Tag: Portugal

How Carlos Queiroz turned Iran into Asia’s best World Cup hope

The former Manchester United coach eased the Iranians through qualification but they now want tangible finals success, something that has always eluded Team Melli

Sardar Azmoun, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Reza Ghoochannejhad
 Sardar Azmoun, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Reza Ghoochannejhad. Composite: Getty Images, AFP

The only one of the dozen names on Fifa’s shortlist for 2017 men’s coach of the year not working in Europe was Tite, who ensured Brazil were the first qualifier for the 2018 World Cup. Iran were second but that was not enough for Carlos Queiroz, who has now led three different national teams to four World Cups. He may have to wait for success at the World Cup to turn eurocentric heads.

That means finishing above two of Portugal, Spain and Morocco in Russia to progress to the knockout stage at the fifth time of asking. If there is any Asian team that can manage that then it is Iran. For four years Team Melli have been the highest-ranked national side on the continent, for just a little less time they have been the best on the pitch, too.

In Brazil four years ago Queiroz, whose six years as number two at Manchester United in the previous decade was split by a season in charge of Real Madrid, had the team well-organised in a tough group containing Nigeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina. A last-minute piece of Messi magic ended Iranian dreams of a first second-round appearance at the fourth attempt but Team Melli picked themselves off the floor. Now they are just as tight at the back but have more options going forward, younger overall but with more international experience.

Nine of the 23 who went to Brazil were based overseas but mainly spread around the Middle East and the second tiers of the big European leagues. The figure will be higher this time around, the leagues and performances are better and the players more active.

The winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh could mount a case – when he is not busy scoring and creating for AZ Alkmaar – to be the best player in the Netherlands this season. The £9m quoted a year ago in response to reported interest from Burnley, Watford and Bournemouth would be considerably higher now, especially with Napoli also monitoring him. The fleetfooted forward Reza Ghoochannejhad managed 19 goals for Heerenveen last season while the striker Karim Ansarifard has almost a goal a game for Olympiakos.

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Sardar Azmoun is one of Asia’s biggest stars at 23, has already scored in the Champions League for Rubin Kazan and has been linked with Liverpool. Young midfielders Saeid Ezatolahi in Russia and Saman Ghoddos of Östersund are looking forward to making the next step up the European ladder and a successful World Cup can’t do any harm.

The improvement was there for all to see in qualification for this summer’s finals. Qualification for Brazil was in doubt until the final whistle of the final game which blew to bring relief, Iranian gestures and swear words at the rival bench and South Korean bottles flying down from the terraces. There was no such drama this time. The road to Russia was pleasantly boring – words that do not usually go together in this football crazy country. Qualification quickly became a foregone conclusion and was made official with two games to spare.

Iran did not lose and did not even concede until the 10th and final game. It was vindication for Queiroz who took the reins in 2011, months after guiding Portugal to the last 16 in South Africa. The 65-year-old not only has everything running exactly how he wants on the pitch, he can be busy off it too.

Whether due to his nature, Sir Alex Ferguson’s nurture or cold calculation – or a combination of all three – he likes to keep everyone on their toes by creating tension. In qualification for 2014 he quarrelled with rival coaches, but these days his ire is focused closer to home. There was a big fallout with Iran’s coach from the 2006 World Cup, Branko Ivankovic, now in charge of champions Persepolis, which led to Queiroz resigning amid accusations that the Iranian Football Federation (IFF) was not giving the support he needed.

Officials in Tehran can find it all a little bewildering but know that Queiroz brings success. At least two of the other four Asian qualifiers were curious as to whether last January’s resignation was genuine. It wasn’t.

He is also vocal when it comes to preparations, warning the federation to ensure that all that can be done is being done. Before Brazil four years ago international isolation made it difficult at times to arrange decent games. Sanctions also made it tough for the IFF to receive monies owed from abroad and so afford the overseas training camps that Queiroz wanted. Preparation for Russia has improved but there is still some way to go. Togo, Panama, Venezuela, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia and Sierra Leone present decent opposition but do not really compare to Brazil, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Colombia, who have been lined up by fellow Asian qualifiers Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia. No wonder Queiroz talks of these Asian powerhouses enjoying “World Cup credit cards” that provide automatic access.

