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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
John Duerden

Mehdi Taremi key on and off field to Iran’s World Cup knockout dream

Mehdi Tarema celebrates scoring a goal
Mehdi Taremi’s brace against Uzbekistan secured Iran’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Mehdi Taremi was born 10 days after Son Heung-min, in July 1992, but in terms of the global reputations of these Asian attackers, the Iranian striker has consistently lagged much further behind his South Korean counterpart. The Internazionale marksman has, however, been a more effective performer for his national team.

As Son and his teammates huffed and puffed to a 1-1 draw with Jordan on Tuesday – a third successive stalemate in an easier World Cup qualifying group – Taremi scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan to secure a fourth successive World qualification for his country.

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