SaedNews: The recent poor performances of Iran’s national team goalkeepers at the club level have raised serious concerns about the future of the team’s number-one position.
According to the SaedNews sports service, quoting KhabarOnline, it is clear that Iran will advance to the next stage as one of the top eight teams in Asia. Regardless of how poorly the goalkeepers perform in the upcoming matches against the UAE and Uzbekistan, World Cup qualification is already secured. However, the real concern is that Iran will have to rely on one of these goalkeepers in the World Cup, and given their recent instability and lack of preparedness, the team’s fate in the tournament remains uncertain.
Currently, apart from Beiranvand and Hosseini, there are no other goalkeepers in Iran who have convincingly challenged their spots. Both have been regular national team call-ups for years, and no rising star has emerged to threaten their positions. The only hope now is that either a new serious contender emerges before the World Cup or one of these two regains top form to ease the national team coaches' concerns.
The alarming state of Iran’s top two goalkeepers can be confirmed by their recent performances against Al-Taawoun and Al-Nassr. Beiranvand, who is considered the top contender for the number-one spot, and Seyed Hossein Hosseini, who has long been the second-choice, both had disappointing displays against these Saudi teams.
Hosseini, in particular, was the main reason for his team's defeat against Al-Nassr. His critical mistake leading to the first goal not only cost his team but also shattered their morale, resulting in Esteghlal's loss. While many Iranian football analysts did not expect Esteghlal to win, they at least hoped for a respectable performance. However, repeated errors, especially from Hosseini, doomed the team—just as Persepolis also suffered elimination from key club competitions in Asia.