Despite the tough draw, Iran are looking forward to this June and showing the world what they are made of. If all goes well, a host of talented players may get the chance to move to bigger clubs in bigger leagues, a ready-to-take-off domestic market with a large, young and passionate population may just get the spark and investment it needs, and Queiroz may just get the recognition he deserves.

 

Since you’re here …

“We Will Not Go to Russia as Tourists” Carlos Queiroz

John Duerden

Carlos Queiroz has been making history this week with Iran, and he wants to do so again next summer.

On June 12, Team Melli, as the national team is known, qualified for the World Cup — the first time they’ll be in back-to-back competitions — and now their sights are set on a debut appearance in the knockout stages.

Not long before midnight at the iconic Azadi Stadium in Tehran, the Mozambique-born manager was thrown into the air by his squad of Iranian players after they had defeated Uzbekistan 2-0. It was in recognition of a perfect World Cup qualification campaign and their being second only to Brazil in booking a berth in Russia.

“The atmosphere and excitement of the fans were great. They deserve this,” Queiroz told ESPN FC.

Iran deserve it too, and have been dominant in the third round of qualification, doing the job with two of the ten games still to play. Not only are Iran unbeaten, but not once has the defence been breached. Perhaps most impressive was that all knew a win at home to Uzbekistan would be enough for a ticket to Russia, and all expected exactly that would happen. This is a team that delivers.

“We tried not to think about the World Cup, not to play two games in the same game,” said Queiroz who was appointed in 2011. “We just wanted to focus on Uzbekistan, just win the game and collect the points. No doubt we were the best team on the pitch and fortunately we won. Someone needs to win in football, and it was us.”

After four years in which Iran was Asia’s highest-ranked team according to FIFA, few would argue that this team is the best on the pitch, the only one of any of the traditional continental powerhouses to shine consistently in qualification.

Despite that, Queiroz believes Iran still has work to do.

“I think that, honestly, there are two competitions in Asia,” said the former Real Madrid and Portugal boss. “The stats and the real competition. From a data point of view, the numbers show that we are the No. 1 and there is no doubt about that. We did not concede one goal, did not lose and qualified with two games left.

“But overall, we are far away from the international level. In that sense, I believe that South Korea and Japan are one step ahead of us. They have more experience and football closer to European standards. This is the gap we need to close during our preparation.”

Carlos Queiroz’s Iran became the second team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, after Brazil.

Preparation is key. There is a year until it all starts. In the past, Iran have struggled to arrange training camps and friendlies, watching with envy as Asian rivals play all around the world.

“Not many [understand] as to the right amount of credit we deserve for this qualification,” he said. “It is hard to explain to the world our problems and that it is hard to find a place to train or teams to play.”

Queiroz has had numerous run-ins with bosses at the Iranian Football Federation and various clubs in his six years in the position. Now he wants total support in the 12 months leading to Russia.

“I will try to make a statement similar to a famous statement made by a famous old and great president: The question is not what Team Melli can do for Iran, but what Iran can do for Team Melli.

“In order to progress, we need better infrastructure and financial support for camps and friendly games.If we don’t do that, the result will be stagnation. This is not the expectation for Iran fans and not what they deserve.

“It is time to say that the national team has been doing everything for Iranian football, now it is time for the authorities to step up. The passion is there and we need to implement a different program in order for different players to progress. In Portugal we were producing good players 26 or 30 years ago, but in Portugal we did not sleep and kept producing players. This is what Iran misses — a master plan with an infrastructure and individual support.”

If all goes well, the next stage of the plan is within reach. Iran has appeared in four World Cups but has yet to survive the group stage.

Iran performed well in 2014, but this is a different team now — more cosmopolitan, confident and consistent. Young stars like striker Sardar Azmoun and midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi are already in Russia but ready to make the jump to the big leagues and expand further the country’s growing pool of players who are active and impressing in Europe.

“We have built a team and a squad of 26 and more players and I have more options,” he said. “I have three goalkeepers, three right-backs and so on. At the next World Cup, I can rest people and keep them fresh for the games while keeping the same standard.

“This is due to our players being brilliant. I have never saw in my life players who made such sacrifices.”

