Tag: Vahid Shamsaei

Ahmad Abbasi treble helps see Iran through.

A hat-trick by Saeid Ahmad Abbasi helped Iran see off a stubborn Guatemala side and cruise into the last 16 of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™.

Guatemala stunned Iran in the first half with a quick counterattack goal to lead 1-0 in the Group F match. However, Ahmad Abbasi’s response was immediate and stunning, leveling the score shortly after.

Head Coach Shasaei employed an interesting game plan, constantly rotating players and taking off four at a time. This strategy seemed to test different player compositions for effectiveness. However, it also left Iran vulnerable, with the CONCACAF team exploiting these rotations. Iran’s goalkeeper had an off day, struggling with poor timing and situational awareness, which allowed Guatemala to capitalize on several occasions.

Despite these challenges, Salar Aghapour (11) and Hossein Tayyebi (14) managed to add to Iran’s tally. However, the resilient Guatemalan team fought back, scoring two more goals to end the first half at 3-3.

In the second half, Iran switched on the style to secure their place in the last 16. Guatemala, with Patrick Ruiz and Marvin Sandoval performing superbly, went into half-time level but had no answer for Team Melli’s onslaught in the second half, particularly from Saeid Ahmad Abbasi.

Salar Aghapour (21), Behrooz Azimi (25), Saeid Ahmad Abbasi (27), Mahdi Karimi (32), Hossein Tayyebi (37), and Saeid Ahmad Abbasi (40) all scored for Iran, leading to a resounding 9-4 victory in Bukhara.

Iran will remain in Bukhara to face France, who won 7-3 against Venezuela, in one of the most anticipated games of the group stage. Meanwhile, Guatemala will head to Tashkent for a must-win meeting with Venezuela.

Futsal Team Melli powers to 13th title

SUN, 28 APRIL, 2024

Bangkok: I Iran waltzed their way to a record-extending 13th title with a 4-1 win over Thailand in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ Thailand 2024 final on Sunday. 

Iran seized control from the start at the Bangkok Arena to deny Thailand a maiden title as the Central Asian side made up for losing to Japan in the decider of the 2022 edition.

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Iran head coach Vahid Shamsaei was glad his side had redeemed themselves from losing the 2022 final.

“I remember the day I lost the 2022 final against Japan. I had to apologize to everyone, especially to the Iranian fans. Today, I’m happy that they stayed patient with me and I want to dedicate this trophy to everyone back home, especially my late father, who did not see me win the trophy as a head coach,” said Shamsaei.

Thailand head coach Miguel Rodrigo felt his side could have done better.

“I’m very sad for the Thailand fans, they truly deserve another game. We played with our hearts and I will never forget this day, that we played in the final at Bangkok Arena. I’m very disappointed but at the same time, we lost to a superior team,” said Rodrigo.

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Iran got off to a fine start, taking the lead in the first minute off a set-piece situation when Salar Aghapour teed-up Mahdi Karimi, who finished into the bottom corner of the net from the top of the arc.

Thailand, despite being urged on by the partisan crowd, struggled to break through, with Krit Aransanyalak finding his advances on the right flank consistently halted by Iran’s solid defending.

Thailand keeper Arut Senbat was kept on his toes, having to block Karimi’s forced drive from the left flank, before seeing Alireza Rafiei Pour pull his effort wide from inside the box.

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The hosts had their first look on goal in the fourth minute when Alongkorn Janphon lost his marker at the centre before playing the ball square to the advancing Therdsak Charoenphong, who fired his effort over the bar.

A lapse in concentration saw Thailand concede again in the fifth minute when Mohammadreza Sangsefidi played the ball on for the overlapping Moslem Oladghobad on the right flank, who supplied a pinpoint cross for Saeid Ahmad Abbasi to score his eighth goal of the tournament. 

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Thailand refused to concede defeat, with Suphawut Thueanklang seeing his set-piece effort saved by Iran keeper Bagher Mohammadi, who then did well to force Panut Kittipanuwong’s shot wide in a one on one situation.

The onus was on Thailand to find their way back and they did so in spectacular fashion in the 25th minute when Jirawat Sornwichian exchanged passes with Muhammad Osamanmusa before darting through centre and chipping the ball over Mohammadi.

