NEW DELHI (Dispatchers) - After waylaying Germany in Goa, Iran aim to do the improbable again as they meet European champion Spain in the quarterfinal of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on Sunday.
Iran, which qualified for the quarterfinals for the first time, will be playing against an opponent that have steadily improved as the tournament has progressed. At their best, Spain have shown glimpses of tiki-taka and have moved the ball through both the flanks. Striker Abel Ruiz has struck form at the right time.
Spain’s languid yet attacking style will challenge Iran’s resilience. Iran have been master of playing percentage football in this tournament. The team have allowed its rival to dominate possession but have backed their defensive strategy, managing to win all the four matches. The Iranians even in their huge win over Germany enjoyed less possession when compared to their rival – 43 per cent to 57 per cent.
Iran’s switch from defensive to attacking mode has caught their rivals napping. Iran have pacy strikers in Younes Delfi and Allahyar Sayyed who lent potency to the counter-attack. The entire team backtracks into its own half when it loses the ball to the opposition. Stifling the rival midfielders for space is a strategy that Iran have managed to follow consistently this tournament. The team has let in only two goals in the tournament while having scored 12 goals.
 "We have reached this stage by playing hard. Spain is a tough opponent but they will also be under pressure. Our objective is to keep a clean slate and then score a goal. Once we score we try our best to defend it,” said coach Abbas Chamanyan. The coach also downplayed the absence of Delfi, who will miss the match due to suspension.
But captain Allahyar Sayyed, who has struck thrice in the tournament, said his team is loaded with enough talent to replace the striker. Sayyed said his team is on a ‘mission impossible’ to beat Spain and qualify for the semifinals, but like his coach, Sayyed expressed confidence in his team's ability to put it across the European side.
Spain have won three matches on the bounce after its opening defeat against Brazil. Abel Ruiz’s last-minute penalty gave Spain a narrow win against France in the pre-quarterfinals which is certainly a morale booster for Santiago Deni’s side.
"We are aware of Iran’s strength. We have great respect for them. Iran are a dangerous side on counter-attacks and they defend pretty well. We need to improve our defense. We are pretty flexible with our game-plan. Our aim is to win and enter the semifinals,” Santi said.
It has been raining pretty hard in Kochi for the last two days and the humidity, which has been a deterrent for Spain, will no longer be a factor if rains on the match day. The teams will then be on even keel. However, adaptability to slow turf will hold the key.