Kazan.

Team Melli drew with the World Cup hosts Russia 1-1 in the friendly international match held on Tuesday at Kazan Arena in the capital of Tataristan Republic.

The match was the second game that was arranged by the football federation as part of a long program for next years world cup. Team Melli prolific scorer open the scoring in the 57th minute for Iran when he slotted an easy ball from a diagonal pass by Mehdi Taremi after some fine work and strong show by the Persepolis forward. 

However, Taremi was the culprit in Russia’s equalizer as his poor covering on the right flank allowed the Russian winger Alexandr Samadov to cross the ball  unchallenged , leaving Dimitry Poloz the finish the move into Biranvand’s net.

Overall, it was a balanced match uneventful in the first half. The second half was more lively with Iran showing grit in defense and attack. Both Taremi and Sardar missed easy chances to put Iran two goals ahead.

The game saw the return of Jalal Hosseini in central defense after a long absence.