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Word Cup Asian qualifiers:
Sweet revenge as ruthless Iran puts Qatar to the sword
A third victory in four outings saw Amir Qalenoei’s men overtake Uzbekistan on top of the Group A table on goal difference.
Uzbekistan had an Otabek Shukurov’s late strike to thank for a 1-0 home win against the 10-man United Arab Emirates earlier on Tuesday.
Hosting the Qataris in the neutral venue of Rashid Stadium in Dubai due to the AFC’s security concerns amid the political tensions in the region, Iran got off to lively start but the Asian champion thought it was on its way to a second triumph over Team Melli in just over eight months when Almoez Ali found the net against the run of play in the 17th minute.
Lucas Mendes’ long ball released Ali behind the Iranian backline and the striker smashed a devastating first-time strike into the roof of Alireza Beiranvand’s net.
Azmoun restored parity with three minutes left in the first half, rising unmarked in the box to head home an Omid Nourafkan’s cross into top corner.
The Iranian striker scored his 55th international goal three minutes after the break, when Mahdi Qayedi’s cross was headed into the air by Mendes but, as Qatari keeper Barsham came to collect, he tripped over his teammate and Azmoun smashed into the empty net.
The prolific forward then rounded off his outstanding performance with an assist in the 65th minute, bursting through the Qatar defense before unselfishly rolling the ball across goal for Mohebbi to tap the ball into the net with Barsham well beaten.
Mohebbi completed the rout in the eighth minute of added time as his glancing header on Nourafkan’s corner kick found the bottom corner to put the seal on a commanding victory.
“I think it was one of our good days,” Qalenoei said after the game, adding: “We scored four goals and had several other opportunities.”
“Overall, it was a very good game. Congratulations to Qatar for the way they played today. It was one of the best games of the group that Asia enjoyed.
“This win will help us further. We can rejoice for a day or two and then we have to think about the next games. I hope we can make Iranian people happy with more good results,” added the Iranian coach.
Tuesday’s results meant Iran and Uzbekistan now have a six-point lead over third-place UAE in the six-team table and with the top two in each group progressing to the World Cup finals, Qalenoei’s side will be looking to take a significant stride towards the 2026 showpiece in away game against North Korea and the Kyrgyz Republic in November’s international break.
“It’s a bit too soon to talk about securing World Cup qualification but this win definitely paved the way for us,” Iranian winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who was introduced as a late substitute said.
“We have outmost respect for all of the teams in the group. Uzbekistan is equal [on 10 points] with us, and Qatar, the UAE, Kyrgyzstan and even North Korea have had some decent performances so far. I think today’s victory was a testament to what our team is capable of.”
Jahanbakhsh was part of the Iranian team that fell to a 3-2 loss to Qatar in the Asian flagship international event in Doha.
“All of us still regret that defeat. We were unlucky to miss out on the Asian title but we just can’t turn back the clock. Today’s result showcased the gap between Qatar and us.”
Elsewhere in the group, Khristiyan Brauzman’s 11th-minute strike led the Kyrgyz Republic to a 1-0 win against North Korea in Bishkek.
In Group B, Jordan eased past Oman by four goals in Amman, with Palestine and Kuwait sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw in Doha.
South Korea defeated Iraq 3-2 at home to stay atop the group with 10 points – three points clear of Jordan and Iraq.
Japan kept a five-point lead over Australia on top of Group C standings, despite playing to a 1-1 draw with the Socceroos in Saitama.
Saudi Arabia was held to a goalless stalemate by Bahrain in Jeddah, with the two teams equal on five points with Australia.
Branko Ivankovic’s China was given a lifeline in its qualification campaign, edging out Indonesia 2-1 at home.