Iran rallies past Gambia in pre-World Cup friendly
Iran came from behind to beat The Gambia 3-1 in a friendly in Antalya, Türkiye, on Friday ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11.
Center-back Omar Colley gave the West African side – ranked 116th in the latest FIFA Men’s World Ranking – the lead, tapping in from close range in the 42nd minute, only for his strike to be canceled out by young fullback Aria Yousefi two minutes after the restart.
Amir Qalenoei’s men built on their second-half momentum to go ahead through Ramin Rezaeian’s superb strike from the edge of the box just before the hour mark, before skipper Mahdi Taremi netted his 58th international goal with a left-footed effort from a tight angle in the 68th minute.
Iran will open its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Group G at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 15 before facing European heavyweight Belgium at the same venue six days later.
The team will then travel to Seattle, Washington, to take on Egypt in its final group-stage fixture at Lumen Field on June 26.
With eight third-placed teams from the 12 groups advancing to the round of 32, Iran will fancy its chances of securing a first-ever place in the knockout stage at the seventh attempt.