Tag: Scores

Iran cruise in AFC U-20 Futsal Championship 2017

Bangkok:  Iran confirmed their place in quarter-finals of the AFC U-20 Futsal Championship as a 6-1 win over China saw them cement top spot in Group D with one game to go.

The victory was Iran’s third straight three-point haul in Bangkok, a fine run of form that has now set up a last eight showdown with either Uzbekistan or Lebanon.  

A Zhou Xu own goal after five minutes set Iran on their way at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, before strikes from Mohammed Jamebalani and Mohammad Taheri further strengthened their position going into half-time.

Hamidreza Karimi grabbed Iran’s fourth on 33 minutes, and despite Wang Jiahao finding the net for China, further goals from Mohammad Heidari and Hamid Ghahramani rounded off yet another scintillating Iranian display.

  •  Iran next game: May 20, Islamic Republic of Iran v Kyrgyz Republic

China: Wang 34’
Iran: Zhou 5’ (OG), Jamebalani 15’, Taheri 19’, Karimi 33’, Heidari 36’, Ghahramani 40’

Iran U20 futsal results

17 May 2017
Mongolia  0–6  Iran
Taheri Goal 7′
Rezapour Goal 11′, 20′
Lotfi Goal 13′
Kadkhoda Goal 16′
M. Karimi Goal 30′
Referee: Osama Saeed Idrees (Bahrain)

 

18 May 2017
Iran  5–1  United Arab Emirates
Kadkhoda Goal 5′, 37′
M. Karimi Goal 24′
Ghahramani Goal 25′, 36′		 Report A. Ahmed Goal 30′
Indoor Stadium Huamark, Bangkok
Attendance: 100
Referee: Kim Jong-hee (South Korea)

Iran 1-0 China : Another firm step towards the World Cup 2018

Team Melli defeated China 1-0 in the seventh round of the FIFA World Cup 2018 Asian zone qualifiers to cement its lead on group A. Iran now leads the group with 17 points , four ahead of closest rival Korea Republic with 3 rounds to go.

The match was played in front of capacity crowd estimated to be over 110,000 fans played early in the afternoon, The doors of the stadium had to be closed early as the fans were still flocking in with the stadium already full.

China which defeated Korea in the last round , was hoping to repeat the same against Iran to have any chance of reaching the World Cup for only its second time in history. A large number of Chinese fans all wearing red , were in Azadi;s special guests section cheering their team. Marcello Lippi has successfully led the Chinese in the last two matches.

Taremi celebrates

The first half :

Queiroz made 3 changes in the line up from the Qatar match including Ghoochannejad replacing Azmoun in forward line, while Shojae replaced Hajsafy. TM did not waste much time going forward as Ghoochannejad shot powerfully in the 6th minute for the Chinese keeper Zeng Cheng to parry over the bar for corner.

Following a series of slick passing moves in the 20th minute, Jahanbakhsh fired a shot that just shaved the bar

Next serious threat on Chinese goal was on minute 35 where Taremi’s shot was saved by the outstretched legs of Zeng Cheng.

Team Melli continued its assault on China’s goal and should have scored a minute later after another set of passes following quick interchange of positions. Masoud Shojaei, the captain of the team, sent a measured ball to the fast advancing Milad Mohammadi on the left flank. The Grozny player controlled the ball nicely, passed his marker and was one on one with Zeng Cheng. However, with the angle closing and becoming acute , Mohammadi shot was met by the excellent Chinese custodian, and sent to the corner.

Reza Ghoochannejad vs China WCQ 2018

5 minutes later , another marvelous passing game, this time from the right resulted in Ghafoori sending an inch perfect pass to Shojaei. The Captain shot cleanly but once again Zeng Cheng saved China’s blushes. The ensuing corner saw Taremi’s scissor kick marginally missing target.

The first half ended goal-less.

It only took 30 seconds in the second half for Iran to take the lead. After a series of shamble clearances by the Chinese defense, Taremi found the ball at his feet inside the six yards box. His halfhearted lefty shot beat the wrong footed  Zeng Cheng and finally passed the goal line.

It was much deserved and long waited goal for Team Melli.

China on the other hand, showed very little initiative and ambition. Only late in the second half that the Chinese really pressed hard to score an equalizer , which incidentally would not have made a big difference in their chances.

Iran now awaits the crucial encounter at Azadi with Uzbekistan. A win, will guarantee Iran early qualification.

