Qalenoei lauds ‘massive improvement’ despite shootout setback against Uzbekistan
Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei shrugged off the shootout loss to Uzbekistan in the Al Ain International Cup final on Tuesday, praising his side’s “massive improvement” over the two games during the latest international break.
The two Central Asian rivals played to a goalless stalemate in their seventh meeting in two years before Uzbekistan, reduced to 10 men after Manchester City center-back Abdukodir Khusanov was sent off for denying Ali Alipour a clear goal-scoring opportunity with 20 minutes remaining, emerged victorious 4-3 on penalties.
Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand saved Jamshid Iskanderov’s attempt, but his teammates Mohammad-Mahdi Mohebbi and Milad Mohammadi then had their efforts kept out by Abduvohid Nematov, leaving Qalenoei’s men without a win against Uzbekistan since the 2023 CAFA Nations Cup final.
“I think we were not good enough until the mid-way point of the first, but after that – especially in the second period – we were in control of the game. Fortunately, taking last month’s game against Tanzania into account, my team has now managed to keep three consecutive clean sheets,” said Qalenoei, whose team defeated Cape Verde on penalties last Thursday to book a final spot in the four-team tournament.
“Wins or losses are not important in these kinds of matches, but it is our team’s massive improvement at both ends of the pitch that truly matters, as we were solid in defense and managed to create many chances,” added the Iranian.
“We achieved our objectives in this tournament, and I think anyone with a fair assessment would have to praise Iran’s performance here.”
Qalenoei also rued the absence of several key players in the Iranian squad, who missed the two games in Al Ain due to injury.
“Just look at the difference Majid Hosseini made to our defensive structure after returning from a long spell out. Now, imagine how players like Sardar Azmoun, Mahdi Qayedi, Ali Qolizadeh, and even Alireza Jahanbakhsh would have contributed to the team’s strength and quality if they were available.
“Unlike the game against Cape Verde, we were much quicker in attack and moved the ball faster today, which I’m really pleased with. However, to sustain this, we will need all of our injured players to recover and add to the team’s caliber, as we are far from a finished article for the World Cup finals.”