If the ghosts of the 2001 match in Manama were not exorcised by the 4-2 win in the Asian Cup 2004 or the 1-0 win that sealed Iran’s qualification for the 2006 world cup, then today’s 6-0 route certainly put it to a final rest.
In 2001 Iran lost to Bahrain under extremely suspicious and
strange circumstances and ended up watching Bahrain players wave not their flag
since they were already eliminated, but
the flag of Saudi Arabia over their heads and rejoice as if it was them who had
qualified with this win. That memory had
remained with most Iranian fans and ever since this tie had carried a certain
grudge match baggage that have seen plenty of rough and rash plays, scuffles
and fights and generally bad blood between the two teams.
But today, Bahrain had nobody else to blame but their usual rough (and often unsportsmanlike) tactics for the disparity the faced for nearly the entire game. A rash two-footed lunge on the feet of Teymoorian saw the Bahraini defender see the (brave) Australian referee whip out the red card. From then on, it was smooth sailing for Iran and an up-hill battle for the Bahrainis.
An early goal within the first 20 minutes also made sure the
Bahrain players would not resort to their usual time wasting tactics and they
were forced to open up and come forward to get the equalizer. This played right
into Iran’s hands as now they were allowed to play football in a more relaxed
and open atmosphere. With some great
performances from the likes of Jabbari, Teymoorian and Ghazi we exerted
tremendous amount of pressure and eventually scored 3 goals and missed a few
more by the halftime.
This was pretty much the same plot for the second half as
Teymoorian scored the fourth goal soon. The goal that dropped the heads of the
opponents and after this the Red team were only desperately waiting for the referee
to blow the final whistle. But Iran was not done yet. With goals from
substitutes Ansarifard and Rezaei they finished the match with half a dozen
goals that made the 83,000-plus fans in
the stadium jubilant and in festive mood.
Players that impressed were Mahini, who’s been blazing a
trail in recent months in both club and national team. Teymoorian, who looked
tireless and full of drive and energy. Jabbari, who made Karimi’s absence not
felt and Ghazi, whose role as the big, strong center forward paid off very well. Ghazi’s duties resembled the old Daei who used his body
strength and height to gain the upper hand in aerial balls, shield the ball
well and feed the surging players from sides. This was a welcome addition to
the usual Team Melli strategies as it brought in a British direct style of play
into the team. Flanks and the wide
players ruled the day as we had cross after cross raining in on the opponent
box which caused much trouble for them.
Another positive was seeing the team attempt long rangers,
most of which were either on target or whizzed by very close to the posts. Not to
mention the best goal of the game, a thunderous 30+ yarder from Teymoorian.
But it is the final point that brings me joy. And that is to see Team Melli not retreat and retract as soon as it scores a goal or two. Until the dying seconds of the game our lads showed hungry and went looking for more and more goals. This is what has been missing in quite a few years in Team Melli as coach after coach, in continental and international games adopt an overly cautious side that often caused the team to suffer loss of precious points as they either exchanged wins with draws or in some cases, a defeat. But today I saw the hunger not only in the faces and movement of the players, but also in the face of the coach. And this gives me hope.
But it is the final point that brings me joy. And that is to see Team Melli not retreat and retract as soon as it scores a goal or two. Until the dying seconds of the game our lads showed hungry and went looking for more and more goals. This is what has been missing in quite a few years in Team Melli as coach after coach, in continental and international games adopt an overly cautious side that often caused the team to suffer loss of precious points as they either exchanged wins with draws or in some cases, a defeat. But today I saw the hunger not only in the faces and movement of the players, but also in the face of the coach. And this gives me hope.
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