World Cup Asian qualifiers:
Iran coach Qalenoei pleased with performance in Hong Kong win
Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei said he was satisfied with his team’s performance and quality in the 4-2 away victory over Hong Kong, China in the World Cup Asian qualifiers preliminary round.
Mahdi Taremi gave Iran the lead from the spot 12 minutes into the game, only to see his strike canceled out two minutes later by Ma Hei Wai, whose effort from a tight angle went in through goalkeeper Payam Niazmand’s legs.
Taremi restored the advantage thanks to a second spot-kick in the 34th minute and completed his hat-trick with a sublime curling effort from the edge of the box 11 minutes after the break.
substitute Anthony Pinto gave the home side a lifeline with his first touch of the game on the hour mark before Sardar Azmoun’s composed finish made it 4-2 as Iran remained top of Group E – equal on 13 points with Uzbekistan, which will visit Tehran to take on Qalenoei’s side on the final day of the preliminary-round fixtures on Tuesday.
“We had two opponents tonight. One was a decent Hong Kong team and the other was the high humidity, which made it very challenging for us,” Qalenoei said after the game.
The Iranian coach, who has embarked on a rejuvenation project within his aged squad after February’s AFC Asian Cup, fielded new faces in young defender Mohammad-Amin Hazbavi as well as Sepahan duo Arya Yousefi and Mohammad Qorbani, while Esteghlal Khuzestan striker Javad Aqaeipour was rewarded with a first international cap as a late substitute after a stellar campaign in the newly-finished Persian Gulf Pro League season.
“We scored four goals and had other chances to score more but in general, given the presence of a number of young players who have recently joined the national team, I am pretty satisfied with the performance and quality of the game, not to mention the result,” added the Iranian coach.
This was a second meeting between the two sides in six months following Iran’s 1-0 victory in Asian Cup group stage.
“Football in Asia has become closer and the results recorded in the Asian Cup prove this. It showed that every game can be difficult for all teams in the continent,” said Qalenoei, while he was full of praise for his talisman Taremi, who is now the joint-third all-time top scorer – alongside legendary midfielder Karim Baqeri – for the national team with 50 goals, following Ali Daei and Azmoun.
The milestone night also saw Taremi register his fourth international hat-trick, second highest after Daei, who has eight under his belt.
“The strategy of the national team is to attack and create chances. With all due respect to Hong Kong, which caused us problems in some spells, Iran controlled the game today and had many opportunities in front of the goal. I believe Hong Kong’s football philosophy has changed a lot and, as the manager said, they be a tough opponent for other Asian teams in the future,” said Taremi, who is to be unveiled as a new signing for Serie A champion Inter on July 1.