Now is not the time to stop.

“My goal and dream is to get to the knockout stage at the 2018 World Cup. I am fighting against this satisfaction disease. We should not be satisfied with the first round. We need to be ambitious. We need to think big. We will not go to Russia as tourists.”

John Duerden covers Asian football for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnnyDuerden.

 

 

Esmaeilpour wins FIFA Futsal Award

The FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016 most definitely saw a changing of the guard. The two giants of the global game, Spain and Brazil, were knocked off their perches and replaced in the final by Russia and Argentina. On an individual level, meanwhile, this edition of the tournament also witnessed stunning performances by renowned names and the emergence of a new crop of talents, whose own stars promise to shine brightly for many years to come. The members of the Technical Study Group (TSG) awarded the tournament’s individual prizes to the following players:

adidas Golden Ball: Fernando Wilhelm (ARG)
It was a case of fourth time lucky for Fernando Wilhelm. After three previous World Cup appearances had each ended in frustration, the 34 year-old assumed the Argentinean captaincy for this year’s competition. And he could not have managed his new responsibilities any better. Wilhelm never shied away from raising his voice, using his uncanny sense of anticipation to snuff out counter-attacks throughout the tournament. He dependably held his nerve at the key moments, while the Albiceleste’s strikers were particularly indebted to their captain’s keen eye for a telling pass. With his blend of perseverance, combativeness and tactical awareness, Wilhelm is an example to team-mates and rivals alike, and fully deserves the adidas Golden Ball at Colombia 2016.

adidas Silver Ball and adidas Silver Boot with 10 goals: Eder Lima (RUS)
Regardless of the stage, Eder Lima’s mission is always the same: to torment opposition defences and keep the goalscoring charts ticking upwards in his favour. And throughout Colombia 2016, the Russian star has fulfilled his role with distinction. With five goals in his first two matches, Lima successfully picked up where he had left off in 2012, when his nine strikes saw him finish as the tournament’s top marksman. He subsequently turned provider to his team-mates, assisting eight of his team’s goals, before his predatory instincts took over once more in the final, even if his three strikes were ultimately made in a losing cause.

adidas Bronze Ball: Ahmad Esmaeilpour (IRN)
Ahmad Esmaeilpour made his first tentative steps at a Futsal World Cup in Thailand 2012. Four years down the line, he is leaving Colombia on the back of a double achievement: Iran’s third place finish represents the country’s best showing at a Futsal World Cup, while Esmaeilpour himself has been named as the tournament’s third best player. Measuring well over six foot tall, this 28-year-old is the complete package. He has caused chaos throughout the tournament with his technique, movement and vision, not to mention his powerful long-range shooting, all combined with a ferocious desire to win that has carried the Team Melli to the podium for the first time in their history.


adidas Golden Boot: Ricardinho, 12 goals (POR)
Emerging goalless from Portugal’s first encounter against Colombia, Ricardinho made up for lost time in his second outing by scoring six times in a 9-0 win over Panama. Having notched up another three goals in an easy win against Uzbekistan, the Portuguese star then set his team on the way to their first win in the knock-out stages, scoring the first two goals in a 4-0 victory. He also left his mark in the clash with Azerbaijan, netting yet another goal. Boasting technique, power and skill, Ricardinho is the perfect blend of ruthlessness and elegance.

adidas Bronze Boot: Falcao, 10 goals (BRA)
When it comes to Falcao, the figures say it all: five World Cups, 34 matches, 48 goals. This legend of the game continues to set standards that will surely go unmatched for many years yet. As always, pre-tournament expectations were high for the Brazilian. Yet, just as predictably, he immediately proved himself more than up to the challenge, opening his account against Australia. Having signed off with yet another strike in his and Brazil’s final match against Iran, he ended up as the author of ten of the Seleçao’s 33 goals.

adidas Golden Glove: Nicolas Sarmiento (ARG)
In Nicolas Sarmiento, Colombia 2016 saw the emergence of a goalkeeper who promises to be a fixture in the sport for years to come. Much like Argentina coach Diego Giustozzi, the TSG was won over by the 23-year-old’s outstanding raw talent. The fifth-youngest goalkeeper of the 55 present at the tournament, Sarmiento stood out thanks to his consistency, confidence and capacity to marshal the tournament’s most miserly defence. He ended Colombia 2016 with an impressive record of three clean sheets.

