Mexico and Iran meet in Nuremberg on Sunday in what both sides regard as a decisive early match in World Cup Group D, which also includes Portugal and Angola. Mexico, ranked fourth in the world and seeded, are looking to advance beyond the quarterfinal stage for the first time in their history. They have reached the second round in each of their last three tournaments but have never gone further than the last eight, a feat accomplished on home soil in 1970 and 1986.
Goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez will start after returning from Mexico following his father's sudden death. Mexico's defensive anchor Rafael Marquez and leading scorer Jared Borgetti, who netted 14 goals in qualifying, are both key figures. Coach Ricardo Lavolpe, part of Argentina's 1978 World Cup-winning side, drew controversy by selecting naturalized players and leaving veteran forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco off the roster.
Iran, aiming for the second round for the first time, will have attackers Ali Karimi and Mehdi Mahdavikia fit after recovering from injuries. Midfielder Ferydoon Zandi is out ill, and Sattar Zare faces possible tournament absence with a knee ligament injury.
Iran captain Ali Daei said of the match: "Winning against Mexico is not unreachable." Mexico won the sides' only previous meeting, 2-1, in June 2001.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.