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Iran earned a point in their second World Cup match despite restricted travel and limited preparation time. Coach Amir Ghalenoei and player Alireza Jahanbakhsh described the conditions they faced.
indianexpress.comIran played to a 0-0 draw with Belgium at SoFi Stadium on Sunday. ESPN reported the result left Iran with two points from two matches in Group G. Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team played a "beautiful game" under the worst possible conditions.
He listed short travel windows, visa complications entering the United States and Mexico, and almost no time to prepare ahead of the tournament. "We came into the World Cup under the worst possible conditions," Ghalenoei told reporters. "And still we got a result against a great team and a great manager.
U.S. has been restricted. U.S. Saturday night, played Sunday, and was due to return to Mexico Sunday night.
"We had two great games without losing," Ghalenoei said, alluding to Iran's opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand. "Tomorrow we focus on Egypt, which is a very strong team. We need to recover and then ...
" "Sixteen hours, two flights and a heavy game. I don't think anyone could have endured this," Ghalenoei added. "And our players have given everything. " Iran's Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who plays his club football in Belgium and came on at halftime, said the team wanted their entire support staff with them when they traveled and time to adapt to the location they played.
"That's just the fairness," Jahanbakhsh said. " "From the other side, this is part of our culture that in a difficult situation we perform better," Jahanbakhsh said. "I think that united us even more and that's one of the things we showed today.
Iran play their final match against Egypt on June 26 at Lumen Field in Seattle. Jahanbakhsh said he hoped the team could arrive earlier for that game. "Seattle is a different city, a different place and further from the place where we are staying in Tijuana," Jahanbakhsh said.
Both Ghalenoei and Jahanbakhsh singled out goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand for keeping Iran in the game. Beiranvand had several key saves, including one on his own line midway through the second half after Kevin De Bruyne's cross rolled across the Iran goalmouth. "He is one of our greatest goalkeepers in the history of Iranian football and he had one of his best days today," Ghalenoei said.
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