
<p>Iran picked up a crucial and historic win over Wales at Ahmad Ali Stadium on matchday two of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. </p>



<p>This is Iran’s first-ever victory over a European squad on the grand stage. Ultimately, it was a tremendous win for Team Melli, earning three points in Group B. More importantly, it keeps the side well in the hunt to reach the knockout stages.</p>



<h5>Iran gains redemption</h5>



<p>Rob Page’s high-risk 3-5-2 engaged with Carlos Queiroz’s flat 4-4-1-1. The Portuguese manager assigned Mehdi Taremi as ‘second-forward’, with Sardar Azmoun tasked as the ‘lone striker’. </p>



<p>The first half was even with box-to-box play until Iran unleashed a plethora of offensive playmaking. </p>



<p>Early doors, Iran displays their creativity first. Wales expected Iran to let loose, discharging shots. As a result, they hunkered down with an insufficient defense. </p>



<p>Inaccurate crosses from Sepahan defender Ramin Rezaeian revealed a constant theme of locating Azmoun amid aerial play. The Bayer Leverkusen striker has fresh legs on sprints as he fights through a strained calf muscle. </p>



<p>Then, a sharp cross from Connor Roberts to Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore was saved instinctually by goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini from Esteghlal FC. In the 15th minute, an egregious horizontal pass by Roberts was turned over, leading to a ‘3 v 2’ triangle attack from Iran. However, Charleroi midfielder Ali Gholizadeh was caught offside. </p>



<p>To no avail, Wales penetrated Iran’s final third on dozens of entries. Despite that, Iran’s relentless counters caused threats, especially since Welsh defenders offered too much space for Iran’s midfield to maneuver during transitional ‘hold-up play.’ </p>



<h2>Iran finds a win over Wales</h2>



<p>Iran did not hesitate to attack Wales’ goalmouth, saved by the post – twice. First, a sensational ‘through-ball’ from Captain Ehsan Hajsafi found Azmoun on a breakaway. However, his shot deflected off the near post. Then, a deflection ensued; a sharp ‘inside-foot curve’ slotted by Gholizadeh, bouncing off the woodwork. </p>



<p>Iran continues to blast shots. Wayne Hennessey denied Saeed Ezatolahi’s attempt. The Welsh goalkeeper was later ejected due to a hazardous challenge upon Mehdi Taremi. </p>



<p>Wales answered with Ben Davies cracking a shot. However, he overpowered his boot, causing him to lean back, shanked over the crossbar. </p>



<p>Iran’s resiliency pierced through. Team Melli showed incredible poise intermixed with determination. As a result, they refused to settle for the draw, and strived to win. </p>



<p>Finally, after a scoreless 90+ minutes, two Iranian defenders proved to be ‘big-game’ players in stoppage time – first, a brilliant shot from Esteghlal FC center-back Rouzbeh Cheshmi, 1-0. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">IRAN SCORES IN THE 98th MINUTE 😱🇮🇷 <a href="https:\/\/t.co/5yPWevQ4YS">pic.twitter.com/5yPWevQ4YS</a></p>— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1596111632530563073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Then, a counterattack was finished by Sepahan defender Ramin Rezaeian, 2-0. Together, the Persian Pro League mainstays have etched their names in Iran’s 100-year soccer history. </p>



<h5>apolitical mindset </h5>



<p>In his latest press release, Iran boss Carlos Queiroz declared, with conviction, that “All the national teams have issues at home.” </p>



<p>Queiroz alluded to being a victim of media bias. In other words, he claims international colleagues are not questioned about domestic struggles in their respective nations, while Team Melli gets bombarded with politics. </p>



<p>“Strangely, you don’t ask the same questions to other coaches and national teams,” <a href="https:\/\/www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/soccer-soccer-let-kids-play-irans-queiroz-vents-anger-over-efforts-politicise-2022-11-21/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queiroz proclaimed</a>. “Knowing that they have so many problems at home.” <a href="https:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpZxolr_WUQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queiroz declared</a> Iranian “players are not the enemies” and that his players are soccer purists. “Our boys are simple football boys.” </p>



<h5>Signature formation</h5>



<p>The <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/iran-blown-out-by-england-in-disappointing-world-cup-opener-20221121-WST-409276.html">unlocked ‘door-bolt’ against England</a> caused Queiroz to employ a fluid formation against Wales. This strategy offered steady ‘positional play’ for four ‘chance creators’ in the midfield. Further, the addition of Sardar Azmoun interchanged the role of ‘lone striker.’ <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/iran-resilient-under-media-pressure-ahead-of-england-match-20221119-WST-409025.html">Against England</a>, Mehdi Taremi was the No. 9. However, against Wales, he transitioned into a ‘second-forward’ role, providing service and offering support. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WHAT A MOMENT FOR IRAN 👏🇮🇷 <a href="https:\/\/t.co/nJBvBTkNqW">pic.twitter.com/nJBvBTkNqW</a></p>— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1596112233146515456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Although, for Wales, when numerical superiority occurs with ‘opposing forwards,’ management typically calls for a defensive shift among ‘chance creators.’ Nevertheless, the Welsh backline lacked an extra defender. Ultimately, Carlos Queiroz appointing Taremi as a ‘false-nine’ served as an effective decoy. </p>



