Iran defender Cheshmi out for rest of World Cup
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Loading...Persianfootball.com – MOSCOW, Iran defender Rouzbeh Cheshmi injured himself in Sunday’s training sessions and is ruled out for the rest of the World Cup, according to Iran’s medical staff.
The Esteghlal Tehran defensive specialist, who played the full 90 minutes in Iran’s 1-0 victory over Morocco on Friday, pulled a muscle and will not be able to play again in this tournament.
Iran’s number 4 started as center-back in Team Melli’s World Cup opener and showed a splendid performance, but was moved to a central defensive midfield role towards the end of the game due to Omid Ebrahimi’s injury.
It’s yet unclear who will replace the 24-year-old in the tough encounter against Spain on Wednesday. With veteran Pejman Montazeri, youngster Majid Hosseini and versatile Mohammad-Reza Khanzadeh, coach Carlos Queiroz has three options at hand.
Meanwhile all other players are reported fit. Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Omid Ebrahimi and Ashkan Dejagah returned to training on Saturday already, while the previously suspended Saeid Ezatollahi also will be available on Wednesday.
