Iran beats Kyrgyzstan to lift CAFA under-20 trophy
Iran came out victorious by three goals against host Kyrgyzstan to win the CAFA U20 Championship.
Reza Ghandipour was the star of the show for Hossein Abdi’s side in Friday’s final in Jalal-Abad’s Kurmanbek Stadium, bagging a hat-trick – including a spot-kick in the 48th minute – as Iran lifted the trophy in the second edition of the competition, which features the Central Asian countries.
Iran began its campaign with a 3-0 victory over Turkmenistan in Group B and then played to a 1-1 draw against inaugural champion Uzbekistan to progress to the final showpiece.
Uzbekistan defeated Tajikistan 3-0 earlier on Friday to finish third in the six-team tournament.
The event was part of Iran’s preparation for the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers in September, with Abdi’s boys taking on Mongolia, India, and host Laos in Group G.
The 10 group winners and five best second-placed teams will advance to the finals – to be hosted by Chian next February.