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TEHRAN (Iran News) –A female Iranian jimmy jump, apparently a fan of Esteghlal FC’s, on Friday jumped down the fence between the spectators and the pitch to meet goalie of the Blues Seyed Hossein Hosseini after the referee whistled the end of the match against Aluminum FC in the central city of Araak.

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Team Melli came from a goal down at Education City Stadium to defeat the Samurai Blue thanks to two second-half goals from Mohammad Mohebi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh to reach the last four of the AFC Asian Cup for the second time in a row, with defending champions Qatar their next opponents.

“Asian football should be happy with this match, and we should be proud of the performance of our players who gave everything for the fans,” said Ghalenoei, who had led Iran to the quarter-finals of the 2007 edition.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who supported us along the way, thanks to my family for everything they endured in these years. This match can be a turning point for Iranian football, not just for the senior national team, but also for the U23s, U19s and the whole football setup,” he added.

“I think everybody should have the belief in Iranian people. We had a lot of great Iranian coaches in history who never got the chance to coach in Europe.

“If we want to have a higher standard of performance, we should have a long-term plan, infrastructure, stadiums and most importantly the support of the authorities in Iran.”

Having lost to Japan 3-0 in the semi-finals of the previous edition in the United Arab Emirates, Iran struggled to keep up with Japan early in the game, but they came back a different side after the restart, overpowering their opponents as goalkeeper Zion Suzuki did well to prevent his side from conceding more goals.

“We respect Japan football because they are a big team and they have good players who play in top European leagues. Coach Hajime Moriyasu is a friend of mine and a big character. I want to say congratulations to Japan too on their performance.

“We started a bit slow and made some mistakes, but our confidence increased step by step, we applied the high press and tried to put the three central midfielders of Japan out of the game, and I think those changes helped us win the game,” Ghalenoei concluded.

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The Asian Cup in Qatar is set to begin on Jan. 12, promising a display of football excellence and national pride.

Iran, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are traditionally strong contenders in Asian football, shaping the competitive landscape.

Amir Ghalenoei, head coach of Iran, has called up 27 players to Team Melli, carefully selecting experienced individuals who have played a key role in the team’s previous achievements.

Among these Asian football powerhouses, Japan stand out as the youngest team, with an average age of 25.1 years. Saudi Arabia come second with an average of 26 years, while Australia, South Korea, and Qatar follow closely behind with averages of 27.4, 27.8, and 27.9 years respectively.

Iran national football team are considered the oldest among the top five contenders for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, with players averaging 28.6 years of age.

Team Melli’s lineup of 27 players reveals a stark contrast: 12 veterans above 30, versus just three players below 23.

Ghalenoei has increased the average age of the national team for the 2023 tournament by excluding young players like Mohammadamin Hazbavi, Abolfazl Jalali, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, and Saeed Saharkhizan.

The Iran national team’s high average age is causing concerns among the fans and the experts, leading to criticism of head coach Ghalenoei.

The 18th AFC Asian Cup is scheduled for January 12th to February 10th, 2024, with 24 national teams, including Iran’s Team Melli, competing for glory. Iran placed in Group C with the UAE, Palestine, and Hong Kong.

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Jalali replaced Mirshad Majedi in the position.

He has previously worked as coach in Iranian teams, namely Vahdat, Pas, Foolad, Paykan, Nassaji and Saipa.

With one month remaining to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the football federation of Iran has chosen the former coach for the job.

Iran will have to participate in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10, 2024, where Team Melli are drawn along with the UAE, Hong Kong, and Palestine in Group C.

The technical director, as stated by FIFA, is responsible for the strategy, development and technical direction of the Technical Directorate, preparation and implementation of technical programs at the grassroots, juvenile, and National Teams thereby preparing football coaches and footballers for the future.

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Team Melli will play Bulgaria at the Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, slated for Sept. 7 as well.

Mehdi Taj, head of Iran’s Football Federation, has confirmed that the National Team will also participate in the Jordan’s four-team tournament in Amman in October as part of preparation for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Three-time winners Team Melli are drawn along the UAE, Hong Kong and Palestine in Group C.

The continental showpiece, scheduled for Jan. 12 to Feb. 10, 2024 promises to be a thrilling affair with seven former winners among the 24 teams – seeded in accordance with the latest FIFA World Ranking – divided into six groups.

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Afsaneh Chatrenoor scored the winning goal in the 52nd minute.

The two sides will meet again on Saturday in the reverse fixture.

