Four Iranians Shortlisted for AFC Int’l Player of Week


Four Iranians Shortlisted for AFC Int’l Player of Week

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Four Iranian players Mehdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun, Ali Alipour and Amir Abedzadeh have been shortlisted for the AFC International Player of the Week.

Mehdi Taremi lit up the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a goal of the season contender, while Uzbekistan’s Igor Sergeev produced a screamer of his own in a week where big names like Son, Azmoun and Kamada all starred in their respective leagues.

Mehdi Taremi (FC Porto, IR Iran)
20 minutes, 1 goal (2-0 v Tondela)
33 minutes, 1 goal, 100% pass accuracy (1-0 v Chelsea)

Mehdi Taremi has had Asian fans talking for much of the last two years, but he had the attention of the world on Tuesday, scoring a majestic bicycle kick in the final moments of Porto’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea. His second goal in four days, Taremi’s wondergoal sadly couldn’t keep Porto in the competition.

Sardar Azmoun (Zenit, Iran)
90 minutes, 2 goals, 5 shots on target (2-1 v Sochi)

Away from home in a difficult league match, and 1-0 down with half an hour remaining, Sardar Azmoun dragged his side over the finish line with a fabulous 17-minute brace, putting Zenit seven points clear in the title race.

Ali Alipour (Maritimo, Iran)
A long-awaited first goal in Portuguese football for Ali Alipour proved decisive for Maritimo in their match against Farense on Saturday, with the Iranian forward showing the poacher’s instincts that made him a star at Persepolis.

Amir Abedzadeh (Maritimo, Iran)
90 minutes, 5 saves, 3 reflex saves (1-0 v Farense)

While Alipour was the match-winner in attack, his countryman Amir Abedzadeh was the star of the show at the opposite end of the pitch, making a number of excellent saves to keep a richly deserved clean sheet.

The Iranian will have to compete with Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur, Korea Republic), Igor Sergeev (Aktobe, Uzbekistan), Koki Anzai (Portimonense, Japan), Junya Ito (KRC Genk, Japan), Hwang Ui-jo (Bordeaux, Korea Republic) and Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt, Japan) to win the award.

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