Iran have goal in their sight at 2014 World Cup

Asia's contingent at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil have again failed to deliver. Despite a brilliant but fruitless performance against Argentina, Iran look to have the best chance of reversing the trend.

Ashkan Dejagah and his Iran missed their opportunities to score against Argentina. They cannot afford to do the same against Bosnia. Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

On the streets of Tehran, there was unalloyed joy. On Twitter and Facebook, an outpouring of pride.

Never mind that Iran had, in injury time, lost to Lionel Messi's moment of genius, the celebrations were merited. Iran were magnificent in their 1-0 defeat to Argentina on Saturday.

But those celebrations will seem like a tea party compared to the scenes we can expect should Iran pull off a minor miracle and qualify to the knockout stages of the World Cup tonight.

What was a dream 10 days ago is coming into focus. Iran must beat Bosnia at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador and hope that at the same time Argentina overcome Nigeria at Porto Alegre.

Few fans or experts would have given such a scenario much credence at the start of the tournament. Despite topping their final Asian Federation Confederation (AFC) qualifying group, Iran came to Brazil as one of the most under-prepared teams in the competition.

The short-of-money Iran Football Federation limited the number of pre-tournament matches and training camps, and the sense of chaos was given almost comic value with stories of shrinking kits and players not turning up for training.

Of the other AFC qualifiers, Australia were given an unforgiving test in Brazil, but South Korea, who finished second behind Iran in qualifying Group A, and Japan were expected to fair better than coach Carlos Queiroz’s team.

It has not worked out as expected.

Now, Iran look the only side with a realistic chance to progress, despite the cruel finale against Argentina.

The Portuguese coach has introduced a sense of purpose and a measured tactical plan, which the other AFC nations have failed to replicate at these finals.

Iran’s 0-0 draw with Nigeria was perhaps the first dull match of an exhilarating World Cup. Somewhat unkindly, Iran were accused of parking the bus in front of goal, but the pragmatic Queiroz would hardly have cared.

Against Nigeria and Argentina, Iran defended heroically for long periods before hitting their opponents on the counter-attack. Goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi, captain Javad Nekounam and Ashkan Dejagah, in particular, have excelled.

A solitary point from those two matches may yet prove decisive in taking Iran through to the round of 16. With the score at 0-0 against Argentina, Iran conceivably could have qualified to the knockout stages without scoring a goal, a potential outcome Queiroz must have seen.

Messi’s intervention means that Iran must, for the first time in Brazil, approach a match with an attacking frame of mind.

The question is whether they are capable of such a switch in tactics and if they have the players to carry out a significantly altered master plan.

The evidence so far suggests that Iran cannot, or will not, attack with abandon from the start on Wednesday, no matter that winning is a must.

So far in this tournament, they have yet to be in a situation where they have needed to respond to going behind early in a match, or chase a goal against opposition willing to sit back.

With eliminated Bosnia under no pressure to go all out for a win tonight, Iran must find a way to score at least once. Dejagah, perhaps the man most likely, said they can get one against the Europeans.

“Hopefully, this third match will bring another step up. We’ll definitely be going for goals, I’m sure of that,” the Fulham player told the official Fifa website.

“What we need to do is take the good things we’ve done so far, improve a little bit in other areas and give everything to beat Bosnia. If we do that – and I think it’s a game we can win – we can still qualify.”

Hitting on the break, what Iran do best, remains the most obvious way of prolonging the Asian contingent’s interest in Brazil.

At the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, hosts Australia, Japan, South Korea and Iran, with the UAE and Uzbekistan close behind, are expected to contest the highest-profile edition yet of the continent’s premier competition.

In Brazil, however, Asia’s finest have mostly failed to deliver, as so often in recent World Cups. It is up to Iran to upset the odds.

Should that happen, a glamour tie with France in the round of 16 beckons. It would be Iran’s greatest footballing achievement and one of Asia’s finest World Cup moments.

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