Our football match prediction:
Iran
Match Time & Date:
25/06/2018
19:00 GMT
Prediction: 0-1
Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo looks unstoppable at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals. CR7 has been scoring goals for fun at the showpiece tournament in Russia and thanks to his brilliant header Portugal moved one step closer to making it to the last 16. Fernando Santos’ men are one point away from making it to the knockout stages, but Monday’s football match against Iran will be anything but a walk in the park for them. The Iranians left their hearts on the field in the 1-0 loss to Spain and they are definitely capable of making life difficult for Ronaldo and Co. in their last group game. However, seeing that Iran need to adopt an attack-minded approach in the Kaliningrad clash, we predict that Fernando Santos’ troops are going to have a number of opportunities to score on the break. When the two teams met at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Portugal recorded a 2-0 win over Iran.
Highlighted Player (Saman Ghoddos):
Saman Ghoddos is a product of FC Malmo football academy, but he started playing for IF Limhamn Bunkeflo at senior level. After scoring four goals in 41 appearances for the club the Swedish attacker moved to Treleborg, but he did not spend too much time at the club. In 2014 he signed a deal with Syrianska and he quickly established himself as a first-team regular at the Sodertalje Fotbollsarena outfit. Saman Ghoddos, who was born in Malmo on September 6, 1996 played for Syrianska from 2014 to 2016 and then he moved to Ostersunds. The Swedish striker, who is used as an attacking midfielder as well, scored ten goals in 27 appearances for Ostersunds in the 2016 Allsvenskan campaign and he impressed in the 2017/2018 Europa League qualifiers. Saman Ghoddos netted three goals in the process and helped the Swedish club book their place in the group stages of the European competition. Speaking of his personal life, you should bear in mind that Saman’s parents were born in Iran.
Highlighted Team (Portugal):
Portugal started competing at the biggest stage in the 1930’s, but they had to wait for almost seventy years to establish themselves as a top side. The third place finish at the 1966 World Cup was a one-off result as the Selecao needed another 40 years to get past the group stage, reaching the semi-finals at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Portugal enjoyed more success on the continent, finishing third at the 1984, 2000 and 2012 European Championships, while losing in the final to Greece at the Euro 2004 that was held on home soil. Despite being able to count on one of world’s best ever footballers Cristiano Ronaldo, the Selecao have yet to lift a major trophy and they will not have too many opportunities to do so before the Real Madrid superstar retires. Eusebio remains the most famous footballer to have played for Portugal, while Luis Figo, Simao Sabrosa, Pedro Pauleta, Rui Costa and Nani are also worth mention. The Selecao currently boast an impressive pool of world-class talent and it should not be long before they end the trophy drought.
