Iran National Football Team's Victory with Ali Daei's Sole Goal Against Lebanon - 2003-11-28

The Iran national football team took the lead against Lebanon with a single goal from Ali Daei in the 21st minute at the end of the first half of their return match. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), in the last match of Iran's national football team in Group D of the preliminary round of the Asian Cup, the Iranian players lined up in a 1-2-3-4 formation and launched comprehensive attacks from the very beginning of the game. Most of Iran's attacks in this half were orchestrated from the flanks through the movements of Nikbakht and Kabi, while at times, penetrations through the opponent's defensive line were executed through the technical play of Kaveh and Nekounam. Overall, what stands out in evaluating the performance of the Iranian national team at the end of this half is their desire for victory and scoring multiple goals, which even the 3-0 victory in the first leg and their guaranteed advancement to the final stage of the Asian Cup in China could not deter. However, on several occasions, Lebanon's team, led by their standout player Abbas Ahmad, posed threats to Iran's goal, which were not considered serious threats. The Iranian senior national football team overcame Lebanon with a single goal in front of twelve thousand eager spectators. Furthermore, ISNA adds that a notable point in this match was the successful presence of Ebrahim Taghipour in place of Yahya Golmohammadi early in the first half, as Golmohammadi had to leave the game due to injury, and Taghipour was tasked with neutralizing the opponent's attackers. In the 46th minute of the match, shortly after the start of the second half, Amir Abadi was substituted for Ali Samereh, indicating that coach Branko Ivankovic was not satisfied with just Daei's goal. Iran's superiority over Lebanon continued in this half, with the most serious scoring opportunity being a free kick sent by Mobali from outside the penalty area, which hit the post, preventing another goal for Lebanon. Moments after this kick, Mobali was substituted for Javad Kazemian. Later in the game, in the 84th minute, a beautiful header from Ali Samereh narrowly missed the goal, leading everyone to believe a second goal was imminent, but it went over the goal line. Throughout this half, the focus on wing penetrations and pressing in the opponent's half remained a priority for the national team's coaches, ultimately resulting in a 1-0 victory for the Iranian national team.