Iran draw Orlando Pirates in second South African test

Persianfootball.com – JOHANNESBURG, Just one day after defeating Moroka Swallows 5-0 in the first test match in the South African training camp, Iran’s national team played out a 3-3 draw with domestic giants Orlando Pirates.

While the ten field players, who had joined the camp from the beginning, had started alongside goalkeeper Sousha Makani on Tuesday, this time many players from the Champions League participating teams and Persian Gulf legionnaire Pejman Montazeri were included in the lineup after they had finally arrived on Monday.

Noteable was Rahman Ahmadi’s presence in goal. The veteran is the only Sepahan player to have joined the national team camp after being allowed to leave his club prematurely. His five invited clubmates meanwhile had to stay with Sepahan and thus are missing the national team training camp and possibly also the World Cup.

Mohammad-Reza Khalatbari, Hashem Beikzadeh and substitute striker Reza Norouzi scored for Team Melli, who reportedly will next play Kaizer Chiefs and Mozamique before returning to Tehran, ahead of a second training camp in Austria.

There, friendly matches versus Belarus, Montenegro and Angola will be held before Iran’s preparations will conclude with a final camp in Brazil and a dress rehearsal versus Trinidad & Tobago.

Iran’s starting lineup versus Orlando Pirates: Ahmadi – Montazeri, Hosseini, Sadeghi, Beikzadeh – Teymourian, Rahmani, Hadadifar – Heydari, Ansarifard, Khalatbari