World Cup 2018 Knock-Out stage, updates, news & results !!!

Babr

Banned
Nov 24, 2002
27,860
1,466
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I am all for iran playing attacking football. however you can't start that in WC. this generation of iranian players with the exception of Jahanbakhsh really lack technical finesse that 1998 or 2006 had. so you go to WC with the team you have. the Team you have is a group of physically strong guys who are disciplined and good in the air. so that's why you saw so much direct play from ian.

Iran can not play Transition football like Japan. if we had that ability we would have tried against Uzbakistan, South korea and other team in Asia.
It is not like Iran doesn't have technical finess players is more like because of CQ system, we are playing a direct game so technically he doesn't need many finess players, that is why Khalatbari was excluded 4 years a go. Soroush Rafiei, Dariush Shojaeian this time around. Gholizadeh didnt make the list of 23(24th player) and Torabi didn't play a single minute.
 
Nov 29, 2002
8,096
862
So you rather go out in group stage games than almost knocking out one of the best teams of tournament in Round of 16 ?
"IF" Iran did what Japan was doing, I promise you, we would make it out of that group, 100%.
Disagree, if Iran did what Japan is doing, we would have lost 3-1 to the more technically gifted Morocco, probably drawn 1-1 with spain and lost 2-1 to portugal. Have you forgotten Bosnia 3 - 1 Iran when we opened up a bit in 2014?

Japan has more technically gifted players, especially midfielders, compared to Iran and they are all within the same age range 29-32 and know each other's game inside out. Their midfielders have played in top tier european leagues for years. Our star midfielder has been on the bench in russian league and we don't have a single player in the top 4 leagues at a time when gap between them and rest of the world is increasing. We have numerous other problems as a pariah state (lack of good agents, lack of interest of intermediatory companies making our players less lucrative, problems with friendlies getting cancelled, even bloody Kosovo, problems with our equipment being provided, internal federation political problems)....

However Iran has more physical (and younger) players who are tactically versatile and CQ had drilled them very well as a unit. He played the best results-orientated football this crop of players can get and the net result is that although we didn't qualify to the next round within a pretty tough group, every single damn person I've spoken to has said how impressive Iran was and hopefully this can translate to many different areas:

- Confidence for our team in playing with such teams in the future - to know that our tactical discipline is our forte.
- Transfers for some of our defensive players (Beiranvand, Majid Hosseini, Pourliganji, Ezatollahi, Mohammadi etc...)

* Some of the people I've spoken to who are in the game are particularly impressed with how disciplined our positioning was with corners. Compared to much bigger teams, we played like a club team.
 
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byebyenow

Elite Member
Jun 3, 2006
4,962
175
Disagree, if Iran did what Japan is doing, we would have lost 3-1 to the more technically gifted Morocco, probably drawn 1-1 with spain and lost 2-1 to portugal. Have you forgotten Bosnia 3 - 1 Iran when we opened up a bit in 2014?

Japan has more technically gifted players, especially midfielders, compared to Iran and they are all within the same age range 29-32 and know each other's game inside out.

However Iran has more physical (and younger) players who are tactically versatile and CQ had drilled them very well as a unit. He played the best results-orientated football this crop of players can get and the net result is that although we didn't qualify to the next round within a pretty tough group, every single damn person I've spoken to has said how impressive Iran was and hopefully this can translate to many different areas:

- Confidence for our team in playing with such teams in the future - to know that our tactical discipline is our forte.
- Transfers for some of our defensive players (Beiranvand, Majid Hosseini, Pourliganji, Ezatollahi, Mohammadi etc...)

* Some of the people I've spoken to who are in the game are particularly impressed with how disciplined our positioning was with corners. Compared to much bigger teams, we played like a club team.
Hope some of our defenders end up in SerieA, they can learn more!
 
Oct 18, 2010
6,271
848
sweden is basically an upgraded version of iran with all the options.
their finishing is even worse than iran which take a lot of effort to achieve.
they have proven that mediocrity with a dash of luck takes you places.
 
