Team Melli Substitutes Beat Togo in Friendly

Iran’S national soccer team beat Togo 2-0 in a friendly preparation match for Russia 2018 World Cup with Karim Ansarifard scoring in the 51st and 60th minutes at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on Thursday.

For the game Iran’s Portuguese coach, Carlos Queiroz, did not use his main squad and preferred to give the field to the substitutes who proved equally well as the starting lineup against the African rival.

Iran was the first Asian team that sealed a berth for next summer’s World Cup and did it with an unbeaten record.

According to the-afc.com, Team Melli was way ahead of the rivals in Group A of the final round of Asian qualifying as they won six and drew four games, sealing their place in the World Cup with two matches to spare.

Queiroz is maintaining his team’s competitiveness as well as gauging the form of his players to lay the foundations for a strong challenge in Russia next year.

It was Iran’s first warm-up match in preparation for the World Cup and Team Melli looks to continue its impressive qualifying form. It was certainly a positive way for Iran to embark on its final road to Russia 2018.

The national team will travel to Kazan to face Russia on October 10 in another friendly and it will be a tougher test at the Kazan Arena.

Queiroz will have a strong squad to pick from, boasting plenty of Europe-based talent such as Ansarifard, Sardar Azmoun and Alireza Jahanbakhsh. Nonetheless, he is also likely to use the opportunity to test some new talent including the likes of Saman Ghoddos, Kaveh Rezaei and Saeid Aghaei.

Iran currently holds 25th place in the world and is the Asia’s best football team.