Iran Coach Ghalenoei Lauds Turkmenistan: 2026 WCQ

Team Melli defeated the Central Asian team 5-0 Thursday night in Group E of the 2026 World Cup qualifier.

“Turkmenistan is a very good team, most of its players are in the same team and it had the necessary coordination.

“However, even though we didn't have ideal preparation, the players performed well and the fans were satisfied,” said Ghalenoei.

The head coach, who steered Iran to the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 semi-finals, said the two early goals paved the way for the resounding win.

"We went into a little slump after that but we addressed that at half-time and were completely in control in the second half.”