AFC Asian Cup:
Iran coach Qalenoei ‘not pleased with the performance’ despite opening victory
Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei said his team still has room for improvement despite a comfortable 4-1 victory over Palestine in its opening match at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
A minute of silence was observed before the kickoff as the Iranian players offered sympathy for the loss of over 24,000 people in the Gaza Strip over the past three months, but when the game got underway Qalenoei’s men showed no mercy to their opponents, taking the lead through veteran striker Karim Ansarifard with two minutes into the contest before Shoja Khalilzadeh’s sliding effort doubled the advantage inside 12 minutes.
Mahdi Qayedi bagged a third goal for the Asian powerhouse in the 38th minute, finding the net with a composed finish from inside the box.
Tamer Seyam, to the joy of the neutrals at the Education City Stadium, and, of course, consolation of a whole war-ravaged nation, pulled one back for Palestine when he headed home from the edge of the six-yard box after Iranian Saeid Ezzatollahi’s header fell into his path.
AS Roma striker Sardar Azmoun, introduced at halftime, restored the three-goal cushion with a close-range effort 10 minutes after the break but the Iranian players took their feet off the gas thereafter, while looked vulnerable at the back at times.
“The first game of every tournament is a tricky one and I’m happy with the result, though I’m not pleased with our overall performance today,” Qalenoei said in the post-match press conference.
“Palestine was a decent side and we were lucky to score an early goal, otherwise it could have been much tougher for us as the game wore on… We gave away the ball in the opposition half too often, not to mention we were sloppy with the goal conceded. We will have to make sure those mistakes will not happen in the future games.
“I’m grateful for the result but I’m expecting an improved display in the next game,” added the Iranian, who is in charge of the national team in a second Asian Cup after his previous spell came to an end with a last-eight shootout defeat against South Korea in the 2007 edition.
Chasing a first trophy in the continent’s flagship international event since 1976, Iran will next face Hong Kong on Friday.
Hong Kong got off to losing start in Group C earlier on Sunday, falling to a 3-1 defeat against the United Arab Emirates.
“The players can celebrate the victory tonight but we’ll start focusing on the Hong Kong game right from tomorrow. There is no weak team in this tournament and we have outmost respect for all of our opponents here. We’ll have to think of every match like it is the final showdown for us,” Qalenoei said.
The Iranian coach believes the depth of his squad could contribute to the team’s success in Qatar.
“We have a very good squad where the quality is about the same. I choose my starting lineup based on the players’ performance in training, as well as the opponents and tactics.
“You can see how Karim (Ansarifard) and Qayedi [who were given surprise places in the starting XI] performed. Even those who came on did well, so it’s just proof that we don’t have a first or second team,” added the five-time Iranian top-flight champion as a manager with Sepahan and Esteghlal.
Brentford’s Saman Qoddous, who is enjoying his best international spell under Qalenoei, delivered yet another impressive performance in the midfield duo alongside Ezzatollahi, assisting the first two goals for his side which earned him the man-of-the-match award.
“To be honest, I don’t know what I think about it (the award),” said Qoddous. “It’s a good team performance, and I like that over any individual performance.
“I have to thank the coach. I love the position I’m playing right now where I get to be involved more but I will play wherever the coach wants me to play.”