Tag: Payam Niazmand

27/12/2019

Zahra Khajavi breaks shut-out goalkeeping record.

Zahra Khajavi, Vochan Kordestan’s Goalkeeper broke Iran’s record for goal shut-out.

The 20 years old, women’s Team Melli keeper Kept a clean sheet for the first half of her women’s soccer league team’s clash against Shahrdari Bam breaking the record with 1035 minutes of a clean sheet. Payam Niazmand, Stephan’s goalkeeper held the previous record which was achieved this season.

Khajavi who was always going to be pushed to break or extend the record against league leaders Shahrdari Bam managed to finally do so but conceded early in the second half at the top of the league clash this afternoon. The game ended 3–2 to Shahrdari Bam Kerman, who opened the scoring early in the second half.

23/10/2019

Payam Niazmand approaching a record.

Two seasons ago, the 17th season of the Persian Gulf Premier League, Esteghlal Goalkeeper Seyed Hossein Hosseini reached a milestone with his club by keeping a clean sheet fo 872 minutes., the longest any goalkeeper has managed in the history of the league competition.

This season, the 19th edition, Payam Niazmand (Sepahan Esfahan) and Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri’s (Tractorsazi Tabriz) are rapidly challenging that record by their excellent performances for their clubs.

The two Team Melli goalkeepers are in close competition with each other to break that record and also for the title of the best goalkeeper of the season. The two goalkeepers have kept their doors closed for 630 minutes (7 consecutive matches) minutes this season, however, Niazmand also kept a clean sheet from last season final game, while he kept 80 minutes from the previous match so his tally of clean sheet stands at 802 minutes.

in order to break Seyed Hossein Hosseini’s record, the 24 years old Niazmand needs to keep one more clean sheet for more than 70 minutes of the next match against Saipa at home.

On the other hand, while Naizmand and Mazaheri have been exceptionally good this season in the league, the regular Team Melli custodian, Alireza Beiranvand has not been so fortunate as his rivals. Beiranvand has conceded 5 goals and his team Persepolis has dropped to the 5th position. The goalkeeper who was instantly a hit after saving Cristiano Ronaldo’s spot-kick and a penalty against Cambodia failed to repeat the same against Bahrain.

Persian Gulf Pro League Table & Standings

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	Sepahan	7	5	2	0	10	0	+10	17	W W W D D
2	Tractor	7	5	2	0	8	0	+8	17	W W W W D
3	Shahr Khodrou	7	5	1	1	8	3	+5	16	W W D L W
4	Foolad	7	3	3	1	6	4	+2	12	W W D W D
5	Sanat Naft	7	3	3	1	5	3	+2	12	D W W D L
6	Persepolis	7	4	0	3	5	5	0	12	W L L W W
7	Naft MIS	7	2	5	0	7	5	+2	11	W W D D D
8	Esteghlal	7	2	3	2	10	7	+3	9	W W D L D
9	Nassaji	7	2	3	2	12	14	-2	9	L D D W L
10	Pars Jam	7	1	4	2	6	7	-1	7	D L D W D
11	Machine Sazi	7	2	1	4	9	13	-4	7	L D W L L
12	Saipa	7	2	1	4	9	14	-5	7	L L L L W
13	Paykan	7	1	2	4	13	14	-1	5	L L D W D
14	Zob Ahan	7	0	4	3	5	9	-4	4	L L D D D
15	Gol Gohar	7	0	3	4	3	8	-5	3	L L L L D
16	Shahin	7	0	1	6	4	14	-10	1	L L L L D

Last updated: 23 October 2019

07/10/201907/10/2019

Positive vibes of Marc Wilmots.

Marc Wilmots has crossed out the names of a few players in the new Team Melli list for the matches against Cambodia and Bahrain.

The significance of the omitted names goes beyond of numbers but it strengthens the belief in the Team Melli squad and the old mentality that a player has a place in the squad for life. Carlos Queiroz had a list that lasted for as long as he can. He trusted this group and had no regards to their current form in their leagues of the fact that other options are available. Queiroz zone of comfort was with his list of favourite players that he trusted.

