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Reuters - Iran coach Branko Ivankovic bemoaned
the lack of fitness of his key German-based players after his side tailed
off in the second half and suffered a 3-1 loss to Mexico in their opening
Group D match on Sunday.
Six of the squad play outside Iran, four of them in Germany, and Ivankovic
has pointed to their experience playing in German stadiums and said they had
to stand up and be counted.
Iran opened brightly and dominated for the first 20 minutes, with Hamburg's
Mehdi Mahdavikia flashing a long range shot past a Mexican post and Bayern
Munich's Ali Karimi crossing to striker Vahid Hashemian of Hanover 96, whose
downward header forced a sharp low save from the Mexican keeper.
However, Mexico took control in the second half, exploiting a defensive
mix-up for the second goal after 76 minutes from Omar Bravo before Zinha
added a third three minutes later.
Ivankovic was not without his injury problems, however, while some of those
players who had recovered from knocks were struggling for match fitness in
the afternoon heat.
He had to withdrew Karimi after an hour, later telling a news conference
Iran's playmaker was not fully fit. Karimi, known as the "wizard of Tehran"
and the "Asian Maradona", suffered an ankle injury playing for Bayern in
March.
"With Hashemian it was two months probably (since he last played).
Mahdavikia didn't practice over the past 10 days," said Ivankovic. Hashemian
picked up a knee injury in April while Mahdavikia has been struggling with a
back injury.
"Also today, we didn't have (Ferydoon) Zandi in the lineup," said the coach
referring to the injured Kaiserslautern midfielder.
Of the defensive mix-up from which Mexico retook the lead, Ivankovic said it
could have reflected a lack of concentration but that could also partly be
the result of the injuries.
"They had an advantage in preparation," he said of the Mexican team. "We had
many problems."
The Croat said his Iranian squad had already turned their thoughts to their
second group match against Portugal on Saturday. They face Angola the
following Wednesday.
"We will have a chance to do something. Not everything is over today," he
said.
Jewish and human rights groups have seized upon Iran's involvement in the
World Cup to protest against the Iranian government but Ivankovic said this
had no impact on his team.
"Nobody in the team discussed politics. We discussed opponents, football and
today Mexico," he said.
Ivankovic also dodged a question about his plans after the World Cup. Media
are speculating that he will then step down as Iran's coach.
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