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A relentless Iran responded two minutes later off a set-piece situation when Sangsefidi lofted the perfect cross to an unmarked Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh to volley home to regain their two-goal advantage.

Thailand, desperate to reduce the deficit in the second half, opted for the power play, but the move proved costly in the 34th minute as Mohammadi gained possession in his area before lofting the ball over to score Iran’s fourth to confirm his nation’s 13th AFC Futsal Asian Cup title. 

.Futsal Team Melli to the final match

Bangkok: Goalkeeper Bagher Mohammadi was the star a Iran defeated Uzbekistan 5-4 on penalties after their AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand™ 2024 semi-final ended 3-3 after extra-time on Friday.

Mohammadi saved two spot-kicks as Iran advanced to Sunday’s final against hosts Thailand, with the Central Asian side seeking a record-extending 13th AFC Futsal Asian Cup title. 

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Iran earned a free-kick in a dangerous position just seconds into the tie but Uzbekistan were quick to snuff out the attempt, with Ikhtiyor Ropiev playing the ball on for the overlapping Khusniddin Nishonov, who dragged his effort just inches off the right post.

It was a tense opening minutes with neither side giving an inch of space with Iran’s Salar Aghapour seeing his effort from a distance saved by Uzbekistan keeper Abbos Elmurodov, while at the other end Aghapour needed to step in to foil Ilkhomjon Khamroev’s challenge.

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Iran, however, struck in the third minute when Aghapour weaved his way down the left flank before unleashing his shot which took a deflection off Uzbekistan’s Mashrab Adilov before settling in the back of the net.

Uzbekistan, however, fought back and drew level in the ninth minute with Sunatulla Juraev’s free-kick from distance beating a diving Bagher Mohammadi.

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It was end to end action with Iran keeping Elmurodov busy with an array of shots from Saeid Ahmad Abbasi, while Mohammadi was also tested when he had to keep out Khamroev’s effort.

It was Uzbekistan who scored next, Abror Akhmetzyanov initially deflecting Mohammadhossein Derakhshani’s pass, with Khamroev then laying the ball for Nishonov to set up Akhmetzyanov for a simple tap-in.

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Iran turned up the tempo in the second half and drew level in the 24th minute when the unfortunate Akhmetzyanov turned in Moslem Oladghobad’s free-kick from the left flank.

Uzbekistan suffered another blow in the 27th minute when Adilov received his marching orders after picking up his second yellow card leaving the door open for Iran, who retook the lead two minutes later.

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Aghapour sent a delightful cross to an unmarked Behrooz Azimihematabadi, who had the simplest of touches to put the ball into the back of the net from close range leaving Elmurodov stunned.

Iran, however, suffered a lapse in concentration in the 35th minute when Juraev dispossessed Mahdi Karimi on the right flank before supplying the cross for Akhmetzyanov to slot home the equaliser in an unattended goal.

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Abbasi came close to scoring in the closing stages of the first period when his angled overhead kick sailed above the bar, while Ropiev forced a fine fingertip save from Mohammadi with the Iranian custodian saved Nishonov’s effort from distance.

Mohammadi then saved the first and sixth Uzbekistan spot-kicks as Iran moved within a match of yet another AFC Futsal Asian Cup title. 

Iran Uzbekistan- Futsal Semi-Final

Preview - Semi-final: Uzbekistan v IR Iran

Bangkok: Uzbekistan will encounter their toughest challenge yet when they go head-to-head with Iran in the semi-finals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand™ 2024 at the Bangkok Arena on Friday.

Both sides are in great form, having won their previous four matches en route to the semi-finals with Uzbekistan showing nerves of steel to defeat Vietnam in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, thanks to Sunatulla Juraev’s last-gasp goal. 

Head coach Jose Venancio Lopez knows it will be even tougher against 12-time champions Iran. 

“Facing Iran is a different proposition altogether. They are undeniably one of the best teams in the world and are rightfully considered favorites,” said Lopez.

#ACFutsal2024 | Quarter-final : Uzbekistan 2 - 1 Vietnam

“It’s difficult to figure out how to beat Iran. We’re aware of their high-quality play. However, in one game, anything is possible, and we’ll strive to do everything within our power to achieve our target.”

