Iran pinning hopes on deadly duo to end Asian Cup drought
By Amirhadi Arsalanpour
Staff writer
Having always felt hard done by to see his previous spell on the national team bench come to a premature end in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, courtesy of a last-eight shootout setback against South Korea, Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei will hope to steer his team to glory in the continent’s flagship international event this time around.
To that end, the Iranian will be craving to have his strike force of Sardar Azmoun and Mahdi Taremi at their best over the course of four weeks when the three-time champion begins the quest for a first title since last lifting the trophy on home soil in 1976 on January 14 – against Palestine in Group C.
Both strikers have endured a rather mediocre campaign in their clubs so far this season, but their contribution on the international level has been second to none during Qalenoei’s 10-month second stint, as has been the case since the two first formed the partnership nine years ago.
Azmoun has found the net only once in 13 cameo appearances for AS Roma in Serie A after joining the Italian club on a season-long loan deal from Leverkusen in the summer, while bagging eight goals and four assists in seven matches for Iran – starting with a strike and a couple of assists against Afghanistan in June’s CAFA Nations Cup.
Azmoun has proved to be an integral part of Qalenoei’s tactical plans, so much so that the Iranian Football Federation had to negotiate with the Giallorossi’s sporting director Tiago Pinto to convince him to release the striker for the international duty after next Sunday’s top-flight game against Atalanta, despite a clause in his contract keeping him from Asian Cup participation.
Meanwhile, Taremi stepped into the ongoing season on the back of a remarkable 31 goals and 14 assists in the 2022/23 campaign for Porto – including 22 goals that saw him finish as the leading marksman of the Portuguese league.
With his preseason dominated by the Milan transfer saga, the Iranian talisman has only managed six goals and four assists in 23 matches across all competitions for the Dragons since July, though it has been business as usual for him when wearing the national team shirt, as he has netted 12 goals – providing three for his teammates – in 11 outings.
Last time Azmoun and Taremi combined in an international tournament in Qatar the final outcome turned out to be one to forget as a defeat against USA saw Iran exit the 2022 World Cup in the group stage.
Fourteen months on, the two will again lead the line for Iran in Qatar, hoping to inspire the team to walk away with the ultimate prize, come the final showpiece in Doha’s Lusail Stadium on February 10.