Tag: Torabi

Team Melli list for Hong Kong match is announced.

Marc Wilmots announced the squad list of Team Melli for the match against Hong Kong which will be Iran’s opening match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

In the new Mark Wilmotz roster, Esteghlal , Persepolis and Tractorsazi have the lion share of the players. Sepahan Esfahan and Padidah Shahr Khodro who are currently leading the Persian Gulf Football League table, have no representation in Team Melli.

Estghala has 4 players (Hossein Hosseini, Siavash Yazdani, Ali Karimi and Vouria Ghafouri ), Persepolis has 6 (Alireza Biranvand, Vahid Amiri, Hossein Kanani Zadegan, Mehdi Torabi, Mohammad Naderi and Ahmad Nourollahi ) while Tractorsazi of Tabriz has 3 players (Rashid Mazaheri, Ehsan Haj Safi and Masoud Shojaei)

There are prominent absentees in the list and the most surprising is the Captain Ashkan Dejagah. Tractor midfielder, who has been ever-present in Team Melli in the last 9 years, is nowhere to be seen in the list despite his brilliant performance in the first two weeks of the Premier League. Dejagah was instrumental in his team defeat of the defending champions Persepolis a few days ago.

On the other hand, the Team Melli selectors have invited Persepolis defender Kanani -Zadegan , who has not played a single minute in the league this season!

Siavash Yazdani and Mohammad Naderi are the two rookies

Another major absentee is former Esteghlal defender Rouzbeh Cheshmi. The reason given for his exclusion is due to uncertainty about his future club after his contract expired with Esteghlal.

There is also no place in the squad for Saeed Ezzatollahi, who recently moved from Russian club to Belgian team Eupen. His status and lack of match fitness were deemed unacceptable for the upcoming match against  Hong Kong.

The Iranian national football team will face Hong Kong at 9:37 pm on Tuesday, September 19, in the qualifying round of the World Cup and the Asian Nations Cup.

THE SQUAD

# Player Club Country
GOALKEEPERS
1 BIRANVAND, Alireza Persepolis
2 MAZAHERI, Mohammad Rashid Tractorsazi
3 HOSSEINI, Hossein Esteghlal
DEFENDERS
4 GHAFOORI, Vourya Esteghlal
5 HOSSEINI, Majeed Trabzonspor
6 KANANI-ZADEGAN, Hossein Persepolis
7 MOHAMMADI, Milad Ghent Image result for belgium flag
8 NADERI, Mohammad Persepolis
9 POURALIGANJI, Morteza Al Arabi
10 REZAEIAN, Ramin Al Shahaniya
11 YAZDANI, Siavush Esteghlal
MIDFIELD
12 AMIRI, Vahid Persepolis
13 EBRAHIMI, Omid Al Ahli
14 HAJSAFY, Ehsan Tractorsazi
15 KARIMI, Ali Esteghlal
16 NOORALLAHIE, Ahmad Persepolis
17 SHOJAEI, Masoud Tractorsazi
18 TORABI, Mehdi Persepolis
FORWARDS
19 ANSARIFARD, Karim Al Saliyah
20 AZMOUN, Sardar Zenit St. Petersburg
21 JAHANBAKHSH, AliReza Brighton & Hove Albion
22 SAYYAD-MANESH Allahyar Fenerbahçe
23 TAREMI, Mehdi Rio Ave

Team Melli line up vs. Turkmenistan

Carlos Queiroz announced the lineup against Turkmenistan for today’s match in Azadi.

Injury and absenteeism has forced into many changes. The new inexperienced line up is expected to have a tough time against the determined Turkmenistan side that has already declared they are playing for all the 3 points in Tehran.  

Iran needs a win today to go to the top of the table. Oman has a rest day in this round while India meets Guam later in the day.

 

 

HAGHIGHI, Alireza

HAJSAFY, Ehsan      POURALIGANJI, Morteza      POURGHAZ, Ezzatollah           REZAEIAN, Ramin

TORABI, Mehdi     EZZATOLLAHI, Saeid    EBRAHIMI, Omid

AMIRI, Vahid     DEJAGAH, Ashkan

REZAEI, Kaveh

Team Melli young guns put on the style in a 6-0 victory.

Guam topping the group ahead of Iran and oozing with confidence with dreams of upsetting the powerful Team Melli, was suddenly put down to earth with a 6-0 drubbing in Azadi today. This was Guam first drop of points of their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Team Melli jumped on the Matao almost immediately with a goal in the opening 10 minutes off a penalty kick from Ashkan Dejagah. The hosts went into halftime up by three goals as Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun scored before halftime. Taremi and Azmoun found the back of the net again in the second half before Mehdi Torabi rounded the scoring with a tally in the dying minutes of the match.  

Despite the result, Guam remain atop Group D with six points while Iran are in second with four but holding a match in hand.

Queiroz put his confidence in his youngsters’, who put a wide smile on his face after the emphatic win against the group leaders.

Although Sardar Azmoun continued his prolific scoring records with Team Melli , it was Mehdi Taremi , the player from Bushehr , currently starring for Persepolis , who attracted most of the attentions. Azmoun run on the flank was stopped by a foul from keeper Doug Herrick. The referee had no hesitation to blow for a penalty which Ashakan Dejagah slotted comfortably into the net in the 10th minute.

iran guam ashkan goal celebration

The early goal opened Team Melli appetite as both Ando Teymourian and Taremi came close to adding to the tally. The latter then scored when Azmoun sent a neat pass for Taremi to slot in the goal with a side touch for his first goal and Iran’s second in the 31st minute. Azmoun added one more before half time from a slide rule cross by Ashkan Dejagah for the young forward who plays for the Russian club Rostov to outjump the Guam defenders and head into the net. Azmoun has scored several goals in such style and beginning to acquire a reputation for splendid heading goals.

Azmoun scored again on the 41st from a neat cross by Vahid Amiri to finish the half with 4-0 margin for Team Melli.

The second half was much the same as what the fans witnessed in the first. Guam hardly venturing into Iranian territory while Team Melli players putting a siege round the Guam box.

Further goals came from Taremi who headed home Ramin Rezaeian’s cross and then a late goal by Torabi, his second for Team Melli in as many matches.

The second half was not more than a damage limitation exercise by Guam who defended in numbers and managed to limit the scoring to no more than two.

Team Melli will now face India next while Guam will play Oman who beat Turkmenistan 3-1 in Muscat.

iran guam taremi azmoun goal celebration