FIFA U-17 World Cup:
Incredible Iran shows fighting spirit to salvage victory over Brazil
When asked what his half-time message to the Iranian players was after conceding two goals against Brazil in their FIFA U-17 World Cup opener, head coach Hossein Abdi’s answer was simple: “Fight, fight and fight again.”
His young guns responded in style, scoring three inside 19 minutes to beat the defending champion 3-2 at the Jakarta International Stadium in what will surely go down as one of the biggest upsets in the history of the competition.
Best remembered for being an aggressive player in the middle of the park during his Persepolis career in the 90s, Abdi must have thought that would be the type of football his boys need to deliver, if they were to bounce back against the Brazilians.
The Selecao looked to have put the game to bed when an Abolfazl Zamani’s own goal in the added time doubled their lead, having found the net through Rayan’s sublime strike before the half-hour mark.
However, Abdi and the Iranian players, who made it to the Asian Cup last-four in July to book a place in Indonesia, had other ideas after the restart.
Yaghoob Barajeh’s tame effort from inside the box went past Brazilian keeper Phillipe Gabriel to pull one back for Abdi’s side with nine minutes into the second period, and then Gabriel’s opposite number Arsha Shakouri found Kasra Taheri behind the opposition backline with a long ball, before the substitute striker’s low drive nutmegged the keeper to draw Iran level.
“In the first half, playing the Brazilians had too much influence on the players,” said Abdi.
“They were maybe thinking: ‘They are Brazil, we are not…’ At half-time, we spoke with them, we made two changes to the line-up [bringing on Taheri and Alireza Homaeifard], we pushed them and gave them hope and inspiration. After that, you see what happened.”
“In our program from last month until now, we have been training every day for this match. We know Brazil very well.”
The sensational comeback was complete in the 73rd minute, with Taheri the provider as his well-placed pass released Esmaeil Qolizadeh, whose composed finish rounded off a superb counterattack.
Qolizadeh gave credit to the Iranian coach for his pep talk at the break, saying: “In the second half, we came back thanks to a lot of motivation the head coach gave to us.”
“He motivated us to fight. I also thank a lot the fans who gave us a lot of support, too. They helped us to come back in the game and achieve this result,” added the Iranian match winner.
Iran still had to hold off the South American giant’s pressure in the closing stages, with Shakouri making a couple of late saves.
“We analyzed Brazil and this specific training helped us score the second goal,” revealed Shakouri, who was awarded with the Man of the Match prize.
“Brazil is the biggest team in the world but every player gave their biggest effort and performed to our best,” he added.
“I’m so glad to help my team with a great performance. It is an amazing feeling to do this at the biggest competition in the world for our age group. It is a great honor.”
Next for Iran in Group C is a game on Tuesday against another heavyweight of the age group in England, champion in 2017, which demolished New Caledonia 10-0 earlier in the day to go top of the table on goal difference.
The top two of the six groups will be joined by four third-placed teams in the round of 16.