[toggle title=”President the football fan” state=”open” ]The President of Iran Hassan Rouhani elected to watch the match at the comfort of home. President Rouhani planned to attend at least one of the matches in Brazil , however , developments in Middle East and the situation in Iraq has probably made those plans unachievable.

[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Players quotes” state=”open” ]  Nekounam “If we can win any of the two matches , we would be achieving a great thing. . I thought we played a good game, closed our area well , played according to the coach plans and could have won this one if we were more focused.”

“It is not going to be any easier against Argentina , but we must carry on this strong defensive strategy”

Teymourian ” We carried out whatever the coach dictated upon us. We manage to control the match rhythm , contain the Nigerians who have many European based players and is a good team. In fact , I think we could have won the game.” “We have a heavy duty carrying the aspiration of 75 million Iranians ,

  “We should not be under any illusion that Argentina will be a much more difficult opposition. We simply need to try harder and harder.”

Davari ” I am quite happy that we have achieved the result that we were looking for and got our first point in the World Cup. I am also very happy for Alireza Haghighi , he is a young keeper and has done pretty well in the match.”

“Argentina is one of the best teams in the world, We will have a difficult task ahead, but will not go there to admire them. We have to compete against them”

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[toggle title=”Cash Reward” state=”open” ]Every member of Team Melli was awarded US$ 3,000 as a token of appreciation from the football federation after Iran’s goalless draw with Nigeria .[/toggle]

[toggle title=”Iran defence frustrates Chelsea player.” state=”open” ]John Obi Mikel has expressed disappointment at Iran’s game plan and claimed they wanted to frustrate Nigeria after the sides played out a goalless draw in their 2014 World Cup Group F game.

The Chelsea midfielder expressed his unhappiness at the outcome and claimed Iran played for the draw while Nigeria wanted to win. He told a news conference: “We are all disappointed. The first game of every tournament is very important. When you watch the way Iran played, they had 11 men behind the ball the entire game and it was hard for us to create chances. “They sat back and it became difficult. It was a game we wanted to win, but they wanted to play a bit different.”

Hard luck Obi Mikel, but Iran did not park the bus like your team Chelsea did against Atletico Madrid. No apologies from Team Melli for not allowing you to score [/toggle]

[toggle title=”Stephen Keshi reaction” state=”open” ][quote]We wanted to score in the first 20 minutes, but they defended in numbers and we couldn’t get through. When you get that type of situation, you can get wound up because you just want to score, and to do that you need to stay calm. You have to give Iran their due. They decided to play that way and their game-plan worked for them.[/quote][/toggle]

[toggle title=”Carlos Queiroz reaction” state=”open” ]Nigeria’s big names tried to make the difference after the break and to take control of the game. That’s when we stepped our game up a level by doubling up a lot on their players. The fans didn’t see any goals but sometimes intensity, togetherness, focus and team spirit can make for an interesting spectacle.[/toggle]

metro.co.uk

Most people have never been to Iran, but still believe they have a pretty clear idea of what the country is like.

But what is largely concealed and unknown from the public eye is a country steeped in football tradition and history.

The Princes of Persia are actually one of Asia’s most remarkable and great footballing sides: three time Asian champions, four time West Asian Football Federation champions, home of one of the continent’s most fiercest rivalries – the Surkhabi Derby between Persepolis and Esteghlal, and birthplace to unforgettable legends such as the world’s all time leading goalscorer in international matches Ali Daei.

But can this current generation best their illustrious predecessors by becoming the first side to achieve group stage progression?

Under Carlos Queiroz, a very well-recognised name in football, Iran have become a defensively solid, disciplined and well organised side that is tough to break down conceding only two goals in eight matches in the final qualifying phase leading up to this tournament .

Playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, Team Melli relies on the solidity and tightness of its back-line dependent on ever-present central defensive duo, Amir Hossein Sadeghi and Jalal Hosseini, who are very likely to start.

Both are strong, old-fashioned center backs: powerful in the air, and tough on the ground, who aren’t afraid throw themselves into a challenge or tackle if needed. They’ll be asked to man-mark and stick like glue to their opposing frontmen at all times.

On the other hand, the full-backs and goalkeeper positions remain in question, but will probably be occupied by the young, energetic Mehrdad Pooladi on the left while the right back position will possibly be fought between Khosro Heydari and Steven Beitsahour, and for the goalkeeping spot: a likely toss-up between Rahman Ahmadi and Germany-based Daniel Davari.

The two midfielders ahead of the defense, who will sit tight, will likely be experienced skipper Javad Nekounam and Andranik Teymourian, who had a short stint with Bolton in the Premier League.

Queiroz will think defence first and I can see Iran being difficult to break down, but where will the goals come from?

Iran will look to Fulham’s Ashkan Dejagah as a source of creativity, pace – particularly on the counter – and a goal scoring outlet with his keen eye for goal and very fine left foot. While his likely partner to the right will likely be Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who, like Dejagah, both offer pace which would assist in the team’s counter-attacking endeavors.

In front of him, Charlton’s Reza Goochannejhad will be the likely frontman. Goochannejhad, also known as ‘Gucci’, is another quick, pacey player who boasts fine scoring record of 10 goals in 14 international matches.

Another possible source is the extremely inconsistent and enigmatic, but undeniably talented and creative Masoud Shojaei, who, when in the mood, can be quality and an extra boost for the side attack-wise and likely to play right behind Gucci in the center of the midfield trio.

Despite the odds firmly stacked against them, Iran have proven to be a tough team to break down and with a quality manager like Queiroz on their side, Team Melli shouldn’t be underestimated and should prove to be an awkward opponent even for the likes of Argentina

Alireza Haghighi , the only player who has not been in action in top flight league will be in goal for Team Melli against Nigeria.

Haghighi , a Rubin Kazan player is currently on loan to a second division Portuguese second division club,  is selected ahead of the much more experienced Rahman Ahmadi and the German/Iranian Daniel Davari.

Boosting the morale of the boys in front of the Hotel entrance before Nigeria Match

Images from ISNA reporter Curtiba , Brazil

Hotel employee distributing Iran flags

Gary Meenaghan

NOTE:

The original author of this article has made mistake in his report. Iran is not the lowest rank team in Group F, Nigeria is.