Iran needs to be ‘more clinical’, Qalenoei says after Burkina Faso win
Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei warned his men against wasting chances in front of the goal, which could be “dangerous” for the team at the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.
The Iranian was speaking after a 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso on the Kish Island on Friday.
Mohamed Konaté gave the African visitors a surprise lead 12 minutes into the game, only to see Porto striker Mahdi Taremi draw Iran level three minutes before the break.
Veteran midfielder Omid Ebrahimi bagged the winner 20 minutes from normal time for the home side, which had all 11 players changed at halftime.
This was a final friendly for Iran before leaving for the continent’s flagship international event in Qatar.
“It was a good game for us as the opponent played with high intensity and pace. We only had a couple of training sessions before the match and wanted to test our two gameplans, which is why we played with two different lineups. Our goal is to have the players in their best form and harmony for the first game [in the Asian Cup],” said Qalenoei, whose team is to play Indonesia in a friendly, presumably behind closed doors, before beginning the Asian Cup campaign against Palestine in Group C in Al Rayyan’s Education City Stadium next Sunday.
“We did a good a job in creating chances today but failed to convert them, which could be dangerous for us in Qatar. We’ll have to make sure we’ll be more clinical in front of the goal, as there will be few opportunities coming our way in the latter stages of the competition.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian coach was full of praise for Brentford midfielder Saman Qoddous, who has enjoyed a rebirth in the No. 10 role for the national team since Qalenoei took over from Portuguese Carlos Queiroz last March.
“Saman is a great midfielder with top qualities in our squad and delivered some superb through balls today. I’m sure he would have had more to offer had he been given proper attention in the past. He is the kind of playmaker I’ve always used in my teams,” said the former manager of Sepahan, Esteghlal, and Tractor in the Iranian top flight.
Asked about the contribution made by the 36-year-old Ebrahimi – for whom Friday’s game was only the second international appearance in more than a year – Qalenoei said: “I was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism for giving him a call-up but I choose the players in accordance with my tactical requirements and you could see he put in a great performance and was our matchwinner today.”
Chasing a first Asian Cup title since last lifting the trophy on home soil in 1976, three-time champion Iran will also face Hong Kong on January 19 before playing the United Arab Emirates in the final round of the group fixtures four days later.
The top two of the six groups will be joined by four best third-place teams in the last-16 round, with the final showpiece to be staged at the Lusail Stadium on February 10.