Led by young strikers Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell, the Socceroos spent the entire first half laying siege to the goal. With Stan Lazaridis and Robbie Slater making inroads on the flanks, and Aurelio Vidmar pushing forward from midfield, it seemed an Aussie avalanche was inevitable. The nation will never forget Abedzadeh’s smile during the game while the match could be chaotic for Iran. But the Captain kept the score level with some inspired goalkeeping. The Persepolis legend turns 55 today.
His son, Amir Abedzadeh, who currently plays for Portuguese club Marítimo, is one of goalkeepers in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Amir always says that his father is his role model and it’s completely true. Ahmadreza Abedzadeh was a member of national football team in the “Mother of All Games”, where the Persians defeated their old foes USA 2-1 at the elegant Stade de Gerland in Lyon. As a Persepolis goalkeeper, Abedzadeh won four titles with the Reds infootball league but he had already claimed a domestic title with Persepolis archrivals Esteghlal as well as 1991 Asian Club Championship title with the Blues.
