TEHRAN – Iran national football team head coach Carlos Queiroz says they deserve more credit for exceeding everyone's expectations in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Iran fought to the last moment and only narrowly missed the chance to reach the knockout phase of World Cup after a draw with Portugal 1-1 in Group B.

Team Melli started the competition with a 1-0 win over Morocco and lost to Spain 1-0.

Iran national football team failed to qualify for the next stage for the first time but snatched four points for the first time in history.

“I would like to thank everyone who has helped us get to this point. I want to thank everyone who's given the ultimate sacrifice. You made the Iranian people proud and happy,” Queiroz said.

“Before the World Cup, many people didn’t get enough credit and respect for what we dreamed about.  We narrowly missed the chance to advance to the next stage for the first time in history. Our performance in the 2018 World Cup will be remembered for many years,” the Portuguese stated.

Iran will be aiming to win the AFC Asian Cup for the fourth time in history after 42 years, where Team Melli are in Group D alongside Iraq, Yemen and Vietnam.

“The AFC Asian Cup is not an easy task for us. We will face the opponents who have started their developments from 30 years ago. We need the facility to prepare our team for the Asian Cup if we really want to be successful in the competition,” Queiroz added.

“Let’s talk about Japan. You will not have a good chance of beating a country which started its developments since 40 years ago just 15 days ahead of the competition,” the ex-Real Madrid coach concluded.