Ebrahim Mirzapour - International Career

International Career

Ebrahim Mirzapour's introduction to the Iranian football squad certainly raised a few eyebrows in Iran when the ex-national team coach, the Croat Miroslav Blazevic preferred him to some more experienced goal keepers. Although Mirzapour started nervously, his solid performance in friendly games and against the odds made Blazevic to have enough confidence in him and install him as the fixed starter in the World Cup 2002 qualification matches. Mirzapour did not disappoint either as his towering presence and agility against the best of the competition certainly increased his popularity and his fan base. Although he was faulted in one or two occasions during the qualifying rounds, he was also credited for many saves and for preventing defeats in matches, by his solid and strong performance. Iran eventually did not make it to the 2002 World Cup, due to their 2–1 aggregate loss to the Republic of Ireland in the playoffs.

Ebrahim Mirzapour was able to keep his starting position in the national team coached by Branko Ivankovic. He was the starting goalkeeper in Iran's successful run of victories, attaining a number of clean sheets throughout the 2006 World Cup qualifying matches. Iran together with Japan were the first nations to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, where Mirzapour played in all three of Iran's matches.

Although his outstanding reflexes and agility are noted, Mirzapour has a habit of suffering from lapses in concentration and is prone to make mistakes especially on goal kicks. He played a great game in Iran's second World Cup match vs. Portugal, although they lost 2–0. After the world cup and the criticism on him, he was invited to Team Melli again for the match against South Korea in 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification match under the new coach Amir Ghalenoei.After about two years he was invited to Team Melli again on May 2008 under Ali Daei and played for Team Melli in West Asian Football Federation Championship 2008 after about 2 years and won this cup but he got injured in the match against Qatar.He featured in West Asian Football Federation Championship 2010 and was part of the squad in 2011 Asian Cup under Afshin Ghotbi.

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