Heartbreak for UAE: Mehdi Ghayedi’s first-half goal deep in added time gave Iran a narrow 1-0 win over the UAE in their World Cup qualifier at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Tuesday.
Defender Khaled Ibrahim saw his clearance blocked by Ghayedi and the Iranian was able to pick up possession drift into the box and fire home inside Khalid Essa’s near post via a slight deflection off Khalifa Al Hammadi that left the goalkeeper helpless.It proved to be the only goal of the game in an absorbing showdown at the packed 25,000 capacity stadium that leaves Iran joint top of Group A with Uzbekistan after successive 1-0 victories and the home side unable to repeat the heroics that saw them beat Qatar in their opening match.
The outcome preserved Iran’s undefeated streak against the UAE, extending it to 12 victories and three draws in tournament encounters since 1980.
Paulo Bento fielded the same lineup that defeated Qatar 3-1 four days prior, yet they struggled to elevate their performance against a team vying for its fourth consecutive World Cup berth and seventh in total.
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The first half saw a balanced match with both teams failing to dominate and creating few definitive opportunities.
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Iran’s Saman Ghoddos missed an early chance with a right-footed shot going wide, while Yahya Al Ghassani’s attempt from distance was thwarted by goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
Caio Canedo’s header from the left side of the six-yard box, following a Tahnoon Al Zaabi cross from a set piece, also went wide.
Post-interval, UAE’s Ali Saleh, last week’s scorer against Qatar, immediately made his mark with a shot saved by Beiranvand. Shortly after, Iran’s Sardar Azmoun muddled a golden chance inside the six-yard box.
Azmoun faced another denial, this time from a superb save by Essa, and although Bento’s squad maintained pressure, the Iranian defense stood impenetrable.
With only four minutes remaining, the UAE team believed they had a chance when they were awarded a penalty. Ali Saleh’s cutback seemed to strike the arm of Iranian defender Saleh Hardani, but the penalty was overturned after a VAR review.
The UAE team took risks after 10 minutes of added injury time, but their attempts were largely limited to long-range shots that either missed the target or were easily saved by Beiranvand.
In other Group A games, Qatar was held to a 2-2 draw by a 10-man North Korean team in Laos, while Uzbekistan secured a 3-2 victory away against Kyrgyzstan, placing the UAE third in the group.
The national team will play their next match at home against North Korea on October 10, followed by a game against Uzbekistan in Tashkent five days later.
Source: msn.com
