FIFA: Young Team Melli promise a bright future for Iran

FIFA – ZURICH, Their FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 run may be over but the Islamic Republic of Iran can look forward to a future which promises to see them staying at the top of the game.

Despite falling 3-1 to Spain in the quarter-finals on Sunday, Iran performed admirably as they enjoyed their most successful run in the tournament in four outings.

They hardly put a foot wrong in advancing to the last eight as they negotiated the group stage with a perfect record of three wins before seeing off Mexico, semi-finalists in the last three editions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, in their last-16 showdown.

Their group stage wins included a 4-0 whitewash of football giants Germany and despite not producing their best in the loss to European champions Spain, coach Abbas Chamanian had reason to feel positive.

“I’m really happy that we got to play five games. It’s been an amazing experience for the players and the coaching staff.

“We can already start harnessing this generation with a view to the future,” said Chamanian as he reflected on a campaign which had also seen Iran beat Guinea (3-1) and Costa Rica (3-0).

Iranian football is at a high and the U-17 squad have huge shoes to fill going forward.

The senior Team Melli are preparing for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, having sealed qualification in style, but Iran must already start preparing for the future.

A future in which the U-17 squad is expected to play a prominent role, which Chamanian believes is very much within their reach.

Despite their young age, the players displayed a high level of maturity and were not overawed by the occasion.

The partnership of Allahyar Sayyad and Younes Delfi upfront was one of the best in the tournament and the duo look set to lead Iran’s charge in the coming years.

Their relationship off the pitch is also good and this can only mean one thing – goals on the pitch.

“Knowing each other’s strengths helps us to work well together,” said Delfi (pictured above, right) after Iran beat Germany.

Sayyad (pictured above, left) said the fact that they spend a lot of time together has helped their partnership.

“We always go through the details one more time and don’t like to leave anything to chance,” said Sayyad.

This attention to detail is undoubtedly the reason behind Iran’s run to the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 and with players of this quality coming through the ranks, Team Melli can confidently look forward to a bright future.

Sources: FIFA.com / Getty Images