Iran boss Carlos Queiroz bids to buck World Cup trend with knockout performance

Iran have been here before and their challenge against Spain tonight is to avoid history repeating itself.

This is Iran’s fifth World Cup and while they have never progressed from the first round, Friday’s 1-0 win over Morocco has given them hope they can buck the trend. The question is, will they finally deliver?

In 1998, Iran stunned the USA in one of the most politically-charged matches in World Cup history, winning 2-1 to stimulate genuine hope they could qualify for the knockouts.

But in their final group game, against Germany, they were dismal and a meek 2-0 defeat lacked all the passion and intensity of the previous display.

Four years ago in 2014 came another heroic Iranian display, albeit in defeat. After drawing against Nigeria, Carlos Queiroz’s side matched Argentina, who would finish as runners-up, toe-to-toe for 90 minutes, only to succumb to a Lionel Messi goal in stoppage time.

The emotional energy spent in the performance was simply too much and they feebly lost 3-1 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their final group match to limp out of the tournament.

The matches against USA and Argentina proved to be Iran’s finals but, having won their opening group game in Russia, they must ensure the victory over Morocco is just the start rather than end of their World Cup dream.

The hope is that a squad with plenty of players based in Europe and led by Queiroz will avoid the same fate. Even with defeat in Kazan, maintaining the intensity of the Morocco win would leave Iran well-placed to earn a knockout spot in their final group game, against Portugal, the country of Queiroz’s birth.

Friday’s win prompted jubilant scenes back home and it is difficult to articulate just what qualification for the last 16 would mean to Iran. Certainly it would immortalise Queiroz, who has done wonders for the national team in conditions more difficult than perhaps any other manager at these finals.

The Mozambique-born Portuguese has taken Iran to the top of the Asian rankings and to two consecutive World Cups for the first time and, after hosts Russia, they were the first team to officially qualify for the finals. They have not lost a competitive match since the last World Cup, going unbeaten in their 10 qualifiers.

All Queiroz’s impressive work in turning Iran into Asia’s Iceland, a well-drilled team greater than the sum of its parts, continues to be overshadowed by events off the pitch, however.

In Iran, the unyielding regime bans women from entering stadiums for men’s matches and dozens of Iranian supporters will display placards tonight calling for a change in the law.

Meanwhile, Queiroz has claimed his preparations were overshadowed by sanctions by the US, after Nike reportedly refused to provide the squad with boots. In fact, Nike never had a contract with Iran and the kit supplier’s refusal relates to just one player, who was born in Switzerland before changing his nationality to Iran.

There is a feeling that Queiroz, who used to assist Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, has used the furore to deflect pressure away from his own future and to decrease the scrutiny on his players. So far, it has worked but the true test will come against Spain.