Iran defeated Mexico 2-1 to book a place in the tournament’s quarterfinals, where they will face European champion Spain.

“You can wait for more surprises, however we know that the toughest match in the World Cup starts now,” Chamanian said.

“I had said that the match against Mexico would be very tough. We predicted this,” said the 54-year-old coach.

Chamanian ensured that his side will be ready for the European champion in what will be its first-ever quarterfinal showing in the marquee event.

“After group stages, we organized and built our team. From the tactical aspect and from knowledge of the opponent we build again. And also from the mental aspect. Because we need to forget every match we played until now,” Chamanian said.

“Mexico was a tough team but we could have won the match with more goals. Altogether, I am satisfied with the way my boys played against Mexico,” he stated.

Iran qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Round of 16 with three wins over Guinea, Germany and Costa Rica.

Chamanian’s boys will face Mexico or Chile in the next stage on Tuesday.

”We have picked up nine out of nine points in the group stages, but the most important thing we must think about from now is the next round” Chamanian said.

“Indeed, our attack has been great but our defense also deserves all the praise it can get. We have conceded only one goal in the tournament and did not allow any clear opportunities to our opponents, this is something we can build on for our future opponents as well,” he added.

”We must not forget that we are not the only team that finished with nine points. Winning all three games does not make us automatic title contenders, there are still a lot of good teams that we must respect. However, it is still a very important achievement for the team and players,” Chamanian concluded.