<h5>Two wingers and chance creators</h5>



<p>Frequently, Alireza Jahanbakhsh plays ‘wide right’ in the flat midfield. Although, as he presses, ‘lone striker’ Sardar Azmoun drags defenders out of position, creating space for vertical runs. As a result, wingers like Ramin Rezaeian took advantage of gaps using field-width during ‘positional play.’</p>



<p>Unfortunately, Alireza Jahanbakhsh conceded a consecutive yellow card. Therefore, <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/iran-at-the-world-cup-squad-breakdown-20221113-WST-406654.html">he will be absent</a> on matchday three against the USMNT. </p>



<h5>odds to advance</h5>



<p>With the sublime win over Wales, Iran regains its honor. Since this Welsh side consists mainly of English Premier League players, Team Melli football can hold their heads high. However, they must be cautious and not get overconfident like ‘Iran 1978.’ That team did not respect matchday three against Peru. It behooves Carlos Queiroz to respect the tactical and technical abilities of Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT. </p>



<p>All signs point toward an unrelenting matchday three. USMNT vs. Iran: Part II. However, Iran could still advance from Group B with a draw, pinning them at four points. Therefore, as it stands, the ‘must-win’ pressure in that match is on the USMNT. </p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / AFLOSPORT</em></p>



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Iran secured a dramatic win over Wales on Friday. Not only did the side restore its glory, it is in a position to advance.

Iran regains honor with glorious win over Wales - World Soccer Talk

Iran regains honor with glorious win over Wales

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<p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Before this tournament started a lot of people had Croatia down as their dark horses to cause a major upset in the European Championships and who cold blame them after Slaven Bilic’s side came through a tough qualifying group to make it to this years competition. But having watched them struggle to overcome Austria last night my faith in the Croats to cause any kind of upset has slowly drained away.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Their performance last night was far from impressive having hung on for the majority of the second half against a team who are ranked below Mozambique in the FIFA rankings. Take nothing away from Austria though who gave it everything and with a bit more luck could have easily taken a point from a game which after the first 15 minutes I thought the Austrian’s where going to be steamrollered. The Croatia we saw briefly at the beginning of the first half was the side that so many pundits had placed as their possibly side to upset the apple cart. They played the balls to feet quickly and where constantly going forward and causing the Austrian defence all kinds of problems. The likes of Luka Modric and Daniel Srna looked lively and much of Croatia’s play went through them. The major weakness that the Croats face is a lack of goals now they have lost Eduardo who managed to net 10 in qualifying for this tournament. This lack of threat really showed last night as Ivica Olic and Mladen <span> </span>Petric worked hard for the cause but never really threatened, the sight of Petric blazing a golden opportunity into the crowd in the first half could be a sign of things to come.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In fact having watched Croatia again since they beat England back in October I am now very worried that my pick for the Euros will struggle to get past the group stages. With the Germans coming up next a point will be vital if they hope to go into the last game ahead of Poland who I expect to dispatch Austria. But the chances of Croatia getting anything from that game could well have dried up. Germany looked pretty good last night and should have put at least three past the Poles, Mario Gomez more guilty than most of wasting chances. If the Germans click into gear against Croatia then the Balkan country could be in for a long and nervy night. <a href="http:\/\/betting.betfair.com/football/euro-2008/" target="_blank">Click here for the last Euro 2008 odds</a> for Croatia Vs Germany or any of the games taking place in the competition.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That said I’m sure Bilic will have his troops fired up for their encounter with the Germans on Thursday and as the BBC have pointed out Croatia are slow starters when it comes to major tournaments. <span> </span>In fact its fairly impressive that Croatia have a team at the Euros at all being the smallest country in the tournament in terms of population with just 4.4million residing their. It puts to shame the likes of England who failed to qualify with all their money and facilities when you compare them with what Croatia have to go on. Bilic is paid just £35,000-a-year to manage the side, an amount which some English footballers earn in a few days. From having seen the side play and read about them on the internet there is certainly a large amount of pride involved with playing for the national side, something which a few sides lack. Last week Ronald de Boer claimed that the Dutch side lacked the pride required to pull on the orange shirt. It’s also plain to see that some of the England players don’t take much honour in supporting the three lions on their chest, for them its just another means to increase their profile.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That’s why I went for Croatia before the tournament started, the way in which they showed up England in qualifying was a sight to behold, especially the 3-2 victory at Wembley. Whilst most English fans believe that their side deserves to be there it was Croatia who earned the right to play at this summer’s tournament. Despite the doubts cast by the side with their performance last night I believe that if they can get themselves together for the next game against Germany then they will give the favourites a run for their money and possibly maintain their tag of dark horses, although that is easier said than done.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Good luck with you <a href="http:\/\/betting.betfair.com/football/" target="_blank">football betting</a> and enjoy the tournament.</p>


ALL POSTS TAGGED "Group B"

Iran

Iran regains honor with glorious win over Wales

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Croatia no longer the Dark Horses of Euro 2008?