09:59 / 14.11.2025

The Iranian coach has openly stated who he expects in the final

The Al-Ain Cup, held in the UAE as part of FIFA Days, has become another exciting competition. In the preliminary semi-finals, the Iranian national team defeated the 2026 World Cup participant Kabo-Verde in a penalty shootout (5:4) after a 0-0 draw in regular time and managed to advance to the final.

At the post-match press conference, Iranian head coach Amir Ghalenoyi not only addressed the game but also openly stated which team he would like to play against in the final. According to him, the result in this tournament is not the main goal, because the team is working in a completely different direction - preparing for the World Cup.

As Amir Ghalenoyi noted, despite Iran's absence of a number of key players from the starting lineup, the team received tactically very useful training. He acknowledged that the absence of key players, such as Sardor Ozmun, Mehdi Ghayedi, Ali Golezoda, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, is causing certain difficulties for the team.

"It is certainly pleasing that we won against the team that qualified for the World Cup. But despite this, victory or defeat in this tournament doesn't matter much. Dear friends, we must understand that these debates will reveal where our strengths and weaknesses lie. The most important thing for us is learning and preparation," Galenoyi said.

In response to a question from journalists yesterday about which team he would like to play against in the final, the coach responded:

"Tomorrow we will analyze the match between Uzbekistan and Egypt in detail. Both are strong opponents. Uzbekistan has a very good squad and can play well against any team. However, if you ask which team I would like to play against in the final, I would choose Egypt. Pressured games are very important for us - through them we clearly see what aspects we need to improve."

As a reminder, the Uzbekistan-Egypt match kicks off on November 14th at 9:00 PM at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain. The winner of this match will play against Iran in the final, and the losing team will compete with Cape Verde for 3rd place.

The competition is intensifying. Now all eyes are focused on the Uzbekistan - Egypt match - the Persians' opponent in the final will be determined in this very match.