CAFA U20 Women’s Championship:
Iran fights back to beat Tajikistan in opener
Iran got off to a winning start to the CAFA U20 Women’s Championship in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, rallying from behind to beat the host 3-2 on Tuesday.
Mehrsa Barari, Yasna Ja’farnia, and Maryam Khalilifar, who went on to pick up the Player of the Match prize, were on target as Iran pulled off a sensational comeback in the second half to overcome a two-goal halftime deficit.
Iran head coach Maryam Jahannejati praised her team’s fighting spirit, saying the tournament is part of the federation’s long-term plan to develop the next generation of national team players.
“I would first like to congratulate the Tajikistan team on its performance. They have made significant progress and played a very good match,” Jahannejati said after the victory.
“We came to this tournament with a squad made up of around 70 percent under-17 players and also promoted even younger players to this age group. Our goal is to start building for the future of national team by giving new players valuable international experience.”
Iran endured a difficult start, conceding twice through individual errors in the third and 10th minutes before mounting a second-half comeback.
“We spoke to the players at halftime and tried to prepare them mentally to return to the game with greater focus,” Jahannejati said.
“Players at this age are naturally more vulnerable psychologically, and the early goals affected them. But they gradually settled into the match, grew in confidence, and eventually completed the comeback.”
Jahannejati believes the final outcome reflected her players’ mental strength.
“Fortunately, the players produced an excellent second-half performance. They overturned the deficit by scoring three goals, and the comeback showed they have strong character and the determination to fight back in difficult situations,” she said.