News / Sports

Azerbaijan’s junior footballers beat Iran squad in Granatkin Memorial

Monday, 16 January 2017 8:28 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 16 January 2017 8:28 AM ]

Iran’s national under-17 football team (file photo)

Iran’s national under-17 football team, commonly known by the nickname Nojavanan, has suffered another loss at the 2017 Granatkin Memorial International Youth Football Tournament in Russia, losing to the Azerbaijani side.

On Sunday afternoon, the Iranian squad did not deliver a convincing performance during the ninth-to-sixteenth-place match at the St. Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex.

It sustained a narrow 0-1 defeat from the Caucasian team at last. Dogukan Oksuz scored the sole goal of the match in the 77th minute.

The names on the initial roster of Iran’s team included goalkeeper Ali Gholamzadeh, defenders Taha Shariati, Aref Mohammad Alipour, Amir Hossein Esmaeilzadeh, Ahmad Reza Jalali, Ali Bagheri, midfielders Mohammad Sharifi and Mohammad Ghaderi, forwards Mohammad Reza Ghobeishavi, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh and Younes Delfi.

The national Iranian under-17 football team will play against India on Tuesday afternoon in a match for the positions 13 to 16.

The 2017 Granatkin Memorial International Youth Football Tournament kicked off in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on January 8 and will conclude on January 21.

Iran started the campaign with a 2-1 loss to Zenit Saint Petersburg. It was held to a 1-1 draw by Slovenia in the second encounter, before trouncing Moldova 5-0 in the last group stage match of the tournament.

The first edition of the Granatkin Memorial, which is an annual youth association football tournament in memory of the first FIFA Vice-President Valentin Granatkin, was held in 1981, and West Germany became the champion.

Soviet Union-1 finished as the runner-up and Spain landed in the third place.

Slovenia, Saint Petersburg and Russia claimed the top three spots of the previous edition.

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