierra Leone penalty box , where Kaveh Rezaei headed the ball into the ground and in the goal. the goalkeeper was helpless.

Second half

46 min. Omid Noorafkan on  left wing on a solo run  hit a strong shot which  Sierra Leone goalkeeper  could only parry, the return ball, was  met by Ali Gholizadeh who scored his second goal. 

71 minutes: Sierra Leone’s players created a dangerous move on a stroke on the goal, which ​​Sierra Leone’s Abu Sauna turned into a strong shot , substitute keeper  Hossein Hosseini  saved it and sent to the corner.

Team Melli starting Line up

 Hamed Lak, Ramin Rezaeian , MR Khanzadeh, Rozbeh Cheshmi, Saeed Aghaei,  Omid Ebrahimi, Ali Karimi, Ahmad Abdollahzadeh,  Omid Noorafkan, Ali Gholizadeh Moghadam and Kaveh Rezaei

Squad for Sierra Leone match

22 player have been called to the Team Melli squad which is facing the west African side Sierra Leone on 17th march 2018 as part of the preparation for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018′

The majority of the squad are the local League players with the exception of Kaveh Rezaei.

Ali Alipour (Persepolis) , Omid Noorafkan , Hossein Hosseini (Esteghlal) and Ali Gholizadeh (Saipa Alborz) have been called for the first time to Team Melli squad.

Meanwhile MohammadReza Khanzadeh has been recalled after a long break from the team. The surprise omission is the Zob Ahan forward Morteza Tabrizi

 

The SQUAD

Name
1 ABDOLLAHZADEH, Ahmad
2 AGHAEI, Saeed
3 ALIPOUR, Ali
4 AMIRI, Vahid
5 ANSARI, Mohammad
6 BIRANVAND, Alireza
7 CHESHMI, Rouzbeh
8 EBRAHIMI, Omid
9 GHAFOORI, Vourya
10 GHOLIZADEH, Ali
11 HOSSEINI, Jalal
12 HOSSEINI, Sayed Hossein
13 KAMYABINIA, Kamaleddin
14 KARIMI, Ali
15 KHANZADEH, Mohammadreza 
16 LAK, Hamed
17 MAZAHERI, Mohammad Rashid
18 MONTAZERI, Pejman
19 NOORAFKAN, Omid
20 REZAEI, Kaveh
21 REZAEIAN, Ramin
22 TORABI, Mehdi