Team Melli Has Formidable Attackers: Korean News Agency
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian national football team takes advantage of formidable attackers, Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korea will play Iran in Group A of the 2018 World Cup qualifier in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Tuesday.
On their 23-man squad, 12 of them played against South Korea in the 2014 friendly, including Sardar Azmoun, who scored the winning goal. Team Melli has formidable attackers, such as Reza Ghoochannejhad, Karim Ansarifard and Masoud Shojaei, yonhapnews wrote.
Shojaei, playing with the Greek side Panionios, has two goals against South Korea. Heerenveen striker Ghoochannejhad previously bagged the winner against South Korea in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Ulsan three years ago.
Carlos Queiroz's side will also be boosted by the return of wingers Ashkan Dejagah and Alireza Jahanbakhsh from injuries. Captain Andranik Teymourian, who has been facing South Korea since 2006, will cover the midfield.
Team Melli is the only nation in the final round that has not surrendered a goal so far. Veteran Jala Hosseini, the most capped player on either squad with 106 matches, leads their defense.
Iran, bidding to qualify for its fifth World Cup, is coming off a 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Thursday.
Led by Queiroz, former assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Iran has not lost since its 3-1 defeat to Sweden in March 2015.
