Asian World Cup play-off

Neil · 25/10/2001, 3:54 PM

Iran 1
(Karim Bagheri 45')

United Arab Emirates 0

HT

**James** · 25/10/2001, 4:37 PM

Final Score 1-0

reports available from ireland.com if you're interested enough to read them

**pete** · 25/10/2001, 5:21 PM

Think MickyMac be much happier to get the UAE than Iran.

Maybe they got a song like the yanks.......?

"U A E, U A E, U A E, U A E, ad finitum,........"

**Peadar** · 26/10/2001, 9:33 AM

Watched the playoff live earlier and I have to say that neither team deserves a chance to play in the World Cup Finals!
Cyprus are better than both of these teams and Saudi Arabia. Given a chance I'd say they'd beat China too.

UAE played very deeply allowing Iran plenty of time in the middle of the park to pass the ball around a build attacks but they wasted most of this possesion. On 45 minutes Karim Bagheri collected a poor clearance and struck from about 25 yards out to beat a helpless UAE keeper. In the second half the UAE played very deep again looking to keep the score down. They succeeded, and for all they're possesion Iran failed to build on their first half lead. The UAE could well get two in the next leg on Wednesday but they wont do this by playing so deeply and will almost certainly leak goals when they go forward.

They second leg is live on Star Sports next Wednesday evening.

**pete** · 26/10/2001, 10:39 AM

Do Iran still have Madevichia (spelling???) or was he suspended or something? I remember he was a class full back at the last world cup.

btw Iran must have fallen a lot since the last world cup anyway. Remember asia had only 3 teams the last time of which Iran were the 3rd best. Now that Japan & Korea have qualified automatically (would surely have topped the qualifying groups otherwise) they are struggling to get in as 5th best.

Whoever we play Ireland will be red hot favourites & the WC place is there for us to lose!

**James** · 26/10/2001, 1:07 PM

Originally posted by Barry's Tea
Watched the playoff live earlier

what u mean you weren't there taking exclusive pics
i'm shocked

**Peadar** · 26/10/2001, 1:20 PM

Originally posted by James
what u mean you weren't there taking exclusive pics
i'm shocked

The press from outside Iran were refused Visa's.
What could I do James, hide in the back of a grain truck and sneak across the border?

It would be safer to photograph the TV

**James** · 26/10/2001, 1:31 PM

Originally posted by Barry's Tea

The press from outside Iran were refused Visa's.

u mean to say you tried
thought you're bohs ( i'm a fan for life ) pass would work anywhere !

Gerry Desmond · 26/10/2001, 2:59 PM

...looked decent going forward, bit suspect at the back. That Ali Karimi - now there's a tasty footballer...
Could do with him at the Cross..!

Gerry

**James** · 26/10/2001, 3:03 PM

Originally posted by Gerry Desmond
That Ali Karimi - now there's a tasty footballer...

Gerry explain yourself !

leave those kinda comments to the "new" official site on corkcityfc.com

Gerry Desmond · 26/10/2001, 3:23 PM

Originally posted by James

Gerry explain yourself !

leave those kinda comments to the "new" official site on corkcityfc.com

You should watch MOTD more often, James, great old spot for the 'tasty' comments etc and necessary football vocabulary/quaint footie vernacularisms/clichés and so forth

Helps my writing no end....

Leave the 'new' official site alone - it's much more interseting than when the 'boring boys' were running it

Ali Karimi was the top Iranian on view in that game IMO.

Gerry

**James** · 26/10/2001, 3:36 PM

never watched MOTD, Mr. Cork baby !
tasty though !

still sounds like a dodgy comment to me

and definately cant watch it now anyway
I have to put up with the 2 Bobs on SportsCentre on ESPN

true about the boring boys though
they sucked!

**pete** · 26/10/2001, 3:48 PM

What about Fox Sports James?

On second thoughts maybe should leave that to official domain site

**Brine** · 28/10/2001, 12:52 AM

Mahdavikia is class indeed, I have no idea where he is now. Iran were a bit weak up front, but their star striker Ali Daei (ex-Bayern Munich) was suspended. He's a bit like Niall Quinn, but then with a bit more pace. He had a great header against the USA at France 98.

Rumour also has it that the Iranian government told the team to throw the match against Bahrain. They aren't too keen on the Iranian team going to the World Cup because at France '98 a lot of anti-Ayatollah activists were holding up political banners and flags in the crowd. So they may throw the match against Ireland as well...