Iran, on the other hand, have been cruising through the tournament and booked their semi-final spot with a 6-1 win over Kyrgyz Republic but head coach Vahid Shamsaee wants his team to remain focused.  

“We know it’s going to be a tough match, both physically and tactically, and we’re determined to show the best performance we can,” said Shamsaee.

#ACFutsal2024 | Quarter-final : IR Iran 6 - 1 Kyrgyz Republic

“The past is the past. We had friendly games with Uzbekistan before this tournament, but there’s a significant difference between the Uzbek team and my team. Each team possesses unique conditions and physical attributes. Right now, our focus is solely on the next game, and we aim to maintain our concentration.

“With each game, we’re improving. We had two targets, and yesterday, we achieved one by qualifying for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024. After our quarter-final game, all my players understood their roles. They know what they need to do tomorrow: to fight until the end without stress and with the hope of delivering a good performance.”

Uzbekistan  v Iran  
Venue: Bangkok Arena (Bangkok)
Kick-off: 17:00 (UTC+3) – Iran Time: 17:30 (UTC+3:30)  

Futsal Team Melli turn on the power

Iran booked their place in the semi-finals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Thailand™ 2024 after defeating the Kyrgyz Republic 6-1 in their last-eight tie at the Bangkok Arena on Wednesday.

The win meant the 12-time champions also punched their ticket to the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024, with a meeting against Uzbekistan or Vietnam in Friday’s semi-finals.

Kyrgyz Republic, meanwhile, will need to wait for the outcome of the day’s last quarter-final between Uzbekistan and Vietnam to learn whether their campaign has concluded, or they will return to action in Friday’s playoffs.

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Iran head coach Vahid Shamsaei said his players found the opening minutes difficult as they were not used to the court conditions.

“We had to acclimatize to the conditions of the court surface as we did not play in this arena in the group stage. However, the players knew what they had to do and we had the perfect second half,” said Shamsaei.

“I’m proud of my players as we also qualified for the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan later this year. Even though Japan are not here in this competition, the quality of the other teams has improved.”

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Kyrgyz Republic head coach Luis Molina was proud of his players despite the heavy defeat.

“I think we played a very good first half but unfortunately for us, we had two players absent due to suspension. We were fighting for 20 minutes with Iran and this was not an easy level. As we approached the end of second half, the players were fatigued,” said Molina.

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Kyrgyz Republic, who lost all their three previous encounters against Iran, had the first look at goal in the opening minute when keeper Bekbolot Akmataliev sent a long ball for Daniiar Talaibekov, who couldn’t get his header on target.

Akmataliev’s reflexes were put to the test moments later when he thwarted Salar Aghapour’s grounded effort and then kept out Behrooz Azimihematabadi twice before the Iran No 14 was denied by the bar followed by a block on Ali Khalilvand’s effort from distance.

Iran continued pressing and broke the deadlock in the seventh minute when Azimi found space down the centre to strike the ball into the top right corner of the net.

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Kyrgyz Republic responded immediately, equalizing a minute later when Akmataliev squared the ball to Amanbaev Donierbek, who beat his marker on the turn before slotting home a grounded effort, leaving Iran keeper Bagher Mohammadi stunned.


Iran restored their lead two minutes later when they were awarded a free-kick with Aghapour curling his effort over the wall and into the top right corner.

Kyrgyz Republic fell further behind three minutes after the restart when they were caught on the counter-attack when Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh played on the ball for Saeid Abbasi to strike home from just above the arc past a diving Akmataliev.

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Despite Kyrgyz Republic’s best efforts, Iran scored their fourth in the 25th minute after Abbasi gained possession before squaring it to Hassanzadeh to tee up Mahdi Karimi to slot the ball through the legs of Akmataliev.

Karimi doubled his tally in the 35th minute after collecting the ball off Aghapour’s cutback from the left flank to slot home on the turn from the top of the box before Hassanzadeh made it 6-1 from the penalty spot.

Iran’s Futsal thrashes Uzbekistan

In the second friendly game, Iran’s national futsal team defeated  Uzbekistan by a wide margin thus ending its training camp with full marks.

