News / Sports

Iran’s 7-a-side footballers pummel Northern Ireland

Tuesday, 02 August 2016 2:27 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 02 August 2016 2:27 PM ]

The Iranian men’s national 7-a-side football team

Iran's national 7-a-side football team has overwhelmed Northern Ireland at the 2016 International Federation of CP Football (IFCPF) World Championships Qualification Tournament in Denmark.

Maintaining momentum in the sports event, the Iranian athletes on Monday were full of vim and vigor for their second Group C fixture at Vejen Idrætscenter in the city of Vejen, thrashing the opposite side 8-2.

The Iranians feverishly sought a goal-scoring opportunity until the 6th minute, when Mehdi Jamali grasped a fabulous chance and struck the opener.

Sadegh Hassani Baghi could find the back of the net seven minutes later and gave his side a 2-0 lead, which the Iranians deservedly maintained till the referee gave a short blast on his whistle and signaled the end of the first half.

After the break, Iran pressured the Irish side’s defense and Ehsan Masoumzadeh took the third goal in the 31st minute.

Tempers boiled over afterwards, with Irish soccer player David Leavy in the thick of the action. He used a wonderful opportunity in the 40th minute and opened the scoring for Northern Ireland.

Masoumzadeh scored a brace just a minute later, and put Iran up 4-1 in the second half of the match.

Northern Ireland’s Conor Lewsley scored his squad’s second goal in the 44th minute, before Jamali glided his shot past the Irish goalkeeper five minutes later to take Iran’s fifth goal of the match and leave the spectators caught between disbelief and ecstasy.

Masoumzadeh scored a hat trick in the 52nd minute, before adding another goal a minute later. Jamali buried Iran’s eighth goal of the day in the 60th minute.

The 2016 IFCPF World Championships Qualification Tournament opened on July 29 and will wrap up on August 6.

The 7-a-side football is a form of association football for athletes with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders, namely stroke and traumatic brain injury. Matches consist of two 30-minute halves, with a 15-minute interval, and are played with modified FIFA rules.

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