De Sa confident Iran can reach World Cup knockout stage after Uruguay win

Businesslive.co.za – TEHRAN, Roger de Sa, who is in Iran as the assistant coach of the national team, is elated after they defeated Uruguay 1-0 last week and leapfrogged into 20th spot on the latest Fifa world rankings.

The result has given De Sa and head coach Carlos Queiroz confidence they can reach the knockout stages of the World Cup for the fist time at the tournament in Qatar in November and December. Iran’s opening World Cup Group B match is against England in Al Rayyan.

Uruguay, ranked 13th, are the highest side Iran have defeated. Their win at NV Arena, Sankt Pölten, Austria, as part of Iran’s pre-World Cup training camp in Europe saw the Gulf team accumulate significant points in the Fifa rankings.

Former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper and Orlando Pirates coach De Sa jetted off to Tehran this month to join Queiroz, who was appointed days earlier, as they prepare Iran for the World Cup. 

The two coaches had an impressive stint with Egypt, who they steered to the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations final in Cameroon in February, where they lost on penalties against Senegal.

“We wish we could have some time with the team. The Uruguay win got us more excited and more confident,” De Sa said.

“We are trying different players so we get to know them. There’s very little time — we had five days with the players. Players are with their clubs until then and there isn’t much we can do, our hands are tied.

“But we are confident about reaching the knockout stages — that will be history, it will be for the first time Iran achieved that. In the last two World Cups, they came very close. We can only try again.

“But there is an amazing fighting spirit in the team. There are good attitudes in this team, no stars.”

This will be De Sa’s fourth role coaching with a national team, and his second working with a national squad through a World Cup campaign. The duo  worked together when they coached Portugal at the 2010 World Cup in SA. He assisted Queiroz as coach of Egypt and worked for Bafana Bafana as co-coach with the late Styles Phumo.