FIFA Fair Play Award: Vietnam
Vietnam not only provided a breath of fresh air in their first appearance at a World Cup, but they also demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship all the way up to their elimination at the hands of Russia in the Round of 16. The Vietnamese only picked up four yellow cards throughout the competition.

FIFA makes this award based on evaluations by members of the Technical Study Group (TSG), who undertake a detailed analysis of national team members’ behaviour on and off the pitch. The goal is to promote a sporting attitude among players, coaches and also spectators at FIFA tournaments.

Third place for heroic Iran Futsal Team.

Iran’s remarkable journey at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016 ended on a high note, as they claimed third place after a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Portugal following a 2-2 draw in Cali on Saturday.

The Iranians came from two goals down to take the third-place match to a dramatic penalty shootout, where six rounds of spot kicks were needed to decide the contest.

The first half had the feeling of a friendly contest, with both goalkeepers in Iran’s Alireza Samimi and Portugal’s Bebe being the standout performers in the opening period.

Both sides created a good opportunity to open the scoring. Ahmad Esmaeilpour had Iran’s best chance, but his chip over Bebe also sailed over the crossbar. At the other end, Samimi did well to deny Cardinal at close range.

Where the first half was fairly tepid, the second half came to life, as Cardinal scored a quick-fire brace within the first minute of the restart for Portugal. He showed great patience to beat the onrushing Samimi to open the scoring before combining with captain Richardinho to make it 2-0.

Cardinal then made a key defensive play to deny Ali Hassan Zadeh’s shot, even though replays showed he may have used his arm to block the goal-bound effort.

Then an ugly melee that involved both sets of players in the Portugal half produced a pair of red cards, as Iran’s Mohammadreza Sangsefidi and Portugal’s Miguel Castro were given their marching orders.

It was at that stage that Iran turned the match around. Afshin Kazemi pulled the Asian champions back into the game with an assured finish before Mahdi Javid converted a second penalty past Portugal’s back-up goalkeeper Vitor Hugo to send the contest to a penalty shootout after the full-time whistle.

It required six rounds of penalties to decide this encounter. Iran’s back-up goalkeeper Sepehr Mohammadi made a pair of big saves, but his team-mates twice hit the woodwork with their spot-kick efforts.

Then after Portugal’s Joao Matos hit the post with his sixth-round penalty, Javid stepped up to convert his spot-kick and ensure Iran’s best-ever finish to a Futsal World Cup, surpassing their fourth-place accomplishment at Hong Kong 1992.

Matches

12 SEP 2016 – 20:00 Local time
GROUP F
Coliseo Ivan de Bedout
Medellin

Iran     IRAN     v     SPAIN     Spain

FULL-TIME

1-5

15 SEP 2016 – 20:00 Local time
GROUP F
Coliseo Ivan de Bedout
Medellin

Iran      IRAN     v    MOROCCO      Morocco

FULL-TIME

5-3

18 SEP 2016 – 18:00 Local time
GROUP F
Coliseo Ivan de Bedout
Medellin

Azerbaijan     AZERBAIJAN     v      IRAN     Iran

FULL-TIME

3-3

21 SEP 2016 – 17:30 Local time
ROUND OF 16
Coliseo Bicentenario
Bucaramanga

Brazil     BRAZIL     v     IRAN     Iran

FULL-TIME

4-4

Iran win on penalties (2 – 3)
24 SEP 2016 – 15:30 Local time
QUARTER-FINALS
Coliseo Bicentenario
Bucaramanga

Paraguay     PARAGUAY     V     IRAN     Iran

FULL-TIME

3-4

 

Iran win after extra time
27 SEP 2016 – 19:00 Local time
SEMI-FINALS
Coliseo Ivan de Bedout
Medellin

Iran     IRAN     v    RUSSIA      Russia

FULL-TIME

3-4

01 OCT 2016 – 12:00 Local time
MATCH FOR THIRD PLACE
Coliseo el Pueblo
Cali

Iran       IRAN     v    PORTUGAL      Portugal

FULL-TIME

2-2

Iran win on penalties (4 – 3)