AFC BEACH SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP 2017: GROUP A PREVIEW

Kuala Terengganu- Malaysia

Malaysia head coach Ismail Zakaria is optimistic his side can more than hold their own when the 2017 AFC Beach Soccer Championship begins in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday.

With the competition also serving as the qualifiers for April’s 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer Championship in the Bahamas, the stakes are indeed high on the east coast of Malaysia.

And despite Malaysia only having previously appeared on the world stage in 1999 at the then Beach Soccer World Championship, Ismail believes the host nation will not be overawed when they face their more illustrious opponents.

“Malaysia are progressing in this exciting game and we want to show the people in our country that we can put up a good fight against the strong teams such as Iran and Bahrain,” said Ismail during Friday’s Group A press conference.

“We are surely developing this game and instead of feeling intimidated by the experience of the other teams, we want to have an experience of our own.”

Iran Beach soccer during Training in Malaysia

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran arrive in Malaysia as one of the pre-tournament favourites and – as 2013 title winners – are expected by many to progress beyond the Group Stage with relative ease.

However, head coach Mohammad Hoseyn Mirshamsi is refusing to attach too much relevance to previous performances and is, instead, fully focussed on the task at hand.

“We have had great preparations for the game which is growing rapidly in popularity in Iran,” he said. “I’ve been with the national team for close to two years and we need to focus on what we have to do now to be successful without looking back too much to our achievements.

“There have been a lot of changes to the national team and what we should be doing now is to gel together as a team and make it difficult for our opponents to beat us.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL MATCH SCHEDULE

Bahrain were the competition’s inaugural winners some 11 years ago after beating Japan in the 2006 final, but three years later, a twist of fate saw the West Asians lose out to the Japanese in the title showdown.

Bahrain head coach Joao Almeida is however refusing to believe that Japan, who are in Group C, are the only team to beat at this year’s AFC Beach Soccer Championship, saying that several other nations have what it takes to win silverware in Malaysia.

“Of course we are craving the title once again after so many years and it won’t be easy,” the Portuguese tactician declared.

“It’s been a long time and we and the other teams have changed a lot. Japan are still the most powerful team in my personal opinion but the other teams such as reigning champions Oman, Lebanon, the UAE and China will also definitely be teams to reckon with.

Warm up on beach

“Some teams will advance to the semi-finals through a lot of matches while others do so after fewer matches. This can affect our emotions but we have to check ourselves against this. What’s important is we give our best because all teams are different and have their own strengths.”

China’s previous best performances were fourth-place finishes in 2006 and 2008 when defeats to Iran proved their undoing. Although his charges are set to face the Iranians once again, head coach Ling Luhui views the competition as a potentially excellent learning curve for the East Asian side.

“I hold high opinions of the coaches of the other four teams as China are a young team in beach soccer,” said Ling. “We want to learn from them and also enjoy our games against the best teams in Asia in order to further develop ourselves.

“In 2006 and 2008, there were fewer teams participating, but now, there are more. There’s a great chance for everyone to make it further in the competition and therefore focus is the name of the game.”

Afghanistan are making only their second AFC Beach Soccer Championship appearance after a 2013 debut, and head coach Rohullah Rastagar has his sights firmly set on success.

“We have problems with our security back home and therefore we started our preparations only a month ago,” he said. “However, we do dream big, that is, to make it to the World Cup.

“All the other teams presented their kind of challenge as they are different, so I’d say all of them are tough opponents, but we hope to be ready for them come matchdays.”

Schedule & Results:

Group Stage
04-03-2017 14:30
0 – 5
   
CHINA P.R. BAHRAIN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
04-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
AFGHANISTAN MALAYSIA
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
05-03-2017 14:30
14:30
   
AFGHANISTAN CHINA P.R.
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
05-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
MALAYSIA I.R. IRAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
06-03-2017 14:30
14:30
   
BAHRAIN MALAYSIA
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
06-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
I.R. IRAN AFGHANISTAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
07-03-2017 14:30
14:30
   
BAHRAIN AFGHANISTAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
07-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
CHINA P.R. I.R. IRAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
08-03-2017 14:30
14:30
   
MALAYSIA CHINA P.R.
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
08-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
I.R. IRAN BAHRAIN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

Iran U-19 qualifies for the FIFA U-20 World Cup

Isa Town: Reza Jafari’s brace booked Islamic Republic of Iran a place in the semi-finals of the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 on Monday evening as Amir Peiravani’s side handed Uzbekistan a 2-0 defeat to also qualify for the finals of next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea Republic.

