Iranian Eckert at the double in Belgian top-flight opener
Iranian international striker Dennis Eckert Dargahi opened his new club campaign in style, scoring twice as Standard Liège played to a 2-2 draw at home against Cercle Brugge on the opening day of the Belgian Pro League season.
Eckert headed home deep into first-half stoppage time to cancel out Lukas Mondele’s 41st-minute strike for the visitors, then lobbed goalkeeper Gaëtan Coucke three minutes after the break to put his team in front.
Cercle Brugge still managed to salvage a point through Christiaan Ravych’s equalizer with two minutes remaining of normal time.
Eckert, who received his first international call-up in March, was part of Iran’s squad at the FIFA World Cup in North America but missed the 2-2 draw against New Zealand due to injury. He was then an unused substitute in the following stalemates against Belgium (0-0) and Egypt (1-1), as Team Melli finished third in Group G and missed out on a place in the knockout stage.
The decision to name Eckert, who scored seven goals in 37 appearances across all competitions for the Belgian outfit last season, in the World Cup squad drew considerable criticism of Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei among fans and pundits in the country.
Qalenoei, however, attributed the former Germany U19 player’s lack of contribution to an untimely injury he suffered during Iran’s training camp in Turkey before the World Cup.