 

 

The Heroes

PLAYERS▴▾ MP▴▾ MINP▴▾ GS▴▾ ASS▴▾ Y▴▾ 2YC▴▾ R▴▾
Ahmad ESMAEILPOUR 7 310 4 2 1 0 0
AliAsghar HASSAN ZADEH 7 310 5 1 1 0 0
Mahdi JAVID 7 310 5 5 0 0 0
Hossein TAYEBI 7 283 3 1 2 0 0
Alireza SAMIMI 6 270 0 0 2 0 0
Farhad TAVAKOLI 6 269 2 2 2 0 0
Mohammadreza SANGSEFIDI 7 261 0 1 1 0 1
Afshin KAZEMI 7 257 2 0 1 0 0
Mohammad KESHAVARZ 6 235 1 0 1 0 0
Mehran ALIGHADR 7 229 0 0 1 0 0
Hamid AHMADI 6 227 0 0 1 0 0
Mohammad TAHERI 4 128 0 0 0 0 0
Sepehr MOHAMMADI 1 40 0 0 0 0 0
Ghodrat BAHADORI 1 37 0 0 0 0 0

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Group B in flux after Iran shocks Portugal in Beach soccer.

Iran men’s national beach soccer team defeated the European powerhouse Portugal 5-3 on Wednesday in the Group B match of the 2015 Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The 5-3 win for Iran over the Portugal was the perfect rebound for Iran and letdown for Portugal but the fans won the biggest as the game was tense, dramatic, and passionate. Portugal took the first bite of the cherry but things were so equal that a big first period for both teams left the score tied at 2-2. Iran then dug deep and drew off the very friendly crowd to take the little steps and goals they needed to charge ahead and earn the win. The triumph leaves Group B up in the air going into the last day as it was the first win Iran, with Portugal also owning one win. Tahiti has two wins in the group but Portugal will play Tahiti on Thursday, while Iran will take on Mexico, and as it looks, each team needs a win to be safe.

iran_beachSoccer 2

Iran came into the match needing a win, as they lost on opening day to Tahiti but it was the world champs who scored first, leaving the Iranians down 1-0 and searching for a spark. The Lion of the Atlas were able to find that energy when they nailed home their first shot before the midway point in the frame. Portugal had an answer and responded within a minute but the Asian side had their own answer yet again and the game settled at 2-2 going into the final minutes of the period. The score did not shift and the first 12 minutes ended with the four goals, two for each side. The expectations might have been for more and more immediate goals, but the goalies began making bigger and bigger saves and the scored stayed at 2-all until Iran took their first lead of the day, on a penalty kick, to go up 3-2 near the halfway point of the match. Portugal kept their nerves but they knew that letting Iran hang around and build confidence would doom the Portuguese. The Iranians continued to turn things around from that early goal they gave up and they eventually scored late in the second to double up the Portuguese squad, by a score of 4-2, which is how things would hold going into the decisive final 12 minutes.

Iran beach soccer

Far from out of it, the Portuguese started the trail back to contention with an early goal from Jordan, which blew past the great Peyman Hosseini, the splendid keeper for Iran, and it put the score 4-3 for Iran, going into the heart of the period. For all of the close calls and saves from Iran, Portugal was still needing to employ their solid defense and goalkeeping with Iran attacking just as much. The crossbars on both ends of the field were taking a beating with Portugal and Iran doing their best to shatter them, or score a goal, though one of those things was obviously more important. The sense was Portugal was going to score but the stout Iranian defense was able to keep the score at 4-3 going into the final minutes of the game. The nail in the coffin came with three minutes left when Iran netted their fifth and then they hung on for the 5-3 victory.

 

Goals: 0-1: Belchior, min. 8 (1); 1-1: M. Morshedi, min. 8 (1); 1-2: B. Novo, min. 7 (1); 2-2: F. Boulokbashi, min. 6 (1); 3-2: M. Ahmadzadeh, min 7 (2); 4-2: F. Boulokbashi, min. 3 (2); 4-3: Jordan , min. 9 (3); 5-3: M. Ahmadzadeh, min. 3 (3).

