PLDC - Thursday's friendly match between Iran and Russia ended with a 1-1 draw.
The match was held at Azadi stadium in Tehran with the attendance of thousands of fans amid the Iranian New Year holidays.
Miranchuk opened the scoring for Russia in the 28th minute from the penalty spot. Team Melli players tried to level the match but failed to convert the opportunities in the first half.
Just two minutes into the second half, Mehdi Taremi found the net from the penalty spot.
This was the first match of Iran under the helm of its new coach, Amir Ghalenoei, who praised the performance of his players after the match.
“We created opportunities but our balls did not find the net. The match created much hope in us. We can improve day by day and week by week,” he said.
“I should thank my players who put their all. Four or five goals for Iran could be a fair result. They had one opportunity and converted that.”
Elsewhere he said that the team does not revolve around a limited number of players, hinting that more players from the league may also join the fixture in the upcoming matches.
Ghalenoei used the same players as the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
According to the coach, a foreign coach will be added to the technical staff of the team which is preparing to take part in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.