IBSA Blind Football Nations Cup:
Iran edges out Italy to advance to final
Iran progressed to the final showpiece of the IBSA Blind Football Nations Cup thanks to a 1-0 victory over Italy on the final day of the league phase in Kochi, India.
A Morteza Karimi’s strike made the difference between the two sides on Monday, as Iran secured a fourth win in five outings to guarantee a top-two finish in the six-team standing.
The top two teams of the table will go head-to-head for the trophy on Wednesday, with England – equal on seven points with Iran before Monday’s game against Poland – facing Iran in the final.
Iran and England shared the spoils in a goalless draw when they met earlier in the competition.
Iran began its campaign with a 4-0 hammering of Poland.
Yet to concede a goal in the tournament, Iran followed the stalemate against England with a 3-0 win against India, before defeating South Korea by the same scoreline on Sunday.
The IBSA Men’s Blind Football Nations Cup is a prestigious global competition under the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), featuring the world’s top-ranked teams between 9th and 16th.