Underdog Iran looking to beat the odds at U23 Asian Cup
By Amirhadi Arsalanpour
Staff writer
Iran will be looking to benefit from its underdog tag when it gets its campaign underway against South Korea at the AFC U23 Asian Cup today.
For all the talent within the squad over the years, the Iranian under-23 side, which missed out on a place at the 2024 finals in Qatar, has failed to match the national senior team’s continental stature at the tournament since it was first introduced in 2013.
Iran has managed four victories in 13 matches across four appearances in the finals, progressing beyond the group stage only once – at the 2016 edition, where Iran finished runner-up to host Qatar in the group before suffering a 3–0 loss to Japan in the quarterfinals.
Still, Iran head coach Omidreza Ravankhah will hope to see his team build on an impressive qualification campaign last September, when the under-23 Team Melli claimed comfortable wins against Hong Kong (4-0) and Guam (6-0) before defeating the UAE 3-2 for a clean sweep of victories in Group I.
Paykan striker Kasra Taheri was the joint top scorer of the qualifiers with five goals, but is ruled out of the finals after suffering an injury while on duty with the Iranian senior team in October.
Ravankhah, however, will not lack quality in his 23-man squad.
Arguably the brightest prospect in Iranian football in recent years, midfielder Mohammad-Javad Hosseinnejad has registered two goals and one assist in 18 appearances for Dynamo Makhachkala in the Russian Premier Liga this season, and will hope his performance in Saudi Arabia is rewarded with a place in the senior roster for the World Cup in the summer.
Reza Ghandipour, meanwhile, will spearhead the Iranian frontline, having scored four goals in 12 games for Emirati top-flight side Al Wahda, while Mohammad Asgari can provide further threat in the final third after a return of seven goals in 16 matches for Sepahan.
Iralco goalkeeper Mohammad Khalifeh, Esteghlal midfielder Amirmohammad Razzaqinia, Shams Azar fullback Farzin Mo’amelegari, and Akhmat Grozny center-back Mohammad-Mahdi Zare’ will also be among the Iranian players to watch in Saudi Arabia.
Ravankhah and his side will face a significantly tougher challenge in Group C compared to the qualifiers.
South Korea has reached the semifinals on four occasions, lifting the trophy in 2020, while much of their current squad was involved in the last-four run at the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup. Iran and South Korea met in the group stage in 2020, with the East Asian side winning 2-1.
Uzbekistan – champions in 2018 – will again be among the favorites to win the title, having fallen short in back-to-back finals against Saudi Arabia and Japan in the previous two editions.
Iran will take on Uzbekistan on Saturday – a second meeting between the two sides in the competition following their 1-1 draw in 2020.
Lebanon, whom Iran will play in its final group game next Tuesday, will make its debut in the finals, looking to build on a respectable qualifying campaign that saw the Middle Eastern minnows advance as one of the four best runners-up.
The following is Iran’s full squad for the AFC U23 Asian Cup:
Goalkeepers: Mohammad Khalifeh (Iralco), Amir-Mahdi Maqsoudi (Sepahan), Pouria Rafiei (Sepahan)
Defenders: Mohammad-Mahdi Zare’ (Akhmat Grozny), Danial Eiri (Malavan FC), Farzin Mo’amelegari (Shams Azar), Masoud Mohebbi (Khaybar FC), Bahram Goudarzi (Iralco), Arshia Vosouqifard (Fajr Sepasi), Seyyed Mahdi Mahdavi (Iralco), Erfan Jamshidi (Paykan)
Midfielders: Pouria Latififar (Golgohar Sirjan), Mahdi Goudarzi (Khaybar FC), Abbas Habibi (Malavan FC), Mahdi Ja’fari (Malavan FC), Amirmohammad Razzaqinia (Esteghlal), Amir-Reza Sheikhirad (Nassaji Mazandaran), Mohammad-Javad Hosseinnejad (Dynamo Makhachkala)
Strikers: Yadegar Rostami (Fajr Sepasi), Mohammad-Hossein Sadeqi (Persepolis), Hamidreza Zarouni (Khaybar FC), Mohammad Asgari (Sepahan), Reza Ghandipour (Al Wahda).