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.
Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday homered for the fifth consecutive game, tying a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record. Yankees star Aaron Judge was the last player to homer in five consecutive games, accomplishing that feat last year. Ohtani, who leads the National League with 37 home runs, homered in the first inning off Minnesota Twins starter Chris Paddack. He hit a slow curveball 134m to center. He carried the bat midway down the first-base line and then did a bat flip. He did not hit a home run later in the game with the Dodgers trailing, but his presence was felt. With two outs
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
Ben O’Connor won Thursday’s monster Alpine stage to the ski resort of Courchevel as three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar responded to attacks from Jonas Vingegaard and dropped him to cement his grip on the yellow jersey. With just three stages left before the race ends in Paris, Pogacar looks poised to retain his title, with a comfortable lead of more than 4 minutes over Vingegaard, a two-time champion. Stage 18 featured three extremely difficult ascents, including the 26.4km climb of the Col de La Loze to the finish. At 2,304m, La Loze is the highest summit in this year’s Tour. Two
US top seed Taylor Fritz dropped an early yesterday morning marathon to Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina of Spain, while the UK’s Emma Raducanu and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez reached the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA DC Open. World number four Fritz, two points from victory in the ninth game, dropped the last five games in falling to the 26th-ranked Spaniard 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5 after three hours and five minutes in a match ending just before 2am. Davidovich-Fokina advanced to the semi-final against US fourth seed Ben Shelton, who beat sixth-seeded hometown hero Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7/2), 6-4. Fritz, who had 20 aces and six
RSS