Ghalenoei Happy to Defeat Hong Kong in 2026 World Cup Qualifier
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Amir Ghalenoei expressed his satisfaction with Iran's performance in the 4-2 win over Hong Kong in Group E of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on Thursday.
Having already booked its spot in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals, Iran faced stiff resistance from a Hong Kong side who was already out of the running.
However, a Mehdi Taremi hat-trick powered the team to a 4-2 win with the clash against Uzbekistan on Tuesday to decide the group winners.
Ghalenoei said he couldn't have asked for more from his players, given the tough conditions.
“I am satisfied with the performance and quality of the game, as well as with the result obtained. We had two opponents. One was a good Hong Kong team and the other was the high humidity. Hong Kong played a good game and the weather also made it very challenging,” said Ghalenoei to the-ffiri.com.
“We scored four goals and had other chances to score more but in general, due to the presence of a number of young players who have recently joined the national team, I am satisfied with the performance and quality of the game, as well as the result.
“Football in Asia has become closer and the results recorded in the AFC Asian Cup (Qatar 2023) prove this. It showed that every game can be difficult for teams,” Ghalenoei concluded.
