The
first step down this path had been to appoint a suitable coach. Iran’s first
choice was the German Dettmar Cramer but having been turned down by him the
former Manchester United coach and Irish international Frank O’Farrell took charge.
O’Farrell would be assisted by the English George Skinner and Iranian coaches
Habibi, Mohajerani and Salehnia. O’Farrell initially invited 44 players for a
camp with one player (Pour-Heydari) excusing himself from it in order for youth
to be served. There were many complaints about his selections, particularly
from club teams Persepolis and Pas, however, O’Farrell stood firmly behind his
decisions. Creating an A and B team, Iran hosted a tournament featuring club
and youth teams from Eastern Europe in addition to the Tunisian national team. Ultimately
Iran’s A team emerged victorious winning 6-5 in the Final.
Iran
suffered a setback close to the start of the Games as all three of its
goalkeepers suffered injuries. Hejazi injured his wrist and had to wear a cast
that at the very least would prevent him from playing in the first round. Rashidi
injured his fingers and Mavaddat suffered a head injury although these two
injuries were not as serious. The final preparation match was against club team
Pas in which the teams settled for a scoreless draw and Hejazi acted as a
linesman. As it would turn out all three keepers would find playing time in
these Asian Games. Mavaddat minded the nets for the first two games while
Rashidi stepped in for the next four. Hejazi would start the last game.
While Iran had a number of players returning, some new comers to the Asian Games such as Roshan and Jahani strengthened the team. In the 1st game in group play, Iran demolished a hapless Pakistani team by a score of 7-0 with goals coming from Mazloomi (3), Parvin (2), Jabbari and Ghelichkhani.
Burma was the next
opponent and prior losses in previous editions of the Asian Games were avenged
with a 2-1 win. Sadeghi opened the scoring, however, Mavaddat was completely at
fault for his positioning on the equalizer. A solo run and shot from outside
the box to the opposite post by Janmaleki secured the 2-1 win.
Goals were scored by six different players in a 6-0 demolition of Bahrain, the goalscorers being Jahani, Ghelichkhani, Etemadi, Dastjerdi, Haghverdian and an own goal by the Bahraini defense. Finishing 1st in the group, Iran headed to the next round of group play in a group featuring Malaysia, Iraq and South Korea.
Iran defeated Malaysia 1-0 off of a perfectly placed freekick by Parvin. In the next game against Korea, two late goals by Mazloomi, who would end up as Iran’s top scorer in the tournament, condemned the Koreans to a 2-0 loss. The Korean keeper’s mistimed exit off his line enabled Mazloomi to head in his first goal while in the dying minutes his shot from close range doubled Iran’s lead.
Going into the final group game against Iraq, only an Iraqi win by two or more goals would have prevented Iran from reaching the Final. A hard-fought game against Iraq had no goals until late in the game when, a flicked header off of a freekick fell to Roshan inside the box for him to score the lone tally. With the 1-0 victory, Iran won the group and advanced to the championship match.
In the other group, thanks in part largely to North Korea and Kuwait’s refusal to play Israel, and combined with Israel’s win against Burma, the Israelis emerged as the group winners. Facing a packed Aryamehr Stadium and an onslaught by the Iranian attack, the Israelis defended with all that they could, but finally a cross from the left by Adelkhani proved lethal. An Israeli defender tried to clear the ball but mistakenly deflected it into his own net. Iran’s defense stood firm, and finally with 7 out of 7 wins, Iran ended its Asian Games campaign on home soil with its first ever Gold medal in the tournament.
Iran roster: Rashidi, Hejazi, Mavaddat, Ashtiani, Kargarjam, Janmaleki, Masihnia, Kashani, Houshangi, Etemadi, Dastjerdi, Jabbari, Haghverdian, Parvin, Sadeghi, Ghelichkhani, Mazloomi, Adelkhani, Jahani, Roshan. Coach: O’Farrell
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