News / Sports

Iran futsal team defeats Iraq in Asian tournament

Monday, 15 February 2016 12:57 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 15 February 2016 2:24 PM ]

Iranian athletes (in red jerseys) rejoice after thrashing Iraq 13-2 in a Group B match of the 2016 AFC Futsal Championship at Uzbekistan Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on February 14, 2016.

The national Iranian men’s futsal team has registered its third glorious victory at the 2016 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Futsal Championship in Uzbekistan, thrashing the Iraqi squad by more than a double-digit margin.

On Sunday evening, the Iranian side sealed an emphatic 13-2 win against the Asian team in a Group B match played at Uzbekistan Stadium in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent.

The Persians got off to an impressive start and Mohammad Taheri scored the opener only a minute into the game.

Hossein Tayebi seized a golden opportunity two minutes later, and placed the ball into the back of the rivals’ net to make it 2-0 for Iran.

Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh tripled Iran’s lead in the fifth minute, and Mahdi Javid plus Hamid Ahmadi added two goals within a minute.

Taheri and Tayebi netted their second goals of the match in the 11th minute, and Javid grabbed his second four minutes later.

Waleed Khalid Fahem got a consolation for Iraq in the 17th minute.

Iran’s Tayebi completed a first half hat-trick shortly afterwards, and Farhad Tavakoli got on the score sheet just at the turn of the first half.

The Iranian sportsmen did not relinquish after the break, and Tayebi got a fourth in the 28th minute.

Javid completed his first-half hat-trick in the 34th minute, and Amjad Kareem Hwede collected the second goal for Iraq in the 37th minute, which took nothing away from Iran’s dominant performance.

Hassanzadeh scored his second and the last goal for the Iranian outfit in the 40th minute.

The win was the Iranian team’s third in a row at the 14th edition of the AFC Futsal Championship. It also helped Iranian secure a berth at the knockout stage of the continental sports event.

Iran joined China, Iraq and Jordan in Group B of the 2016 AFC Futsal Championship.

The hosts, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia formed Group A, while Chinese Taipei, Tajikistan, Thailand and Vietnam were put in Group C. Group D consisted of Australia, Japan, Malaysia and Qatar.

The 2016 AFC Futsal Championship, which is the 14th edition of the tournament, started in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on February 10, and will finish on February 21.

The top five teams will qualify for the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup, which will be the 8th edition of the event, in Colombia.

Iran is the most successful team in the AFC futsal tournament with ten titles.

The Persians finished runner-up once in 2014, and stood on the bronze podium in 2006 and 2012.

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