According to Tasnim news agency, our country’s national football team will line up against Palestine at the Education City Stadium in its first step in the 2023 Asian Nations Cup from 21:00 tonight (Sunday).
Iran is mentioned as one of the main contenders for the Asian Championship. The last time the Iranians won the Asian Nations Cup in 1976 for the third time in a row, and they have not reached the finals of the tournament in the last 11 times, and “Qatar 2023” could be the end of the 48-year spell. However, the first step of the games for Iran is against a team that drew against Saudi Arabia five days ago and lost to Uzbekistan by one goal a week ago, and it can be a difficult night for Qalanewi’s students.
The national team of our country has been undefeated in its previous 20 games in the group stage of the Asian Nations Cup and has won five victories and five draws in these matches. Iran is considered the best team in the competitions in statistics such as the number of victories, goals scored and clean sheets. Palestine, however, has only participated in the previous two editions of the Asian Nations Cup and has failed to win so far.
Tarami’s happiness after opening the gate of Palestine on January 3, 1997
The two teams have met six times so far, Iran has tasted victory three times and three matches have ended in a draw. The best win of our country’s national team against Palestine dates back to Mehr 13, 2013, when Iran won 7-0. The friendly match between Iran and Palestine on January 3, 2017 is also considered the last match between the two teams, which was tied 1-1. Mehdi Taremi scored Iran’s only goal in this match. Iran will face its rival today to pass the number three and reach the fourth win.
The Palestinians have reached the Asian Nations Cup in a situation where the barbaric attacks of the Zionist regime on Gaza have overshadowed their camp. So far, several Palestinian players and coaches have been martyred in the Gaza war, and Makram Dabob, the head coach of this team, said that some players could not join the Palestinian army because of the Gaza war. However, success in football may reduce a small part of the suffering of the people of Gaza and even put a smile on their face for a few minutes.
On the other side of the field, Iran’s national team is trying to greet the Asian Nations Cup with a morale-boosting win. Like the 2022 World Cup, the poisonous pair of Iran’s offensive line, namely Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Tarimi, are the point of hope for football lovers in our country. Due to their age, many of the current players of the national team are experiencing their last appearance in the Asian Nations Cup, and this period is considered the best opportunity for them to make up for their failure in the 2022 World Cup.
The schedule of the matches of our national team in the group stage of the Asian Nations Cup is as follows:
Sunday, January 24, 1402
Group C: Iran – Palestine, 21:00 at Education City Stadium
Friday, January 29, 1402
Group C: Hong Kong – Iran, 21:00 at Khalifa International Stadium
Tuesday, February 3, 1402
Group C: Iran – UAE, 18:30 at Education City Stadium
According to Tasnim, two more matches will be held today: Japan will face Vietnam at 3:00 p.m. and Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, two teams from Iran’s group, will face each other at 6:00 p.m.