Iran will complete mission: Daei

AFC - Iran coach Ali Daei was relieved to see Team Melli snatch a point against Saudi Arabia on Saturday with a 1-1 draw in their opening Group Two 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

The Iranians were trailing 1-0 after Saad Al Harthi gave Saudi Arabia a 29th minute lead but Javad Nekounam's equaliser nine minutes from time ensured that the spoils were shared at King Fahad International Stadium.

“The match was difficult for both sides as they are two of the strongest team in Asia,” said the Iranian football legend.

”Saudi Arabia were the better side in the first half but we stormed back after the break and took possession and created many scoring chances.

“It is not fair to say that our performance was not good or it will not help our chances of qualifying for the World Cup. We have upcoming games to focus on now and I think my team is good enough to complete their mission.

“We were happy to get an equaliser in such a difficult game. And a team which draws on the road is usually expected to win at home, or so the theory goes.

“I think the Saudi team performance was not any better than us but we missed a lot of scoring chances in the second half that could have changed the outcome of the match.”

Saudi Arabia coach Nasser Al Johar skipped the post-match press conference and was represented by fitness coach Mirana who denied that his players were unable to last the course of the match.

“It was an open game and such a game can be difficult for any team,” the Brazilian said. “It was a difficult game for us to control but I am sure we will do better in our next fixture.

“It is not true that the fitness of the Saudi players was not enough to play for 90 minutes. Our players were prepared very well for this round of qualification.

“If they had scored from the big chances we had in the first half, we could have won the match by two or more goals.

“Missing those chances affected us in terms of self confidence but our general tactics in the match were not affected.”