Iran beats Saudi Arabia to reach Futsal Asian Cup knockouts
The Iranian national futsal team secured a 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on Friday, ensuring their progression to the knockout stage of the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup.
According to Mehr News Agency, the Group D clash took place at Jakarta’s International Velodrome, with Iran’s squad under head coach Vahid Shamsaei claiming both goals. Amirhossein Gholami opened the scoring with a header from a corner delivered by Moslem Oladghobad, and was named the best player of the match. Later, Iran goalkeeper Bagher Mohammadi doubled the lead in the 35th minute with a precise long-range strike.
Wearing their red away kit against the green-clad Saudis, Iran struggled to create clear-cut chances in the first half. Despite advancing toward the Saudi goal, Iranian players’ short passes failed to produce meaningful opportunities. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, threatened Iran’s goal twice with dangerous crosses but were unable to score.
The second half, however, was dominated entirely by Iran. Shamsaei’s team applied relentless pressure, eventually breaking through with the first goal midway through the half. In response, the Saudis, needing points to stay in contention, adopted a five-player “power play,” leaving their goal unattended at times. Although Iran faced five dangerous opportunities on their own goal during this period, Mohammadi’s outstanding performance kept the score intact. Capitalizing on one such scenario, Mohammadi scored the second goal himself into the empty Saudi net.
With two wins in the group stage, Iran advances to the knockout rounds. The team will face Afghanistan on Sunday for a chance to secure top spot in Group D.