On November 23, 2013, Iran beat Russia 4-3 in the final match of the 2013 edition of the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup in Dubai to win the title.

Iran Beach soccer lose the opener match.

Iran men’s national beach soccer team has suffered its first loss at the group stage of the 2015 Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

On Tuesday evening, Asian powerhouse Iran lost to the strong Tahiti national beach soccer team by two points in its Group B opener played at the International Marine Club in Dubai.

Both teams got off to a fine start, knowing that goals would be hard to come by. Tahitian sportsmen were steady in their offense and defense, fighting through a very competitive Iranian side.

Tahiti’s Tearii Labaste finally jumped at an ideal chance in the third minute of the first period to open the scoring for the South Pacific side.  

Heimanu Taiarui doubled the lead for the Tahitian beach soccer team two minutes later, and the world vice champions went into the breather with a two-goal lead. 

Tahiti beach soccer team retained the lead and Naea Tommy Irving Bennett scored his first goal four minutes into the second period, putting Tahiti 3-0 ahead.

Tahitians did not relinquish as the game extended into the third and final period. The 38-year-old Bennett took advantage of a marvelous opportunity in the 10th minute of the period, and tacked his second goal to make it 4-0 for Tahiti.

Mohammad Ahmadzadeh of Iran took up a great chance a minute later, and kicked the Persians’ first goal.

Ahmadzadeh made his second goal of the match in the 11th minute of the third period, and turned Iran’s deficit into 4-2 before the referee blew his whistle and called it a day. 

In Tuesday’s other games, strong contenders Portugal sank Mexico 5-3, Russia produced an emphatic 5-1 win over Argentina. The United Arab Emirates went down to Egypt 3-2.

The 2015 Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup opened in Dubai, the UAE, on November 3, and will wrap up on November 7.

Argentina, Egypt, Russia and the host nation are in Group A.

Iran has been drawn alongside Mexico, Portugal and Tahiti in Group B of the tournament.

Team Melli Beach Soccer to meet Tahiti in the quarter finals.

Iran’s Beach Soccer team reached the quarter finals of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015™ after finishing runner up in Group C following Brazil defeat of Spain 2-1

The last match in the group stages saw the 4 times title holder Brazil narrowly beat last championships runner up Spain to create one of the first major upset of this edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

Iran will be playing against Tahiti who themselves upset all the odds by beating the defending champions Russia 7-6 in Group D. Brazil will be meeting Russia for a place in the semifinals.

 

 

Thursday 16 July

16 Jul 2015
Quarter-finals
Espinho Stadium
Espinho
Brazil    Brazil  vs.  Russia         Russia


Portugal   Portugal   vs.   Switzerland Switzerland 


Italy  Italy   vs.   Japan  Japan  


Tahiti  Tahiti   vs.   Iran  Iran  
 


Team Melli beach soccer team lose against Brazil.

Team Melli lost bravely to Brazil in another close and thrilling encounter in Portugal

Brazil’s win, their second of the tournament at Portugal 2015, did not come easily to the four-time champions after Iran had a 3-1 lead in the first period.

Both sides had won their opening matches in Espinho—Brazil defeated Mexico 5-1 and Iran overcame Spain 6-5. The two teams were also drawn in the same group at Tahiti 2013. Brazil won that time around 4-1, but in Espinho, Iran made life much tougher on their South American opposition.

Group C
Teams MP W W+ WP L GF GA Pts
Brazil
Brazil
 2 2 0 0 0 9 4 6
Iran
Iran
 2 1 0 0 1 9 9 3
Spain
Spain
 2 1 0 0 1 8 7 3
Mexico
Mexico
 2 0 0 0 2 2 8 0

An exciting first period saw a brace by Amir Akbari put Iran ahead twice, Mohammad Ahmadzadeh , Iran’s star scoring a stunning third goal for Team Melli to take a 3-1 lead. However, goals from Bruno Xavier and Bokinha helped Brazil fight back to bring the match level by the end of the period.

The Brazilians reach closer to the quarter-finals, although they are not formally through. All four teams in Group C still have a chance of advancing to the last-eight.

