Sink or swim for Iran in Kuwait City

Team Melli had its first game under full leadership of new coach Ali Daei and the result was not pretty. Iran lost its friendly encounter with Bahrain by a single goal.

This could not be exactly a confidence builder with the Kuwait game coming up in a few days. But to be fair to Daei he has not had nearly enough time to make his mark on the team. The Kuwait game is the key, however, because it will buy the team and the new coach the time they desperately need to get to know each other.