Iran beat China 3-2 to reach AFC U-23 quarters
Iran's national team have booked itself a place in the quarter-finals of the 2016 AFC Under-23 Championship in Qatar following a narrow 3-2 win over China in its last Group-A showdown.
The early stages of the game offered little in terms of clear cut chances and it was rather a drab affair until the 38th minute when Arsalan Motahari breathed life into the game by scoring the opener for Iran.
But Iran's lead didn't last long. China restored parity 2 minutes later through Chang Feiya.
Mohammad Khakpour's men found themselves in front once more before the break as Ehsan Pahlavan sent a superb strike past the keeper, making it 2-1 to Iran. The Iranian youth extended their lead early into the second half through Mehdi Torabi who fired a thunderous free-kick into the roof of the net but the Chinese pulled one back some 20 minutes from time, with a penalty-kick.
However, China couldn't get any closer and the match ended 3-2 in favor of Iran, who secured second place in Group A and qualified for the next round where they'll meet Japan. The top three teams at the tournament will qualify for the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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