A goal in each half from Jafari sets up a meeting with Saudi Arabia in the last four, and also sees the Iranians qualify for the finals of the global youth tournament for the first time since 2001.

Jafari’s two well-taken goals were backed up by a resolute defensive performance by Iran, who largely limited Uzbekistan to a series of attempts from outside the area that caused goalkeeper Shahab Adeli few problems.

After making a raft of changes for his side’s final group match against China, Uzbekistan coach Jasur Abduraimov reverted to his preferred starting line-up as the Central Asian side set their sights on qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the third tournament in a row.

It was the Iranians, though, who made the strongest start and, by the 13th minute, Peiravani’s team had taken the lead. Abolfazl Razzaghpour’s free kick into the box was miss-controlled by Reza Shekari before the ball fell at the feet of Jafari and he thumped his shot beyond Umidjon Khamroev.

Uzbekistan pushed for the equaliser throughout the remainder of the half, but the Iranian defence restricted their opponents to attempts from long range.

Jasurbek Yakhshiboev slalomed his way into the area, only to see his shot blocked, before a series of attempts by Sharof Mukhitdinov from distance. The first from 30 yards was just over the bar while a free kick from similar distance was collected by Adeli at the second attempt. Meanwhile, Khojiakbar Alijonov’s shot hit the side netting 11 minutes before the break.

Less than two minutes after the restart, Iran doubled their lead, this time capitalising on some slack play in midfield by the Uzbeks. Shekari picked up possession just inside his own half and played a quick ball forward into the path of Jafari, who outsprinted Islom Kobilov before slotting the ball past Khamroev.

Another Mukhitdinov attempt flew over before Shekari squandered the chance to put the outcome beyond doubt when he dragged his attempt at goal well wide of the target, while with 18 minutes remaining Husniddin Gofurov missed the opportunity to pull Uzbekistan back into the game when he headed over the bar from less than six yards out.

The Uzbeks continued to press – and Shahab was forced to make a spectacular one-handed save from Yakhshiboev in the dying seconds – but Iran’s disciplined backline gave little away as Peiravani’s team closed out the game to seal an historic result.

Photo: Lagardère Sports

Iran beach soccer wins the Continental Beach Soccer Title

Iran beach soccer won the Continental Beach Soccer Tournament by beating Oman 6-3 in the final.

Iran’s goals were scored by Amir Hossein Akbari (4 goals), Seyed Ali Nazim , and Peyman Hosseini.

This was the first title for the team under coach Mohammad Hossein Mir Shamsi. Peyman Hosseini  was as the tournament’s best goalkeeper while Amir Hossein Akbari grabbed the top scorer title.

On  Wednesday, Iran booked a place at the Continental Beach Soccer Tournament final after beating Japan 5-1. .

In the group stages, the Iranian team, Bahrain 10-1 in its first match. 

 China and Thailand played for the bronze medal.

The three-day tournament was held in Ordos, China.

The top eight Asian teams namely, Iran, China, Bahrain, Japan, Vietnam, Oman, Thailand and Lebanon participated in the event.

The Iranian team takes part in the competition as part of its preparation for the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification.

IRIFF arranges a charter flight for Team Melli

IRIFF is to arrange a charter flight for Team Melli for their trip to Southern China. 

Team Melli is scheduled to play away to China on 6th September 2016 , 5 days after meeting Qatar in Azadi Stadium. ” the federation has managed to secure a charter flight for Team Melli for the long trip to Southern China .” IRIFF’s official  Gholamreza Behravan said . “This will reduce the burden of traveling and connection flights and will ensure that the players get enough rest before the match.”

IRIFF usually refrains from using charter flights due to cost, and uses commercial flights for Team Melli travels. However, in cases of difficult logistics, like the flight to Turkmenistan for the World Cup qualifiers, the federation has restored to charter flights while the air force has also supported the federation in some cases by providing military transport planes.

Behravan also said that IRIFF has requested that the match date against  South Korea on 11th October to be changed because it falls on Tasooa, a day before Ashoora. However, Behravan , admitted that chances of this happening and getting the nod from AFC and FIFA is quite remote. Such change in the carefully arranged and tight schedule of FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers will result in disruption for all the teams in the group and not only the two teams concerned. That raises the question of why ask in the first place if it is not a practical request?

On the league program. Behravan said that “after round 4 of the league, we will have to pause to allow Team Melli to prepare for the Qatar match. The team will conduct a training camp in Italy before playing against Qatar in Azadi.”