The seven group winners from Round 1 will continue their quest in Round 2, which is expected to commence in October.

In the next round, they will be joined by the five highest seeded teams – DPR Korea, Japan, Australia, China PR and Korea Republic – and divided into three groups.

Four teams – the three group winners and the best-ranked runners-up – will then progress to Round 3 to play two pairs of home and away matches, slated for February 2024, with the eventual winners qualifying for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024.

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Sitting second in Group B with three points from two matches, Iran know a win against the U.S. secures passage to the knockout stages for the first time in their history – although even a draw on Tuesday would be enough if Wales fail to beat England.

The U.S. football team have so far shown that how steady they are and it could be a tough challenge for Team Melli if they lose their focus against Greg Berlhalter’s side.

Iran will be without the services of Alireza Jahanbakhsh in match against the U.S. after he received his tournament’s second yellow card due a high-footed challenge on Wales’ Chris Mepham.

Alireza Beiranvand, who was forced to sat out of the Wales match due to concussion protocol after a head injury against England, is available to return in this vital match if Carlos Queiroz decides to drop Hossein Hosseini, who kept a clean sheet on Friday.

Queiroz selected a better starting lineup against Wales and bagged three points ant it shows that he has become more familiar with his team after about three months.

On Tuesday, a win will secure a place for Team Melli in the knockout stage and a draw would be enough if Wales fail to defeat England.

BUT, any other thing should not disrupt the team’s concentration.

Focus will be key to success.

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The Iran players, who sang the national anthem before kick-off, sent their thousands of supporters at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium delirious by beating a European team at a World Cup for the first time.

Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey became the first player to be sent off in the Qatar tournament for clattering into Mehdi Taremi late in the game.

Iran, who had earlier twice struck the woodwork, finally broke the deadlock in the 98th minute through substitute Rouzbeh Cheshmi’s powerful drive.

Ramin Rezaeian clipped in a second on the counter-attack three minutes later.

Iran, who would have been eliminated with a defeat, instead climbed to second in Group B behind England, against whom they had lost 6-2 in their opening game.

Wales tumbled to the bottom of the group and will have to defeat neighbours England in their final match next week to have any chance of reaching the knockout phase in their first World Cup since 1958.

Wales manager Rob Page elected to start striker Kieffer Moore after his impressive appearance as a substitute against the USA.

The Bournemouth man’s flick-on led to an early effort from Neco Williams that flew just over the crossbar.

The Welsh carved out the first clear chance in the 12th minute as Moore stretched to volley Connor Roberts’ cross, but goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini was able to parry his effort.

Iran thought they had taken the lead minutes later, although Ali Gholizadeh was clearly offside before he tapped in and the goal was ruled out by VAR.

A cagey game burst into life with a crazy 20-second spell shortly after half-time. Sardar Azmoun sped clear of the Welsh defense but saw his shot come back off the post.

The ball was recycled to Gholizadeh, who cut inside and curled an excellent strike from outside the box, which bounced away off the other upright, with Azmoun’s follow-up saved by a floored Hennessey.

Iran suddenly looked like scoring every time they went forward and Ethan Ampadu had to make an excellent block to deny Taremi the opening goal.

Wales had Hennessey to thank for staying on level terms with 17 minutes left, as he stretched to tip Saeid Ezatolahi’s low shot around the post.

The game opened up in the final minutes as both sides knew they likely needed more than a draw.

Iran were given a huge boost in their push for a winner when Hennessey recklessly charged out of his goal and crashed into Mehdi Taremi in the 86th minute.

Remarkably, Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar only initially booked the ‘keeper, but that was corrected after a VAR review and Hennessey was dismissed.

Leicester’s Danny Ward took his place and quickly saw Mehdi Torabi’s effort fly past his post.

But an emotional day for Iran and their fans was given its crowning moments right at the death when Cheshmi hammered home from the edge of the box and Rezaeian raced clear to clip over Ward.

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“The Iranian clubs have previously announced their readiness to cooperate with U23 football team but they don’t release their players to join us for the friendly matches,” Fatemi said.

“We decided not to participate at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games. We wanted to take part at the Games to prepare our team for the 2024 Olympic Games qualification but we cannot participate in the competition with an incomplete team,” he added.

The U23 football team lost to Persepolis club 4-2 in a friendly match on Sunday. The team were scheduled to play Paykan on Monday but the match has been canceled.

Mehdi Mahdavikia’s side are drawn in Group B along with Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.

Hosts Turkey, Senegal, Algeria and Cameroon are in Group A.

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