AFC U20 Asian Cup:
Iran off to flyer with Indonesia rout
Iran’s bid for a fifth title at the AFC U20 Asian Cup got off to an emphatic start as Hossein Abdi’s young guns routed Indonesia 3-0 in their Group C opener in Shenzhen, China.
Goals from Hesam Nafari, Esmaeil Qolizadeh and Mobin Dehqan put Iran on top of the group table, thanks to a superior goal difference over defending champion Uzbekistan, which defeated Yemen 1-0 earlier on Thursday.
Abdi’s boys started on the front foot and took the lead with five minutes into the game when the ball bounced off defender Nafari in a packed penalty box and into the net.
Iran had to wait until the 63rd minute for a second goal, with Qolizadeh unleashing a spectacular volley on Nima Andarz’s cross that flew past Indonesian keeper Achmad Zidan.
Dehqan secured maximum points for Iran seven minutes later, heading home Qolizadeh corner kick.
Iran will be chasing a second victory in the tournament against Yemen on Sunday, with Wednesday’s game against Uzbekistan likely to decide the group winner.
The top two in each group will progress to the last eight, with the four semifinalists qualifying for September’s under-20 World Cup in Chile.
Abdi, who led Iran to the U-17 World Cup last 16 in 2023, was pleased with the first-day result but acknowledged there is room for improvement in the future games.
“We should have scored more goals in the first half, but the second half was an improvement,” said Abdi, adding that their opponents were strong, aggressive and good at keeping the ball.
“In any tournament we have to take the points first. We have to see what we can do in the next match, focus on our opponents’ weaknesses and use that.”
“All the teams here are the best in Asia, they’re trying hard and ready to win the tournament. We have to think carefully, which is why I’m taking it from match to match.”
Indonesia, which was unbeaten in the qualifiers, picked up the pace in the second half, but either failed to convert Its chances or found custodian Arsha Shakouri a stumbling block.
“We did not play badly, but failed to anticipate Iran’s set-pieces and corner kicks,” said head coach Indra Syafri. “They are a good team, played a good game and had an advantage over us in their crossing and high balls.
“But on our part, we were weak in one-on-ones and failed to take advantage of our speed.”