Iran’s Ashkan Dejgah (right) tackles South Korea’s Ki Sung-yueng during the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran yesterday.
Tehran: Sardar Azmoun struck in the 25th minutes Iran recorded a thrilling 1-0 win against South Korea while Iraq’s Mohanad Adbulraheem scored all four goals to spearhead a 4-0 rout against Thailand as the third round of FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Asian Qualifiers continued yesterday.
Both games took place in the Irani capital.
Iran’s win at Azadi Stadium took them to the top of Group A and also ensured their undefeated record.
Despite Iran dominating the game the margin of victory was slight, with Team Melli indebted to a fine instinctive strike from Azmoun as he fired home Ramin Rezaeian’s cross inside the opening half hour.
The victory for Carlos Queiroz’s side is their second consecutive 1-0 win in less than a week, after they won in Uzbekistan by the same scoreline last Thursday, and the result also sees them leapfrog over the Central Asians who had temporarily taken the pole position in Group A after defeating China 2-0 in the group’s earlier tie.
At Tehran’s PAS Stadium, Adbulraheem’s heroics also earned Iraq’s first points of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Asian Qualifiers Third Round.
Abdulraheem, who scored the opener in the Matchday Two tie against Saudi Arabia, got Iraq off to a flying start on eight minutes before he added his second in the 25th minute as Iraq ran rampant in the first half.
Thailand raised their game after the break but Koravit Namwiset’s red card and Prathum Chutong’s withdrawal through hamstrung injury halted their revival before Abdulraheem rubbed salt into wounds with his hat-trick on 87 minutes and the game’s final goal of the night in stoppage time.
Kawin could do nothing about the opener just three minutes later though as Saad Abdulameer nodded on Ahmed Yasin’s corner and Abdulzahra’s subsequent header across goal found Abdulrahim lurking to fire home from close range. The Thailand ‘keeper was seeing a great deal more of the ball than his outfield team-mates but he was beaten again on 25 minutes after his parry from Yasin’s shot went only as far as Abdulraheem who converted from inside six yards.
Again, Kawin pawed away a goal-bound free-kick from Adnan with eight minutes of the half remaining.
Just before half-time Yasin had a golden chance to make it 3-0 at the break as Iraq surged up field on the counter-attack but when Abdulraheem laid the ball on for his team-mate, Yasin could only steer his shot wide of Kawin’s left-hand post.
Thailand improved after the restart though and Iraq custodian Mohammed Hameed had to be quick off his line to deny Teerasil Dangda with a brave block at the striker’s feet.
But just as they were struck a blow on 69 minutes as defender Koravit was dismissed by referee Ma Ning following a coming together with Iraq’s Ahmed Ibrahim.
Abdulraheem ensured Thailand’s miserable outing was complete by firing home two more late goals to take his and Iraq’s tally to four for the night.
In Tashkent, Uzbekistan got their third round campaign back on track after they rebounded from last Thursday’s loss to Iran with a 2-0 win over China.
The result also triggered the resignation of the visitors’ coach Gao Hongbo. After a goalless first half in the Uzbek capital, Marat Bikmaev broke the deadlock five minutes after the restart and thereafter it was largely one-way traffic for the hosts, although they had to wait until five minutes before the end and a strike from Otabek Shukurov to ensure the three points.
The result also sees Uzbekistan pick up their third win in four games in qualifying and remain very much in contention for a place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.
For China, the result has even more far-reaching ramifications with coach Gao announcing his departure from the national team.
