Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Tehran: Iran slipped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Guinea as the three-time Asian champions geared up for their FIFA World Cup campaign with an international friendly on Wednesday.
A long-range effort from AC Milan midfielder Kevin Constant gave the Africans a 34th minute lead which they soon doubled through Ibrahima Traore’s powerful strike three minutes later.
Reza Ghoochannejhad reduced the deficit ten minutes after the interval but the Charlton Athletic forward’s goal was all Team Melli could muster resulting in defeat for Carlos Queiroz’s charges.
“We have to learn from the defeat. Iran needs more warm-up matches to prepare for the 2014 World Cup,” the Tehran Times quoted the former Portugal coach as saying.
Quieroz is next taking his team to South Africa, whose national team the 61-year-old coached from 2000 to 2002 following his spell in charge of the UAE.
Iran will hold a 24-day training camp in Johannesburg from April 13 where they are scheduled to play Mozambique, where Quieroz was born, and three friendlies against local club sides.
Iran are also slated to play Belarus, Montenegro, Macedonia and Angola in a tournament in Austria before rounding off their World Cup warm-ups with a match against Trinidad and Tobago in Sao Paulo on June 8, eight days before they kick-off the Brazil 2014 campaign against Nigeria in Curitiba.
Photo: AFP