In another down the wire Asian qualifying match, Iran outclassed its archrival, Korea Republic with a 1-0 victory to secure its World Cup berth next year.
Iran earned its sweet revenge after Reza Ghoochannejhad nailed a left-footed shot off of a counter-attack against Kim Younggwon on the 59th minute. Korea Republic tried to regain momentum and made several attempts to score an equalizer, yet, the prolific Rahman Ahmadi denied them twice.
The Iran-Korea Republic encounter is one of the most anticipated rivalries in the Asian World Cup qualifiers. In 2010, Taeguk Warriors forced a draw that ended Team Melli’s 2010 World Cup campaign. After a 4-year wait, Iran answered back, inflicting an almost similar degree of disappointment. The rivalry became even more intense as word war broke between Choi Kang-hee and Carlos Quirioz prior to the deciding game.
But despite of losing to Iran, Korea Republic has no reason to be depressed. The squad still, qualifies for the World Cup by virtue of goal difference over Uzbekistan. Joining them is Australia, which defeated Iraq with a 1-0 score.
The win against Korea Republic earned 16 points for Iran and secured the top spot in Group A. Yet, what is even more important is the country’s 4th World Cup appearance. As a result, the country’s Sports Ministry is set to celebrate the victory in Tehran.
Iran’s first entry into the World Cup began in 1978. However, the squad failed to rise above the group stage. Their next attempt happened in 1998 where they secured a great win over USA. Iran made it again in 2006. Yet, history simply repeated itself when Team Melli got stuck in the group stage.
Korea Republic, on the other hand, finished with 14 points and nailed its 8th consecutive World Cup qualification.
Photo Credit: Zimbio
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