Marc Wilmots is quickly showing that this mentality will not prevail in the new atmosphere of team Melli and its selection process. Every player needs to prove his worth. There is no place for just names. Players losing a form or being sidelined by their clubs will go down the pecking order. This is, in fact, the real methods of players selection that are practised across the globe with a few exceptions.

Wilmots called up two new figures in Mohammad Mohebbi and Morteza Mansouri to emphasize the message that players in excellent form in the domestic league and those whose performances merit selection for Team Melli will indeed be noticed and called upon.

On the other hand, a household name like Alireza Jahanbakhsh who assisted a goal against Hong Kong has no place in the squad, despite being a permanent fixture of Team Melli for over 7 years now. The current form of the player, rather than his fame will determine selection an in Jahanbakhsh’s case he has been a poor performer at club level.

Here’s a look at some of the players invited.

New Callouts:

Rashid Mazaheri (Tractorsazi) and Payam Niazmand (Sepahan): Both the goalkeepers in the list have been in the previous squads with Nazmand still to make a debut for Team Melli. Both have kept clean sheets since the start of the league competition and the position in the table of Sepahan and Tractorszai is an indication of the team success which both keepers respectively have played a major part in. hence they deservedly replaced Seyed Hossein Hosseini and Amir Abedzadeh. Although Beiranvand is still the number guardian of Team Melli goal, his recent mixed form with Persepolis and his suspect temperament can easily outset him from the secure No. 1 choice in the pecking order. In any case, Wilmots have good and competent replacements if needed be.

It is hardly likely that Beiravand will be tested in the next two matches, with Bahrain being a more serious test.

Morteza Mansouri: The most prominent player invited to the camp is the 29-year-old Sepahan defender, who is in Team Melli squad for the first time and has been favoured over Esteghlal Club Captain Vouria Ghafoori. After an excellent season last year with Shar Khodr culminating in qualifying the club for the AFC Asian Champions League for the first time in their history, Mansouri moved on to Sepahan.

The tenacious defender came to the forefront of the defensive backs of Sepahan and immediately became a fixed player for AMir Ghalenoei. Sepahan’s clean sheet and continued excellent performance have made him a natural choice for selection to Team Melli. However, he is still behind Ramin Rezaian, who plays for a lowly club in Qatar almost every week and has managed to score a few goals too.

Mohammed Mohebbi: Mohebbi has played for several Team Melli age level and is no stranger to the tri-colour jersey. His goal against Persepolis, however, instantly boosted his value and worth as a quality Midfield player amongst the fans. Mohebbi joined Sepahan this season with the persistence of Amir Ghalenoei who needed a competent player to fill the role of the departed Mehrdad Mohammadi. Mohebi not only was able to fulfil the role well but he exceeded expectations by helping Sepahan reach the top of the league. Mohebbi is vying for the role of Jahanbakhsh after the Brighton player was dropped due to poor form.

Mehrdad Mohammadi: An Iranian legionnaire who recently moved from Sepahan to Portuguese football club Aves. Mehrdad has managed to score some impressive goals for his team in the last few months becoming a major player in Portugal league. Mehrdad joins his twin brother Milad in the squad for the first time. Mohammadi continued where he left off as his form with Sepahan put him high in the ranking as one of the best forwards in the Persian Gulf League. Although Mehrdad has been named in the squad several times, he has not made his official debut yet. However, in the training camp that Wilmots and the coaching staff arranged for domestic players, Mohammadi scored the only goal for Team, Melli that was facing Omid team under Majidi.

Mehdi Tarami: Taremi’s absence from the previous match vs. Hong Kong was purely based on his fitness. He was injured and needed some time away to recover. After a brilliant performance in Portugal and fully recovering, Taremi is a sure bet to not only be in the starting line-up but also high odds of scoring against Cambodia and Bahrain.