The national futsal teams and Uzbekistan met in their second match on Monday with this game ending 8-1 in favor of Iran. In this game, which started at 20:00 in Tehran’s Pass Stadium, Iran scored goals by Behdad Sheikh Ahmadi, Mehdi Karimi, and Saeed Ahmad Abbasi (twice each), Hossein Tayibi and Duran Cherif (own goals). Uzbekistan’s goal was scored by “Akbar Usmanov”. Unlike the first game against Uzbekistan, Vahid Shamsaei’s men started their work without stress and with authority in this match and achieved a 5-0 lead in the first half.

In the second half, even though Uzbekistan tried to make up for the lost goals, Iran continued its offensive game and was able to continue the scoring process. In this half, Mehdi Karimi, Saeed Ahmad Abbasi, and Hossein Tayyebi scored three goals, and Uzbekistan only allowed the ball to cross Iran’s goal line once.

Iran won 5-3 in the first game held on Sunday. If financial resources are provided, the Iranian national team will head to the Brazil tournament in September to hold a few friendly matches and then prepare for the preliminary and final stages of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup.

Shamsaei to continue as Futsal head coach!

Iran’s national futsal team returned to Iran on Sunday from Kuwait, after losing to Japan in the finals of the 16th AFC Asian Futsal Cup. Ehsan Usooli, head of Iran’s futsal committee, who was in Kuwait with the national team, was questioned by the media at the airport who were seeking some justifications for the avoidable loss.

in response to reporters’ questions, Usooli said that  Vahid Shamsaei, the head coach, will continue to be employed according to his contract. The contract of Shamsai and his assistants with the national team is until the end of 1401 (March 2023) adding that this contract will probably be extended for another year. Shamsaei has experienced three competitions as Iran’s futsal head coach. First, in the preliminary and qualifying rounds of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup and then the Thailand Continental tournament where Iran lost to Morocco in the final, while the last one was in the appearance  AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2022 where he again tasted defeat in the final match against Japan. Currently, the Iranian national team does not have a special plan after the Asian Championship, and it seems unlikely that the Caspian tournament will be held with the participation of teams such as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.

Usooli did not indicate if there will be an internal review of Shamsaei’s performance and failures and his suggestion that Shamsei will be continued as a head coach indicates that there will be no performance analysis.

Shamsaei in a bold but not very wise move completely overhauled the national team getting rid of most of the players that were winners of trophies at the Asian level and performed admirably at FIFA competitions. However, that was a major mistake by the relatively inexperienced coach and it meant that Iran lost its title in a match that a more experienced coach and players would have probably won easily.

Vahid Shamsaei apologizes for the defeat!

Iran’s national futsal team lost its title against fierce rival Japan in a thrilling match in Kuwait.

While Iran’s road to the final was quite smooth, scoring a plethora of goals against its opponent all the way to the finals, Japan had a difficult road and only managed to qualify from the group stages thanks to goal difference. Japan also had difficult matches against its rivals in the Quarter and Semifinals. However, in the final, Japan managed miraculously to beat Iran which had almost 70% possession, and bombarded the Japanese keeper who was the undisputed hero and the man of the game in the final match.

Iran’s head coach Vahid Shamsaei expressed his hope that his players will learn from this defeat at the press conference of this match. Shamsaei said: “I told my players that I am responsible for the defeat. They gave their best with maximum effort.” The head coach of Iran emphasized: “My players did not want to lose the trophy and were crying, but they have to accept the result. If they want to create a good future for themselves, they must understand failure.” Shamsaei continued: “We had a plan for our team, and if something goes wrong, the responsibility is on me and my colleagues. I wanted to present this win to the people of my country and I hope they will accept my apology.

About the sure performance of Iran’s Legionnaire OladGoghbad, Shamsaei said “he (OladGoghbad) was chosen as the best player of the Asian Championship: All my players were great, but he (OladGoghbad) was wonderful as always and like the rest of the players against Japan. Referring to the changes he made in his team, Iran’s head coach said: “After the loss, I don’t want to talk about the past. I have picked 10 new players to replace the 10 legends. In the very near future, these 10 new players will be legends of Iranian futsal. In the end, Shamsai said: “If I continue with the team, I will definitely work on all our weaknesses. I don’t want to make excuses or say it was a missed opportunity. Our program was not supposed to be for today. I am ashamed that I could not present a win to the people of Iran today.”