The final match for Team Melli on Tuesday should seal its qualification to the next round although a win by Spain against Brazil , might complicate the issue.

Match

First stage
Iran – Brazil
3:4 (3:3)
Date Venue / Stadium Time Attendance
12 July 2015 Espinho /Espinho Stadium 17:30 3500

Match Officials

Referee
MATTICOLI Gionni (ITA)

Goals scored

Amir AKBARI (IRN) 1’25” , FERNANDO DDI (BRA) 1’46” , Amir AKBARI (IRN) 3’09” , Mohammad AHMADZADEH (IRN) 4’04” , BRUNO XAVIER (BRA) 11’26” Penalty goal, BOKINHA (BRA) 11’39” , MAURICINHO (BRA) 25’03”
Iran
Iran
Brazil
Brazil
Line-ups Line-ups
1 P. HOSSEINI (GK)
1
MÃO (GK)
2 A. AKBARI
2 FERNANDO DDI Misses next match if booked
7 M. MORSHEDI
8 BRUNO XAVIER
8 F. BOULOKBASHI
9 RODRIGO
11 M. AHMADZADEH (C)
11 DATINHA
Substitutes Substitutes
12 H. BEHZADPOUR (GK)
12 CESINHA (GK)
3 M. MORADI
3 GABRIEL
5  A. NADERI
4 CATARINO
6 F. DARA
5 MAURICINHO
9 M. MOKHTARI
6 RAFINHA
10 M. MESIGAR Misses next match if booked
7 R. BOKINHA
4 M. KIANI Not eligible to play
10  JORGINHO (C)
Coach Coach
OCTAVIO Marco (BRA) JUNIOR NEGAO (BRA)

Cautions

Peyman HOSSEINI (IRN) 14’27” , BRUNO XAVIER (BRA) 22’10” , BOKINHA (BRA) 23’19”
a.e.t.: After extra time (C): Captain PSO: Penalty Shoot-out
GK: Goalkeeper N: Not eligible to play I: Injured
2Y: Misses next match if booked Pos: Positions A: Absent

 

Mokhtari seals a thrilling win for Iran Beach Soccer.

Mohammad Mokhtari scored a last gasp winner for Iran against Spain to record Iran first win in the World Championship.

The first match of Group C of FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015 was held in Espinho , Portugal, ended 6-5 for Iran which many would consider as a shock result with the Spanish side laying strong claims for the title. Iran Team, themselves quite an established name in Beach soccer now qualified for the World Cup after finishing 3rd in the Asian Qualifiers behind Oman and Japan.

ESP-IRN Beach Soccer 2015 [3]

The match started with a quick goal from Iran scored by Farid Boulokbashi. Spain in response scored two quick goals to forge ahead 2-1. The Spanish lead was short lived as Moslem Mesigar scored the equalizer for Team Melli Beach soccer team 2-2.

Spain took the lead when they scored the 3rd and then the 4th but once again Iran came back through Farid Boulokbashi and Mohammad Mokhtari to make it 4-4. Spain final goal came from their hat trick hero Antonio , but Ahmadzadeh scored the equalizer to set a very thrilling last few minutes.

Several threats on both goal in which the Spanish goalkeeper excel followed, however , the last world was for Mokhtari who scored with virtually seconds left of the match.

Iran gained a valuable 3 points in a tough group that also includes Brazil and Mexico.

 

ESP-IRN Beach Soccer 2015 [1]

 

 

 

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015
Group C
Espinho Stadium , Espinho (POR)
Spain
 Spain vs.
Iran
Iran
5 – 6
ANTONIO   [3] 1’59”, 14’05”, 30’37”
F. BOULOKBASHI [2] 1’39”, 14’06”
NICO   [1] 2’28”
M. MESIGAR [1] 4’53”
LLORENÇ  [1] 7’57”
M. MOKHTARI  [2] 18’07”, 35’17”
AHMADZADEH [1] 34’00”

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015.

The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015 begins this Thursday, which is the eighth edition of the global showpiece. Sixteen teams from around the world will play a total of 32 matches at the 3,300 capacity Estadio da Praia da Baia in Espinho.

FIFA.com marks your card for the tournament by providing the answers to five key questions.

