Football Word Cup ...
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Discussing Iran’s qualification prospects, Korbekandi said a victory in the opening match would have made the path to the knockout stage easier. Now, however, the situation has become more complicated, and the second round of matches could go a long way toward determining the teams that advance.
"If our direct rivals pick up the points they need, the task will become even more difficult. That is why Iran must take points from the upcoming match against Belgium," he said, adding that while the challenge would be extremely tough, the team still has a chance of success.
In his view, the coaching staff’s most important responsibility before the second match is to prepare the players mentally and psychologically for various scenarios.
Issues such as travel, logistical concerns and certain restrictions were foreseeable in the previous match, but not everything can be attributed to those factors, especially when a team fails to perform at the required technical level.
Another football analyst and former player, Hassan Haj-Rasouliha, also told IRNA that Iran lacked the necessary focus in the opening match and failed to execute its plans as expected. Given the nature of the opposition and New Zealand’s standing in world football, he said there had been a genuine opportunity for Iran to claim all three points, but that objective was not achieved.
He also criticized the individual performances of most players, saying few deserved passing marks.
"With the exception of a handful of players, including Ramin Rezaeian, the rest failed to meet expectations, although the circumstances surrounding the match were unusual."
Turning to the upcoming clash with Belgium, he said that an impartial assessment shows Belgium holding the upper hand in both technical quality and overall cohesion. In such a match, if Iran lacks a clear game plan and the players are not fully prepared mentally, the challenge will be extremely difficult.
Haj-Rasouliha predicted that the match against Belgium would be significantly tougher than the opening fixture and would also be of a higher technical standard. For that reason, he said the national team must take to the field with a precise plan and the necessary adjustments.
"Under the current circumstances, even taking a single point from this match would be a valuable result for Iran."