World Cup Asian qualifiers:
Taremi on target as lackluster Iran edges out Kyrgyzstan
On a day of shock results across the World Cup Asian qualifiers, Iran delivered a drab display but still managed to beat Kyrgyzstan 1-0 at home on Thursday.
Wearing the armband for the day, Mahdi Taremi scored in the first half to lead Team Melli to a winning start to its Group A campaign.
Omid Nourafkan’s effort from outside the box was parried by Kyrgyz keeper Erzhan Tokotaev into the path of Inter striker, who tapped in from close range 11 minutes before the break.
Clear-cut chances were few and far between for Iran against a solid opposition backline, though Nourafkan came within inches of an all-important second goal right before the hour mark, only to see his left-footed strike come off the post.
Routed 5-1 by Iran on home soil in last year’s CAFA Nations Cup, Kyrgyzstan, which sat deep with numbers for the best part of the game, found the courage to push forward in the closing stages.
The home side had goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand to thank for making a superb save to deny Joel Kojo an equalizer five minutes from normal time as the Asian powerhouse staved off a late surge from the minnow visitors in what had been tipped to be the easiest of the 10 games in the group for Amir Qalenoei’s men.
The Iranian manager, however, was left with plenty to think about ahead of Tuesday’s visit to the UAE, which came from behind in the second half to walk away with a 3-1 win against reigning Asian Cup champion Qatar in Al Rayyan.
“We had a decent ball circulation in the second half. The team created chances and hit the woodwork. I have to admit the overall performance should have been much better though it was normal for the first game, as you saw Australia lost to Bahrain at home while South Korea could only manage a draw against Palestine,” Qalenoei said after the game.
Harry Souttar scored an 89th-minute own goal as Australia, down to 10 men in the 77th minute, suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Bahrain in Group C, with South Korea – favorites in Group B – held to a goalless stalemate by Palestine in Seoul.
“Four or five players were far from their best form today and the frontline substitutions didn’t quite work out. We will try to show better quality in the next game,” added the Iranian coach.
Meanwhile, Taremi, complaining about the pitch quality in the Fooladshahr Stadium playing a significant part in his side’s insipid performance, was furious with some of the criticism the Iranian players received from the stands after the final whistle.
“We will have both good and bad days in every tournament and today’s game doesn’t mean we are the worst team in Asia… We qualified for the World Cup on three successive occasions and that’s what we’re going to do again,” said the Iranian striker, whose netted his 51st international goal to become the third all-time top scorer for the country.
Elsewhere in Group A, Esteghlal midfielder Jaloliddin Masharipov scored midway through the first half as Uzbekistan came out on top against North Korea 1-0 in Tashkent.
Asian Cup finalist Jordan and Kuwait played to a 1-1 draw in Amman in Group B, while Aymen Hussein’s first-half strike helped Iraq defeat Oman 1-0 at the Basra International Stadium.
Japan got off to flying start in Group C, inflicting a 7-0 humiliation on Branko Ivankovic’s China, while Roberto Mancini’s Saudi Arabia salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw against Indonesia in Jeddah.