Are Russia the team to beat?
No question. The defending champions will arrive in Espinho with ten of the 12 players who secured their second consecutive world title at Tahiti 2013, where they took their unbeaten run in the competition to 12 matches. The Russians can be expected once again to show all the hunger that has made them the best team in the world. Having just won European Games gold in Baku – despite losing one of their group matches – they will not be lacking in confidence. “I hope we’ll do no worse than in the last two World Cups,” said Russia coach Mikhail Likhachev. “Russia are among the favourites for this tournament, but we’re not the only favourites.”

Which other teams are in the running for the title?
While the list of contenders has grown in recent years, it is hard to look past four-time winners Brazil as the team next most likely to triumph after Russia. Also in the mix are three European teams possessing the blend of youth and experience needed to become world champions: Spain, the runners-up at Tahiti 2013 and the 2014 Euro Beach Soccer Cup winners; Italy, the only side to beat Russia in Baku; and Switzerland, who still have several members of the side that finished second at Dubai 2009 in their ranks. And let’s not forget tournament hosts Portugal.

Can Portugal handle the pressure of playing on home sand?
Judging by the quality of players at their disposal, the Portuguese should be able to cope with the expectation that comes with playing in front of one’s own fans. Between them, Madjer, Alan and Belchior have racked up 96 Beach Soccer World Cup matches and 140 goals, and possess the experience needed to harness pressure and turn it into something positive.

“The fans are our 11th player and there’s no doubt they’re going to give us a huge boost,” said Madjer in a recent interview with FIFA.com. “The sport’s getting more and more popular and people are sitting up and taking notice of it. All we have to do is repay that by having success on the sand.”

The fact is, however, that Brazil remain the only host nation ever to have won the world title, though it should be remembered that they failed to do so on their first attempt in 2005, when Portugal beat them in the semi-finals. Since Brazil’s last win on home sand in Rio de Janeiro in 2007, the host nations have found success hard to come by in the Beach Soccer World Cup. Both France at Marseille 2008 and Italy at Ravenna 2011 failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals, while United Arab Emirates went out in the group phase at Dubai 2009. In finishing fourth in 2013, however, Tahiti exceeded all expectations.

Are there likely to be any shocks?
Yes. Japan surprised everyone by reaching the last four in 2005, while few tipped Uruguay to reach the 2006 final and even fewer expected to see Mexico there in 2007. The fourth places achieved by El Salvador in 2009 and the Tahitians two years ago also came out of the blue. Those unlikely achievements will only fire the dreams of the sides hoping to cause an upset or two this time around.

Among them are Iran, who will be coached for a third time by Marco Octavio. Speaking recently to FIFA.com, he was bullish about their prospects in Portugal: “We have to try and win the title. We are a strong team, as we’ve shown in the past. We reached the quarter-finals at the last World Cup, where we went down fighting to world champions Russia. After the world finals we then went on to beat Russia and Brazil, and we’ll need to be ready to figure among the title contenders this time.”

Team Melli will do well to cause a splash this time, having been drawn in the toughest group of all, alongside Brazil, Spain and Mexico. Senegal, Paraguay and Costa Rica have similarly lofty ambitions. On duty at Dubai 2009, when the Costa Ricans lost their three group games, Tico striker Greivin Pacheco is confident they can fare better this time, despite being drawn in a daunting group with Italy, Switzerland and Oman. “It’s difficult but not impossible,” he told FIFA.com. “We don’t want to go over there just being happy to take part again. We need to aim to make history.”

Who will be the stars of the tournament?
Beach soccer mega-stars Madjer, Bruno Xavier and Andrey Bukhlitskiy are just some of the players who have been lighting up the game for years now and are sure to be doing so again in Espinho. Less well-known but just as consistent on the big stage are the likes of Iran’s Mohammad Ahmadzadeh, Italy’s Paolo Palmacci and the Argentinian Luciano Franceschini.

Meanwhile, Portugal 2015 will see a clutch of hotly tipped young talents step out into the global spotlight, among them Spain’s Llorenc, Datinha of Brazil, Ozu of Japan, Tahiti’s Raimana Li Fung Kuee, Babacar Fall of Senegal and the Paraguayan Ruben Moran.

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