Dropped players :

Sayed Hossein Hosseini and Amir Abedzadeh: Two goalkeepers who were part of the last squad that played against Hong Kong, but were on the bench. Hosseini has not managed to keep a clean sheet all season and his team is lying in the bottom half of the table.

Abedzadeh, who was the number goalkeeper for his team last season, has been relegated to the bench this season. It is clear that those two have lost form and subsequently, the selectors had other option thy picked instead of these two.

Varia Ghafouri: The captain of Esteghlal, who has been a member of almost every national squad except the World Cup, has lost his place in Team Melli. Ghafoori is a victim of his team’s poor performance in the league this season. Estghlal is a shadow of last year’s team and has been suffering defensively, hence both Ghafoori and goalkeeper Hosseinin lost their places. , Ramin Rezaian his usual rival in the lineup has been having a good season so far.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh: Perhaps the biggest omission but not entirely unexpected either. The English club Brighton midfielder has been less than satisfactory since his move from the Dutch League. He has not settled in and despite some factors that have curtailed Jahanbakhshs true potential, at this professional level clubs have little time to waste on recovery. Jahanbakhsh is a bench player now and in danger of being relegated to lower team. Wilmots had no choice except to leave him out with so many other good options available to him.

Mehdi Torabi: This one is perhaps the more surprising of the lot. The Persepolis midfielder who plays behind Vahid Amiri this season has failed to impress Wilmots. Unlike Jahanbakhsh, Torabi is having an average to a good season but he is not at his best and that is the result of the turmoil in Persepolis. The reds are not doing too well in the league and changes in personnel and coaches have increased the pressure on the players. In Torabi’s place, Wilmots has several options like the recently called out Mohammed Mohebbi and Mehrdad Mohammadi.

Allahyar Sayyidmanesh: The youngest Team Melli scorer after being part of the two friendly games of Wilmot’s reign has been replaced by the much experienced Mehdi Taremi in the camp. After his move to Istanbulspor on loan, Sayyadmanesh continues to be a bench player. If that situation continues, the young striker would need some long years before he can be picked again for Team Melli

Overall, none of the absent players is considered critical for Team Melli. Wilmots is spoilt for riches and will confidently use players with an eye of introducing the newer joiners for future.

05/10/2019

Analyzing Wilmots’ selection.

Marc Wilmots started his first official match with Team Melli in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers with a 2-0 win away to Hong Kong, is determined to build his own team rather than rely on the previous one created by Queiroz.

In an evolutionary move, the Belgian head coach of Iran’s national team made a few changes to his players’ list for the next two matches against Cambodia at home and away to Bahrain. Wilmots is determined to show that he plans to evaluate and pick new players. The new squad list indicates that the Belgian coach has a great deal of confidence in the domestic League players, unlike his predecessor.

Wilmots invited Mohammad Mohebbi (21 Years) and Morteza Mansouri (29 years), two key players for current league leader Sepahan, for the first time. Wilmots’ decision to continue including Siavash Yazdani and Mohammad Naderi’s in the squad is another proof that he has much confidence in the domestic league players.

Although neither Yazdani or Naderi played in the match against Hong Kong, however, they were preferred over the experienced but ageing Vouria Ghafouri of Esteghlal. The four new players along with the regular defence players Majid Hosseini, Morteza Pouraliganji, Hossein Kanan-Zadegan will significantly lower the overall average age of Team Melli squad

The most notable omission in the list, however, must be the exclusion of Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who has been a regular fixture in the national team’s camps for the past seven years. Jahanbakhsh has just recovered from a slight knee injury and was a non-utilized bench player in today’s 3-0 Brighton win against Tottenham Hotspurs in the English Premier League.

Jahanbakhsh has been having an unfortunate time since his move to Brighton at the beginning to last season. The record signing by Brighton failed to score a single goal in all competitions last season. With the change of the head coach, Jahanbakhsh failed to even make it on the bench for his club and has yet to feature in the Premier League this season. His performance with Team Melli in the AFC Asian Cup was far from brilliant either.

