AFC Futsal Asian Cup last eight:
Iran runs riot against Kyrgyzstan, seals World Cup spot
Iran hammered Kyrgyzstan 6-1 on Wednesday to head into the AFC Futsal Asian Cup last four in Bangkok, Thailand – securing a place in September’s Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan.
Heading into the quarterfinal on the back of a top-spot finish in Group D, Vahid Shamsaei’s men took the lead through Behrouz Azimi with eight minutes into contest at the Bangkok Arena, only to be stunned by Donierbek Amanbaev’s equalizer for the Central Asian side, which beat defending champion Japan 3-2 in their group opener, a minute later.
Salar Aqapour restored the advantage for Iran with a sublime freekick in the 10th minute as the Asian powerhouse took a 2-1 lead into halftime.
The second half was all about the Iranians’ dominance, with Saeid Ahmad-Abbasi bagging his seventh goal in the competition with a composed finish in the 24th minute.
Mahdi Karimi extended Iran’s lead two minutes later and then tapped in his second of the afternoon with less than four minutes left on the clock.
Iranian skipper Ali-Asghar Hassanzadeh, a four-time champion in the competition, rounded off a dominant performance with a well-taken spot-kick, as Iran continued its bid for a record-extending 13th Asian crown.