Goalless draw for Iran, Uzbekistan in 2026 World Cup qualifier
The face-off between Group A pacesetters Uzbekistan and Islamic Republic of Iran ended in a goalless draw, with both teams moving to seven points.
Uzbekistan and Iran settled for the draw in their AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 Group A tie on Thursday.
The Central Asian derby saw Iran going down to 10 men in the second half following Saleh Hardani’s sending off but there was to be no winner in the evenly-matched contest as the two sides moved up to seven points, the-afc.com reported.
Forward Mehdi Taremi and Eldor Shomurodov, who both play their club football in Italy, had a subdued first half with neither seeing much of the ball.
The match took a turn in the 57th minute after Australian referee Shaun Evans referred to the pitchside monitor, which led to a straight red card for Hardani for a studs up challenge on Shomurodov.
Uzbekistan seized the opportunity to increase their tempo with two chances just after the hour mark, Abbosbek Fayzullaev dragging his shot just wide before Masharipov ballooned his attempt over the bar after being teed up by Shomurodov.
There was drama in stoppage time when Evans awarded a penalty to Iran after the ball seemed to have struck Rustamjon Ashurmatov’s hand but upon a VAR review, the decision was reversed as the sides shared the spoils.
Ghalenoei, Radmanovic content with stalemate
Uzbekistan’s Vlado Radmanovic and Amir Ghalenoei of the Islamic Republic of Iran were both satisfied after seeing their sides played to the draw.
Radmanovic, who took charge as head coach as Srecko Katanec was indisposed, was pleased to see Uzbekistan navigate what he considered the toughest match in the group, with their sights now set on the upcoming games.
“It was a difficult match as Iran are one of the strongest in Asia,” said Radmanovic. “There are not many chances in such matches. We have passed another game with seven more matches ahead of us.
“One of our main players, Oston Orunov, was injured. He was able to play at first, but as kickoff approached, he wasn’t ready as his leg was hurting.
“We don’t have many attacking players like that. We could have made changes in the centre of the field and in the centre of defence, but the plan we prepared for today’s match did not work well.”
“We attacked even after being a man down and won a few corners,” said Ghalenoei. “The goalkeeper of Uzbekistan also saved his team in many situations.
“We witnessed a good game today. I think it was the best game in the group. We have to think about the next meeting. We proved that we can defend well in today’s match. I congratulate Ali Nemati on his national team debut. I hope that he will play a lot more for Iran in the future.”
Uzbekistan will host the United Arab Emirates next on Tuesday while Iran will meet Qatar.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed that the AFC Asian Qualifier- Road to 26 Group A match on October 15, 2024, between Iran and Qatar will be played at a neutral venue, in the United Arab Emirates.
The decision to host the match in a neutral venue was taken after careful consideration of the prevailing security situation and in consultation with FIFA and the relevant stakeholders.
The match will kick off at 20:00 hour local time and details regarding the specific venue in the UAE will be updated on the fixtures section.