Iran's unbeaten run at World Cup is historic, says coach Ghalenoei
Iran have drawn both their World Cup group games despite war-related disruptions and cancellation of friendlies. Coach Amir Ghalenoei says their performance will be remembered for generations.
Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoei believes his team's unbeaten start to the World Cup will be remembered for years, given the extraordinary challenges they have faced.
The Iranians held 10-man Belgium to a goalless draw on Sunday, following a draw with New Zealand in their opening Group G match. Their participation was uncertain due to the war with tournament co-host USA, and preparations were disrupted as many teams cancelled scheduled friendlies.
"I want to go back six months," Ghalenoei said. "We were in war conditions for six months; we didn't have our league operating. Many teams cancelled the games they would play against us. We came to the World Cup in the worst conditions possible."
Disruption continued at the tournament. Iran are based in Mexico and, under visa restrictions, must fly to the US a day before matches and return the same day. They face Egypt in Seattle in their final group game on Friday, and Ghalenoei hopes to travel earlier, though the situation is under review.
A win against Egypt would send Iran to the knockout stage, but the coach says his players have already achieved greatness. "The players who came to this World Cup in this condition need to be congratulated," he added. "We had the opportunity to win [against Belgium] but I think this is a great achievement. We had less than 16 hours to do training before the game. This will be written in the history of our football and future generations will talk about what we have achieved."
