Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took to Twitter yesterday to praise his country’s 0-0 draw with Nigeria, after their lackluster FIFA World Cup opener in Brazil on Monday.
“Proud of our boys who secured our first point — hopefully the first of many more to come,” Rouhani tweeted on his English-language account, alongside a photograph of him in tracksuit bottoms and a sports shirt bearing the Iranian flag.
It was a rare casual image of the president of the Islamic Republic — normally seen in a formal robe and turban — sitting alone on a sofa watching the match on TV with a glass of tea and some pistachios.
Photo: Reuters
Rouhani’s optimistic take on the match was at odds with supporters at the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, who booed Team Melli (the National Team) off the pitch after the game.
However, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz reminded fans to be realistic about what his side could achieve, saying: “The spectators maybe didn’t see it this way, but in football when you play with attitude, soul, emotions, tension it can also be an attractive game and that is what happened.”
Iranian media also circulated pictures of Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif and his nuclear negotiating team watching the match in Vienna, where Tehran is in talks with world powers about its nuclear program.
Pitching a well-marshaled defense against a largely impotent attack, it was perhaps no surprise that Monday’s Group F clash was the tournament’s first truly disappointing match.
The roller-coaster ride of thrills and spills had to come to an end at some point, but the only consolation to mitigate the lack of entertainment on offer in Curitiba was that it came in a fixture nobody thought would be a classic.
It played out exactly as expected, with Nigeria doing the running and Iran looking to counter their way to a smash-and-grab victory. Yet this was not the wave after wave of Nigerian pressure crashing against an Iranian rock, it was more like a gentle African tide lapping Persian shores.
Former Real Madrid boss Queiroz was labeled “the Rottweiler” by former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson for the strict control he exercised as assistant coach at Old Trafford and there was plenty of evidence of the disciplinarian’s iron fist on Monday as Iran stuck to their task with admirable determination.
His counterpart, Stephen “Big Boss” Keshi played all his aces, but still came up short. The Nigeria coach left forwards Peter Odemwingie and Shola Ameobi on the bench, with Emmanuel Emenike spearheading a three-man forward line.
The African side initially played with purpose down the left side, with Victor Moses enjoying an early degree of success before fading.
Iran were not going to be drawn into going toe-to-toe and kept everyone in their own half when their opponents had the ball. They only snapped into tackles when Nigeria crossed the halfway line.
Careless Iran consistently gifted their rivals possession, but the limited ambitions of Queiroz’s side were satisfied keeping Nigeria at bay.
Chances were few and far between, with the best of the match falling to Iran’s Reza Ghoochannejhad, whose header was beaten away by Nigeria goalie Vincent Enyeama in the first half.
Keshi rolled the dice after the break, bringing on Odemwingie and Ameobi and while they added pace and directness, the Iran defense stayed solid until the boos from the crowd signaled the end of the listless clash.
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