Iran's road to the Round of 16 here at
the U-17 finals in UAE was paved with
defence. Scoring only three times in
their three section games, the Persians
have a clear tactical scheme. "We do
everything we can to make sure we
don't let the opponents in," captain and
centre-back Majid Hosseini told
FIFA.com about his side's stingy
stance.
But Hosseini knows better than
anyone what awaits him in the first
knockout round in Al Ain City: free-
scoring Nigeria, a team as obsessed
with attacking as the Iranians are with
defending. "My attack is blistering,"
was what the Golden Eaglets' coach
Manu Garba had to say before even
kicking off here in the Emirates. And
their 4.6 goals per game average
shows he wasn't just boasting. "We
can destroy any team on our day."We know that they only
need one second to hurt you,
to score a goal from nothing.
Iran centre-back and captain
Hosseini knows all about
Nigeria".
Iran undoubtedly have one of the best
defenders of the tournament in
Hosseini. Tall and quick of mind, the
Saipa FC man is the general of a team
that keeps it tight at the back and only
rarely, at specific and carefully chosen
moments, raids forward. He is vocal on
the pitch, pivoting nimbly to adjust to
situations as they arise, and he inspires
his mates with his actions and his
bravery in the danger-zone. He plays
like a leader and he talks like one too.
But his forehead wrinkles when
Nigeria's 14 goals so far are
mentioned. Hosseini's face turns from
that of spotty teenager to a worried
and wizened old man when he
considers the west Africans, three-time
U-17 world champions. "It will be the
hardest game so far for us; we can
have no illusion about it," he said of
the Nigerians, who are rivalled only by
Brazil for their attacking ability and, in
Kalechi Iheanacho and Success Isaac,
have two of the best strikers in the
world for their age.
"Nigeria are a very strong team," the
Iran captain added, looking intently at
his translator who turned his Persian
into English. "We know about their
attack. We know that they only need
one second to hurt you, to score a goal
from nothing. We know all of this," he
said, before pausing and putting a
hand on the translator's shoulder,
looking into his eyes and making a
point clearly and slowly: "But we have
our strengths too."
Switching the conversation from
Nigeria's varied attack, their dizzying
brand of Total Football that's been a
delight for fans and a nightmare for
opposition defenders, the Iran captain
speaks of his team as a unit. And while
Mostafa Hashemi and Yousef Seyyedi
have scored two of the best goals at
these these finals, individuals are
spurned for the collective in the
Iranian cause.
"Everybody in the team acts as a
defender and when we do go forward
we go forward as one," said the 17-
year-old, who led Iran when they were
crowned champions of Asia earlier this
year. "This is one of the secrets of our
success. Our defenders, all of us, are
close friends and we support each," he
added about the esprit de corps in the
side. "When we get into trouble, there's
always someone to help out."
Freedom meets form in desert duel
And while Nigeria's coach gives his
players what he calls "a special
freedom," Iran's stern-looking boss Al
Doustimehr gives his team orders. "We
listen to our coach because by listening
to him we have arrived here at the
World Cup, and now into the knockout
rounds," said Hosseini, his mates
waiting for him in a pack near the
team bus. "Our coach will look at the
Nigeria tapes and he will tell us what to
do. And if we're smart, we'll listen."
Few who have seen Group F toppers
Nigeria in action will hold out much
hope for Iran, who've never gone past
the last 16 at a U-17 World Cup. But
captain Hosseini isn't bothered by
being underdog and his confidence in
his own ability – and his team-mates –
is strong. His thoughts even go beyond
the Nigerians. "Our goal is the last
four," he said. "We outlined this before
the tournament started and we can
still do it."
First they will have to find a way to
neutralise one of the best attacking
teams the U-17 World Cup has ever
seen. The captain's mind turns to his
home country for the kind of backing-
up he preaches in his team, but on a
larger scale. "We've felt positive energy
coming from home," he said, his eyes
turning glassy with emotion. "We want
to make the Iranian people happy and
we'll give everything we have against
Nigeria to do it."
Whether that will be enough for the
brave Iranians will be only be known
at the Khalifia bin Zayed Stadium on
Tuesday night, when two contrasting
styles and temperaments collide in the
desert.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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