international football

(c) 2006 international-football.co.uk All Rights Reserved. Any copyrighted or trademarked word, link or image belongs to it's corresponding owner. international-football.co.uk can not be held liable for content published on external websites. Additionally, international-football.co.uk is NOT in any way associated with FIFA, the governing body of world football, it's affiliated partners or the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany Organiser. No part of this website may be copied, published, re-distributed, reproduced or used to make derrivative work without the prior written consent of international-football.co.uk. Copyright of articles and individual web pages published on this website belong to their respective authors. Terms and conditions

Mexico have beaten Iran 3:1 in Nuremburg on Sunday, with 2 goals from Omar Bravo and a goal from Zinha, with Yahya Golmohammadi scoring for Iran, but the win was overshadowed by an injury to Jared Borgetti.
Iran started strongly, with Hamburg’s Mehdi Mahdavikia having a long-range effort go just-wide in the 3rd minute, and two minutes later Ali Karimi getting through on goal, but he was tackled excellently by Mexico's captain Rafael Marquez.
In the 11th minute striker Vahid Hashemian almost scored twice in the space of a minute, the closest being a downward header that Mexico keeper Oswaldo Sanchez dived well to his left to save.
Mexico then started to come into the game. Guillermo Franco made a mazy run into the Iranian penalty area, but was crowded out, and then a deflected shot was easily saved by Iran's keeper Ebrahim Mirzapour.
Both teams settled the pace as the first-half went on, with play being stopped for a string of free-kicks that came to nothing, and both teams reverting to playing long balls to their strikers.
Pavel Pardo delivered an excellent ball from a cross in the 25th minute, directly to Franco, but he failed to direct it on target with his head.
Minutes later Pardo delivered a free-kick, yet again to Franco, who knocked the ball onto Omar Bravo, who poked the ball in from close range past Mirzapour to score for Mexico.
Iran did not let the fact that they had switched off momentarily affect them, and pressed for an equaliser, and it paid off in the 36th minute.
A corner was fumbled away by Mexico keeper Sanchez, only for Yahya Golmohammadi to pounce on the ball and smash it into the net from 6 yards to make it 1-1.
The second half continued with both teams pressing for the next goal, but just five minutes in, Mexico were hit by a major injury blow.
El Tricolore’s all-time leading scorer, Jared Borgetti pulled out of the match after pulling his hamstring, and now looks a fitness doubt for the rest of the tournament.
He was replaced by Jose Fonseca and, despite the injury to Borgetti, Mexico started the second period the stronger team and dominated throughout.
Mexico finally found their way through the Iranian defence in the 76th minute, after consistent pressure, with Omar Bravo scoring his second goal after a poor clearance from the Iranian keeper, and the ball fell to Mexico’s halftime substitute Zinha, who placed a delicate ball through the muddled Iran defence to Omar Bravo, who placed his shot past Mirzapour for his second goal of the game.
Supplier turned scorer just two minutes later, with Zinha scoring a wonderful headed goal to make it 3-1. After starting the attack, Zinha finished it off with a downward header that Mirzapour could only flail at.
Iran then threw everything forward in the dying minutes, to try and get something from the game, but by this time the damage had been done and Mexico defended resolutely, denying them any clear chances.
The game finished 3-1 to Mexico