PFDC- TEHRAN, A strong German side beat Iran 2-0 in Azadi stadium today in a friendly fundraiser for the devestating earthquake in Bam several months ago. Both German goals were scored early in each half. Fabian Ernst scored Germany's first goal in the 5th minute, and Thomas Brdaric scored Germany's second goal and his first international goal in the 53rd minute. Iran performed very well in the first half, and had many chances to score, but Germany dominated the second half as Iran became quite lack-luster.
Iran came out strong, as they stringed together a few good attacks and earned a couple of corners, but Germany came out stronger as they scored very early in the match. After a rebound from a German corner, Bernd Schneider collected the ball, as two Iranian defenders were rushing toward him at full speed, Schneider calmly passed the ball to Ernst behind the box, Ernst striked the ball on the first touch and left Iranian goal-keeper Ebrahim Mirzapour with no chance as his shot was perfectly placed in the lower right corner of Iran's goal. After the goal, Iran put together a few good atacks. Ali Karimi collected the ball on the base line and passed two defenders, Karimi gave a beautiful back pass that Ali-Reza Nikbakht-Vahedi striked on the first touch with his right-foot, but Nikbakht's shot went barely wide.
Germany then showed that they wanted more, as they came dangerously close to scoring again. In a sequence of mis-clearances by the Iranian defenders, Bernd Schneider prounced on the ball and produced a cutting shot behind the penalty box that went over the bar. Then star striker Miroslav Klose came very close to scoring but Mirzapour luckily saved the ball with his knee. Klose became 1vs1 with Mirzapour as a cutting pass penetrated the Iranian defense. The Iranian defense was apealling for offside, but the replay showed that youngster Hossein Kaebi was on the right wing and kept Klose onside.
Iran then came very close to scoring many times, but great goal-keeping by Jens Lehmann kept the scoreline at 1-0. Karimi was at it again, as he dribbled a couple of German defenders, but his shot was defelcted and went out for a corner kick. Then on a corner kick, Mahdavikia played the corner short to Karimi, Karimi then passed the ball back to Kaebi waiting behind the penalty box, Kaebi's shot went over the goal by a large margin. After another corner for Iran, Germany captain Michael Ballack made a bad mistake as he mis-cleared the ball, the ball went straight to Mohammad Nosrati, but Nosrati's shot barely went over the bar past Lehmann's out-stretched arms. Vahid Hashemian came close for scoring for Iran, as he headed down a pass from Mahdavikia on a free kick, the ball bounced up from the ground, but Lehmann sent the ball over the bar nicely for another corner kick. A scene that was quite similar happened in the next minute, as a free kick taken by midfielder Sebastian Deisler connected with Bernd Schneider's head, but Mirzapour sent the ball over the bar for a corner kick for Germany.
Karimi then missed perhaps Iran's best chance to score in the entire match. Karimi collected on a beautiful pass from Javad Nekounam behind the defense. Karimi had Hashemian wide open on his left side in front of goal, but Karimi opted to dribble Chelsea defender Roberth Huth and take the shot himself. Lehmann saved the ball very nicely and sent it out for a corner kick. On the ensuing corner kick, Nekounam collected the ball after a rebound and un-leashed a strong shot from way outside the penalty box, but Lehmann came to the rescue again as he saved the ball with a beautiful diving save sending the ball out for another corner kick for Iran. Mahdavkia had a shot at goal also from behind the penalty box, that Lehmann punched out with some diffuculty. Right before the half-time whistle, Germany came very close to scoring again as a free kick by Deisler found a rushing Klose, but Klose's header barely went over the bar as Klose out-jumped Mirzapour.
Germany came out strong in the second half, as early in the half, Klose passed Nosrati on the right wing, Klose then crossed the ball but Mirzapour got it behind of Brdaric. German debutant Andreas Goerlitz then produced a great assist, as he dribbled pass the Iranian defense and crossed the ball nicely right on the head of Brdaric. Brdaric had no trouble finishing as he headed the ball past an out-stretched Mirzapour to convert his first international goal for Germany. The rest of the half went quite eventless in the midst of the 12 combined substitutions for each side. Substitute Khodadad Azizi passed the ball nicely to Hashemian after a rebound form a corner, Hashemian then turned very sharply and cracked a left-footed shot, but Lehmann saved the ball on the line of the goal. Then Substitute Seyed Mohammad Alavi got his head to the ball after a Mahdavikia corner, but Lehmann saved the ball again with a diving save, this time holding on to the ball and not letting it go.
Iran performed very well late in the first half, as they had many chances to score but were denied by German star keeper Jens Lehmann countless times. The second half Iran was quite more reserved and withdrawn as it was obivous they did not want to get too tired or possibly injured ahead of the crucial World Cup Qualifyer vs Qatar in Doha on Wendsday.
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