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 Futsal looking for lost glory.

Tashkent: Coach Mohammad Nazemosharie is adamant Iran have their sights set on winning an 11th AFC Futsal Championship in Uzbekistan this month ahead of their Group B opener against Jordan on Wednesday.

Iran are comfortably the most successful side in the history of the AFC Futsal Championship having won 10 of the first 11 editions, although they were forced to settle for a runners-up finish in Vietnam in the 2014 tournament after a penalty shootout defeat to Japan.

But ahead of the meeting with Jordan at Universal Stadium, Nazemosharie is confident his side will return to winning ways.

“Futsal is very strong in Iran and we’ve come here to put on a good show,” said Nazemosharie.

“We respect all the teams in our group but we are aiming to be champions and we are a very powerful side.”

Jordan coach Salah Abu Jafer, though, is looking for a strong start for the debutants with an eye on the second round and will look to the likes of key player Samer Samih, who plays professionally in Qatar.

“It’s Jordan’s first time to reach the finals and the whole country is proud of this achievement,” said Abu Jafer.

“We’ve prepared well with several camps and our training has been good so we come in high spirits and with the aim of qualifying to the second stage.”

Also at Universal Stadium on Wednesday, Iraq will take on China with coach Haitham Abbas’ squad based on powerhouse club side, Naft Al Wasat.

No fewer than 12 of Iraq’s final 14 man selection are from the Najaf-based outfit who reached the semi-finals of last year’s AFC Futsal Club Championship.

“We don’t have any professional players in our squad unlike Iran but what we do have is a strong unity borne from the Naft Al Wasat side which is like a defacto national team,” said Abbas.

“Originally, I was looking at other players and we tried many different combinations but I kept coming back to the fact that this club had the best players – I’ve even called two goalkeepers from the same team.”

Opponents China also featured in the 2014 edition in Vietnam, although they failed to reach the knockout stage after losing to Iran, Australia and Indonesia but coach Shan Zhiping is hopeful of an improved performance.

“We’re very happy to be here in Uzbekistan and we’ve had a good preparation with the team being in camp since January 18,” said Shan.

“We enter with the same hopes and expectations as every other nation and that’s firstly to reach the knockout stage and ultimately to claim one of the five spots for this year’s World Cup.”

Photo: AFC

Iran futsal routs Myanmar

Iran Futsal team opened its account in the China International Futsal tournament 2015 in Changshu city with a routing of Myanmar. In the second match of the tournament played on Friday , Team Melli futsal team mostly  playing with young players while occasional minutes were given to the seniors,  defeated Myanmar 15-2.

The first half ended 8-0 in a match which was totally controlled by Iran from the word go,

Team Melli scored a further 7 goals in the second while conceding a couple in the process.

Iran scorers were: 

Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh (4), Mehdi Javid (4), Safari (3), Mohammad Koohestani, Afshin Kazemi, Mohammad Shajari and  Alireza Vafaei

In the opening match of the tournament, Host China drew with Mexico 3-3 . The North American team will be Iran’s next opponent on Saturday.

Iran participate in China Futsal tournament.

Iran Futsal team will play in a 4 side round in China on Friday ribbon tournament
The 2015 Chinese Football Association Futsal international tournament organized by the Chinese Football Association will be held in Changshu City Sports Center from 18 to 20 May. The teams participating in this tournament are Mexico, Myanmar, host China in addition to Iran.

Iran will be the favorite despite missing 3 players who missed the flight due to injuries and other problems.
The Chinese team three games will be broadcast live or taped on CCTV and a number of provincial-level TV.

Changshu is the second city to host international futsal tournament, the Chinese team won the runner-up in the last edition. Before the game, the Chinese coach Zhiping said the Chinese team tournament consists mainly of young players. He added that their main rival is Iran, and in order to defeat the powerful Iranians , they have to outrun them in the match. The Chinese team will go all out to do well in this tournament although they are facing a powerhouse of Asian Futsal.

Futsal is one of the world’s fastest sport popular with higher ornamental, it is to improve the football skills, agility and speed education platform.

Matches schedule

(all time local China time GMT +8)

Friday 18th Dec 2015
19:00 China vs Mexico
21:00 Iran vs Myanmar

Saturday 19th Dec 2015
19:00 China vs Myanmar
21:00 Iran vs Mexico

Sunday 20th Dec 2015
19:00 China vs Iran
21:00 Mexico vs Myanmar