Wilmots has also created a serious competition in goal for the ever-present Alireza Biranvand. In contention for the number one spot in the goal are Payam Niazmand and Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri, who have both managed to keep a clean sheet record after six weeks of Persian Gulf Premier League competition matches.

Biranvand, despite some flashes of brilliance, with the penalty save from Cristiano Ronaldo is the top of his achievements, has many suspect moments and quite a questionable temperament. Many critics believe that Niazmand is a better goalkeeper but lacks the international experience of Beiranvand.

Persepolis with five players, Tractorsazi Tabriz with four and Sepahan Isfahan with three players have the highest number in the new list of Team Melli squad. Esteghlal also has only two players after Vouria Ghafouri and Seyyed Hossein Hosseini were crossed off the final list.

Team Melli will play against Cambodia on Thursday, October 10, in Tehran and then travel to Bahrain to play against their national team on October 15th.

14/10/201414/10/2014

AFC U-19 Championship MD3: Myanmar 0-2 Iran

Yangon: Host nation Myanmar edged into the AFC U-19 Championship quarter-finals as Group A runners-up despite losing 2-0 to already eliminated Iran at Thuwunna Youth Training Centre Stadium on Monday, qualifying courtesy of a better goal difference than Yemen who lost 3-2 to Thailand in the other Group A clash played in Nay Pyi Taw.

Iran rang the changes, making five alterations to the line-up that were eliminated in the 1-0 loss to Yemen on Saturday, and it was the introduction of two of these new faces, Yousef Seyyedi and Sadegh Moharrami, that were key as they netted the goals for the West Asians on the 55th and 82nd minutes.

And although the home side looking nervously northwards towards Nay Pyi Taw, they were able to scrape into the knockout stage by the narrowest of margins with a one goal superior goal difference over Yemen.

“We are happy for our qualification but an easier opponent than Iran will not come,” said Myanmar’s coach Gerd Zeise.

“Our goalkeeper was our man of the match, he was very safe, very good, without him we would have been in trouble.
“On the right hand side we had some problems but who should I substitute? There is no one this is our disease, we have 11 good front line players then it is difficult, very difficult.”

Myanmar attacked from the start and in a manner that was full of energy but occasionally lacked control as displayed when Than Paing took the ball from the sideline and beat two Iran defenders for pace but let the ball get away from him, making it easy for goalkeeper Payam Niazmand to collect.

Iran finished the half strong, though, with a number of opportunities to open the scoring, and on the 36th minute Hossein Mehraban was left alone, unmarked, just outside the penalty area but could only hit the ball high over the crossbar under pressure from Myanmar defenders.

Early in the second half Ali Gholizadeh forced a fine 53rd minute save at the near post from Myanmar’s Myo Min Latt and from the resulting corner the custodian once again intervened to give Nanda Kyaw a chance to clear the ball off the line.

But the danger was only momentarily abated as the ball was played back into the box and Seyyedi finished clinically to put Iran into the lead five minutes before the hour-mark.

The game picked up its tempo from then on, though, and a header from Than Paing from a corner forced Niazmand into sound stop but the next attempted set-piece resulted in an Iran counter that saw Mehraban force yet another accomplished save from Myo Min Latt.

But Myanmar’s hopes of a comeback were quashed eight mintues from time, when the ball bounced free from a melee in the box and towards Moharrami who hit the ball low and hard across Myo Min Latt. The keeper got a glove to the ball but was only able to force it on to the inside of the post to give Iran their second.

Myanmar were then forced to endure a nervy final ten minutes with the news of Thailand’s spectacular comeback against Yemen filtering in, with the significance of the scoreline in Nay Pyi Taw meaning that conceding a third would have resulted in the hosts facing the possibility of elimination from the tournament.

To the relief of the players and their massed ranks of fans, though, they were able to hold out and will now face the winners from Group B on Friday; that opponent to be determined in Tuesday’s matchups.

“I was sure we could qualify with nine points, but it wasn’t to be,” said Iran coach Ali Doustimehr.

“I believe Myanmar have the coach, the players and the tactics to reach the semi-finals.”