Match № 29

The match № 29, play-off round, eighth tournament day

I.R.IRAN – SLOVENIA 3:0 (1:0)

January 10th, 2014, St. Petersburg, Peterburgsky SCC, 200 spectators

Referees: Yury Aponasenko, Aleksandr Rodionov, Roman Milyuchenko

I. R. Iran: Niazmand, Joudaki (c), Sohrabian, Hosseini (Salimi, 78), Sarlak, Bazaj, Seyyedi (Baghdadi, 74), Haghnazari (Soleimani, 46), Najarian (Moharrami, 51), Ezzati (Fathian, 71), Moghtadaei (Hashemi, 46)

Head coach: Ali Dousti Mehr

Slovenia: Sorchan, Primc, Kumer (Plavschich, 63), Poljanec, Vokich, Lorbek, Ojbolt (Petrovchich, 76), Gajich (c) (Adamich, 82), Krivichich, Vidovich (Taneski, 46), Nemanich (Zupanc, 46)

Head coach: Gliha Primoj

Goals: Sarlak (11), Ezzati (59), Seyyedi (72)

Yellow cards: Primc (60), Sarlak (66), Poljanec (77)

Best players: Chiva Milad Sarlak, Gal Primc

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After match comments

Head coach of the team I.R.Iran Ali Dousti Mehr:

– First of all I want to congratulate my opponent with a good game. The result shows nothing of the real current of the match. I'm not glad with my players. I think players must make progress from game to game and today our team has rolled back. We were developing and making progress in the previous matches. Our aim is to repeat the success of playing at the World Championship. But if we keep playing this way we can forget about it. We all, coaches and players, must be studying and developing all the time. I came to this tournament as a student as well. And I've already learnt much.

– You filled in the team sheet today quite late. Was it because of the indecision?

– No, we handed the sheet in time.

– You've said many times that your main goal is getting on the World Cup. And what's next?

– Next we must show a good, notable playing there. We want our players to be memorable, we want them to be invited in European clubs. We have bright players who are able to shine on the football arena of the Europe. By the way we have very good contacts and relations with the Russian Football Union. They help us very much with developing Iranian football.

Head coach of the team Slovenia Gliha Primoj:

– A very good game. I liked it. Both teams had equal chances to win. I guess we created even more scoring moments but we haven't realized any. It happens in football, when you don't score the opponent scores.

– Your team was wasting scoring moments today. Have you trained or will you train the realization?

– No. There's no sense. The problem is our individual playing, taking quick and right decisions. How can it be trained? I think good players will acquire this skill as they acquire more experience.

– Today you surprised everybody with your composure in the coach area, after you made us used to your emotional behavior. Why has happened?

– The game was normal: my players' actions, fair playing and referees' judging. By the way our delegation representative consulted with the referees. They discussed all the disputable moments and he confessed there were no mistakes in the judging. But my opinion is that referee has to read the game and not only follow the letter of law.

– Do you have prospective stars in your team?

– I think all our youth teams have candidates to the national team. We have a system when every year we take somebody for the national team. That's where the result comes from, including the win over the team Russia.