AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers:
Taheri on hat-trick as Iran hit six past Guam
AFC – Five second-half goals steered Iran to a comfortable 6-0 win over Guam in their penultimate Group I clash in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Iran will play the United Arab Emirates – themselves 2-0 winners against Hong Kong, China – on Tuesday in what will be a top-of-the-table clash.
The top team in the group will win direct qualification for next year’s finals, with the second team hopping to progress as one of four best runners-up in 11 preliminary groups.
Despite dominating ball possession from the start, the Central Asian side only opened accounts in the 42nd minute through Alireza Safari.
Guam, who had no shots on target in the first half, conceded a second goal a minute after the restart when Kasra Taheri put the ball past keeper Josiah Jones.
Taheri, who came on at the start of the second half, fired home Iran’s third in the 74th minute and completed his hat-trick five minutes later.
Saeid Saharkhizan put his name on the scoresheet in the 84th minute, with captain Mohammad Javad Hosseinnezhad completing the scoring in the 90th minute.