It’s official, Iran’s TM has become the #18 team of the WC 2018

[Azeem98]

With all due respect to the 1978 team they got thrashed by Peru and Holland this team went and played in front of the best teams in the world and gave us a chance to win in both games.....no team in our history that went to a WC has put on a more respectable performance

That Peru and Holland in 70s were the best teams of their times.

[Ghermez Agha]

That Peru and Holland in 70s were the best teams of their times.

Right....and one can argue this Portugal and Spain team are the best of this era. Look at the difference in results...

[KC McElroy]

But only 16 teams participated.

That's why you had to be better to even make it to to the World Cup.

[KC McElroy]

With all due respect to the 1978 team they got thrashed by Peru and Holland this team went and played in front of the best teams in the world and gave us a chance to win in both games.....no team in our history that went to a WC has put on a more respectable performance

The Holland game we played as if we were frightened of them. The Peru game was an even match and the scoreline is deceiving. We were attacking just as much as them if not more and had the better chances. A tie would have been the fair result, if not an out right win for us.
Also keep in mind against Holland and Peru we gave away 2 penalties in each game. The players later explained that as back home lax Iranian referees not calling fouls that they were committing while they were all being called and whistled for a penalty in the World Cup.

[Azeem98]

Right....and one can argue this Portugal and Spain team are the best of this era. Look at the difference in results...

Firstly there isn't much sense in comparing two different era.

But if we had two than that Holland side was way ahead of their times than other teams. This Spain Portugal side aren't especially Portugal.

[Bi-honar]

That Peru and Holland in 70s were the best teams of their times.

Right....and one can argue this Portugal and Spain team are the best of this era. Look at the difference in results...

Have to look at it objectively guys (i.e. just the facts).

1978
- Holland was in the final so the argument that they were on of the best teams in the world is valid.
- Peru got absolutely thrashed in the 2nd round, so it's a bit hard to argue that they were on of the best teams even though they finished ahead of Holland in the group stage.

2018
- We really don't know where Spain or Portugal will end up in this tournament at the moment. Portugal could very well be out in the round of 16 because of their crappy defense and Spain could very well be out in the quarter-finals compliments of the fiasco with Lopetegui. If that happens we obviously can't say they are the best teams of this era.

On that note, we have to wait and see what happens and what the relative strength of the teams of our group are relative to the teams that advanced from the other group.

If Spain or Portugal make it to the final, we were obviously grouped with one of the top 2 teams in the tournament or if one of them reached the semis, that's still pretty strong. If both reach the semis, we had a performance of Biblical proportions!

[Azeem98]

^ Yeah i went overboard with Peru but they were certainly among the top three teams of South America and better than yours today Uruguay Chile and Colombia.

[DR Strangemoosh]

Don't forget that Scotland team was overloaded with world class players, most of all King Kenny.

Their 1978 campaign is considered biggest disaster in their football given such a good team

[KC McElroy]

^ Yeah i went overboard with Peru but they were certainly among the top three teams of South America and better than yours today Uruguay Chile and Colombia.

They were the reigning South American champions. And we all know why they got slaughtered 6-0 against Argentina.

[Azeem98]

^ I was just gonna say that. The Scottish government even printed post stamps/ticket showing Scotland winning the world cup even before it started.

[Azeem98]

They were the reigning South American champions. And we all know why they got slaughtered 6-0 against Argentina.

Are you being sarcastic ?

[Azeem98]

I'm not taking away anything from this team. Like i said before there is no sense in comparing two different eras.

[KC McElroy]

Are you being sarcastic ?

Not at all. They were the South American champions. And Argentina needed a big win against Peru to leapfrog Brazil into the Final.

[milad_b]

https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/statis...ms/goal-scored this is the ranking. it has 3 different rankings . Disciplinary we are number 9 but for attempt to score we are 32!

[Damavand]

The 6-0 loss of Peru against Argentina was definitely rigged. The Peru goalkeeper was Argentinian and his family received death threats if he does not help Argentina reach the final.