Shamsaei committed several tactical mistakes during the final game. Although Iran was the better team, the head coach failed to introduce a game plan that could penetrate the compact Japanese defenses. On his own team, the failure in defense was the reason for Iran’s inability to defend its title. It was three out of three defensive mistakes that allowed the Japanese to score two goals while Saeid Ahmad Abbasi gifted them a goal by passing the ball into his own team’s net during the powerplay!

Shamsaei in his first experience as Team Melli coach was doing fine until the final game, where he failed against a formidable defense of Japan and had no solution for their tight defending.

Team effort powered Iran to semis, says captain Tayyebi

the-afc.com
Wednesday 05 October 2022
Kuwait City:

Captain Hossein Tayyebi credited outstanding teamwork for powering Iran into the AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ Kuwait 2022 semi-finals. 
Tayebi, who starred with his second hat-trick of the tournament, was among six Iranian players on target in the 8-1 quarter-final win against Vietnam on Tuesday. 

#ACFutsal2022 – Quarter-finals | Islamic Republic of Iran 8 – 1 Vietnam

Tayebi was quick to praise his team, stating that his teammates – many of whom are young and inexperienced at the continental level – can only improve as the tournament progresses.

“In my opinion, the whole team should be selected as the MVP. We are all following the coach’s guidance and I’m very happy with the result,” said Tayyebi.
“I would like to say that this is a different team, 90 percent of them are playing for the first time in this tournament. I’m very sure that we will get much better with every game.

“I insist that it wasn’t just me, but a team effort, I only had the chance to finish. This is the Iran team, scoring goals for Iran, which is our concept. However, we are young and moving forward in our defence of our title.”
Head coach Vahid Shamsaei hailed the veteran Iranian skipper for his leadership in guiding Iran’s new generation of players.

“Hossein is a really good leader for the team, and all the players respect him,” said Shamsaei.

“Hossein always tries to be the mentor among the players. He’s our international player, and that’s what we expect to see from him.”

Iran turns on the style against Vietnam

the-afc.com
Kuwait City 04 Oct. 2022 

Iran edged closer to a record-extending 13th AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ title after an impressive 8-1 win over Vietnam in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. 
Iran, who scored their fourth consecutive victory en route to making the Kuwait 2022 semi-finals, will face Thailand – who defeated Tajikistan 3-2 – next.

Just as Iran head coach Vahid Shamsaee had predicted, Vietnam adopted a defensive approach but the defending champions wasted no time in testing goalkeeper Ho Van Y through Salar Aghapour and Hossein Tayebi’s early efforts.

Ho then denied Saeid Ahmad Abbasi and Mohammadhossein Bazyar in the fifth and sixth minutes respectively to keep his side in the game.

The Vietnam keeper, however, could do little to stop Tayebi’s incredible strike in the seventh minute, with the Iran skipper volleying home Moslem Oladghobad’s corner-kick for a deserved lead.

Iran, who scored a whopping 24 goals to top Group C, displayed their attacking brilliance in the 10th minute when Abbasi teed up Aghapour (pictured above), who let loose a scorching right-footed strike from over 20 metres out into the top right corner, before Alireza Rafiei Pour (pictured below) drilled home their third goal moments later from a corner-kick set-piece.

Vietnam could have been further adrift in the 11th minute after committing their sixth foul, but Alireza Javan failed to convert from the second penalty spot.

Desperate to stay in the game, Vietnam initiated power play in the 11th minute but found no openings to exploit.

Instead, Iran further widened their lead in the 16th minute when Oladghobad intercepted a pass before relaying it to Tayebi to place the ball in an empty goalmouth.

Vietnam, forced to play on the counter-attack, had a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit  in the 24th minute when Rafiei Pour was penalised for handling the ball at the edge of the box, but the Southeast Asians failed to capitalise.

At the other end, there was no stopping Iran, with Bazyar converting a corner-kick from close range effort in the 25th minute, before Oladghobad’s left-footed strike beat Ho a minute later to make it 6-0.

Vietnam tried to limit the damage by pressing the Iranians with man-to-man marking, but Tayebi completed his hat-trick in the 33rd minute after Abbasi’s initial shot deflected off the upright.

Abbasi netted the eighth three minutes later with Vietnam then scoring a consolation – amazingly only the second goal Iran have conceded in the tournament – through Pham Duc Hoa.