Iranian beaten by Australia in the Olympic qualifiers
Iranian women’s national team got off to losing start in the second round of the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Perth, Australia, suffering a 2-0 defeat against the host.
Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson, who led his team to the World Cup semifinals in August before finishing fourth on home soil, benched a number of his star players – including Chelsea striker Sam Kerr – for the game against Maryam Azmoun’s side, but the Matildas still managed to find the lead through Ellie Carpenter, whose powerful drive went past Iranian keeper Zahra Khajavi with 19 minutes into the Thursday’s contest.
Despite having the lion’s share of possession, Australia had to wait until the 78th minute to double the advantage, when substitute Kerr tapped in from close range to secure the maximum points for the home side.
Elsewhere in Group A of the qualifiers, the Philippines defeated the Chinese Taipei 4-1 to move atop the table on goal difference.
Iran will face the Chinese Taipei on Sunday before concluding the group fixtures with a game against the Philippines on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, South Korea routed Thailand 10-1 in Group B, with North Korea defeating host China 2-1.
Japan is the early leader in Group C thanks to a 7-0 thrashing of India in Tashkent, followed by Uzbekistan which edged out Vietnam 1-0 at the Bunyodkor Stadium later on Thursday.
The winners of the three groups will be joined by the best runner-up in the third round of the qualifiers, with two teams securing a berth at next year’s Olympic in Paris.