AFC Futsal Asian Cup:
Iran sees off Afghanistan to set quarterfinal date with Uzbekistan
Iran survived a late scare from Afghanistan to secure a 5-2 victory and clinch top spot in Group D of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.
A clean sweep of three group wins means the defending champions will continue their bid for a record-extending 14th title at the flagship continental event against Group C runners-up Uzbekistan in today’s quarterfinal clash at the Jakarta International Velodrome.
The game will mark the third encounter between the two sides in two years. Vahid Shamsaei’s men came out on top in a shootout after a 3-3 draw in the semifinals of the previous Asian Cup in Thailand, before winning 4-2 – again in the semifinals – at last November’s Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh.
In a rematch of the 2-2 draw in the Saudi capital, Iran took the lead in the 13th minute when Afghanistan goalkeeper Javad Safari parried Amirhossein Gholami’s shot into the path of the onrushing Behrouz Azimi, who made no mistake from close range as Iran went into halftime leading 1-0.
Afghanistan pushed desperately for an equalizer after the break, leaving gaps at the back which Iran exploited in the 29th minute, breaking away from an Afghanistan corner as Gholami picked out prolific pivot Hossein Tayyebi to knock the ball home.
Iran extended its advantage a minute later when a Video Support review adjudged Safari to have fouled Tayyebi inside the semi-circle, with the Iranian captain converting from the spot for his third goal of the competition.
Afghanistan was also awarded a penalty in the 32nd minute, with Reza Hosseinpour reducing the deficit on the rebound after his spot kick was saved by Iranian goalkeeper Baqer Mohammadi.
Safari’s deflected strike from distance a minute later set up a tense finale as Afghanistan threw bodies forward in search of an equalizer, only to be caught out once again on the counter, with Masoud Yousef (36th minute) and Mahdi Karimi (40th) settling the contest.
“We had some problems with timing and with the court,” Shamsaei said after the game, adding, “Both teams have technical players so it was difficult to move the ball given the conditions.”
“Uzbekistan are one of the best teams in Asia and in the history of the tournament, they have always been part of the last four. It is unfortunate that two of the bigger names have to face each other and one of them will have to leave, but this is part of life and part of the game,” added the Iranian head coach, whose team began the tournament with a 4-1 win against Malaysia, before defeating Saudi Arabia 2-0 in their second group outing.
Earlier on the final day of the group phase, Japan pulled off a second-half fightback to edge four-time runner-up Uzbekistan 2-1 and finish top of Group C, setting up a highly anticipated quarterfinal clash with Afghanistan today.
The other last-eight match will see Group A winner Indonesia take on Group B runner-up Vietnam.
A victory against Uzbekistan would send Shamsaei’s men into Thursday’s semifinals against either Thailand or Iraq.
Thailand – beaten by Iran in the 2024 final – also enjoyed a perfect run in Group B, while Iraq finished second in Group A after ending level on seven points with the host team.