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On 4 September 2014, Ibrahimović scored his 50th international goal in a 2–0 friendly match victory over Estonia, making him the Swedish national team's all-time leading goalscorer. Earlier in the same match, he equaled Sven Rydell's record of 49 by scoring the opening goal.[227] On 8 September, he made his 100th appearance for Sweden in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Austria at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna.[228]

On 14 November 2015, Ibrahimović scored the winning goal for Sweden in a 2–1 victory in the home leg of the Euro 2016 qualifying play-off against rivals Denmark. Three days later, he scored both Sweden's goals of a 2–2 draw in Copenhagen to qualify the nation for the Euro 2016 finals.[229] Ibrahimović scored 11 goals during the qualifying phase, making him its second-top goalscorer after Poland's Robert Lewandowski.[230] On 11 May 2016, Ibrahimović made the final 23-man squad for Sweden at Euro 2016. As captain, he played every minute of Sweden's three group matches, but did not score any goals. He managed only one shot on target during the tournament.[231] Sweden finished in last place in their group and as a result were eliminated along with seven other teams in the group stage.[232] On 21 June 2016, Ibrahimović announced that he would retire from international football immediately after Sweden's last match at Euro 2016.[233]

In November 2017, after Sweden clinched qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by defeating Italy in the second qualifying round,[234] there was speculation about a possible return of Ibrahimović to the national team.[235][236] Ibrahimović himself expressed his wish to represent Sweden in the World Cup.[237][238][239] However, in April 2018, Sweden manager Janne Andersson stated that Ibrahimović will not be called-up for the World Cup, thus ending any possibility of a return.[240] Later in June, Ibrahimović blamed the Swedish media for his World Cup absence.[241]
 
Likes: oghabealborz

Azhidahak

Bench Warmer
May 30, 2005
1,707
67
So incredibly proud of this Swedish team!! They have truly proved how far a united team can reach with good tactics, team work and fighting spirit.

When grouped with France and Netherlands I was first to say that we have no chance to qualify. Then I was first amazed how we managed to end up before Netherlands. As if that was crazy enough, later on we also manage to beat Italy!! Then the saga continues and we end up first in a group with world champions Germany! Now also beating a very good Switzerland and going further ahead to quarterfinals!!

So proud, so happy!!
 

oghabealborz

Elite Member
Feb 18, 2005
15,113
2,590
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On 4 September 2014, Ibrahimović scored his 50th international goal in a 2–0 friendly match victory over Estonia, making him the Swedish national team's all-time leading goalscorer. Earlier in the same match, he equaled Sven Rydell's record of 49 by scoring the opening goal.[227] On 8 September, he made his 100th appearance for Sweden in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Austria at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna.[228]

On 14 November 2015, Ibrahimović scored the winning goal for Sweden in a 2–1 victory in the home leg of the Euro 2016 qualifying play-off against rivals Denmark. Three days later, he scored both Sweden's goals of a 2–2 draw in Copenhagen to qualify the nation for the Euro 2016 finals.[229] Ibrahimović scored 11 goals during the qualifying phase, making him its second-top goalscorer after Poland's Robert Lewandowski.[230] On 11 May 2016, Ibrahimović made the final 23-man squad for Sweden at Euro 2016. As captain, he played every minute of Sweden's three group matches, but did not score any goals. He managed only one shot on target during the tournament.[231] Sweden finished in last place in their group and as a result were eliminated along with seven other teams in the group stage.[232] On 21 June 2016, Ibrahimović announced that he would retire from international football immediately after Sweden's last match at Euro 2016.[233]

In November 2017, after Sweden clinched qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by defeating Italy in the second qualifying round,[234] there was speculation about a possible return of Ibrahimović to the national team.[235][236] Ibrahimović himself expressed his wish to represent Sweden in the World Cup.[237][238][239] However, in April 2018, Sweden manager Janne Andersson stated that Ibrahimović will not be called-up for the World Cup, thus ending any possibility of a return.[240] Later in June, Ibrahimović blamed the Swedish media for his World Cup absence.[241]
What I mean is if they don't have a good striker then surely he coud have helped them...…. if there was a will there was a way as they say ...