Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Taipei: Defending champions Islamic Republic of Iran edged Iraq 5-3 on Tuesday to win Group C in a match that proved the first real test of the holders’ credentials.
Both Iran and Iraq had already qualified for the quarter-finals ahead of the match at University of Taipei Gymnasium but, nevertheless, it was to be a hard-fought and intriguing contest to see who would top the standings.
With Iran having netted double figures in both previous ties against Myanmar and China, Iraq shocked the defending champions by taking the lead with seven minutes played as Waleed Khalid burst up the field on the counter to fire across Alireza Samimi into the far corner.
But Iraq’s joy was cut-off in less than a minute. Hossein Tayebi bravely challenged flying Iraq goalkeeper Zaher Mahdi for Farhad Tavakoli’s chipped ball forward, and his header looped into the unguarded net.
And with just over eight minutes remaining Iran completed the turnaround with Ali Hassanzadeh notching his seventh of the tournament after his shot took a wicked deflection off Hasan Ali to wrong-foot Mahdi.
Iraq were determined to restore parity before the break, though, and Samimi needed to be on his toes to keep out several efforts, including a firmly-struck shot from Salim Faisal that needed a particularly agile parry, while at the other end Mahdi bravely smothered at the feet of Tayebi.