Iran Beaten by Iraq in AFC U-14 Championship Semis
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran could not book a place in the AFC U-14 Championship final after being defeated by Iraq.
The Iranian team lost 3-2 to its neighbor in Hamedan’s Hajbabaei Stadium on Monday.
Zabihollah Koohkan gave the Iranian outfit a lead just after 7 minutes into the match.Mohammad Ali Kadhim equalized the match three minutes later.Mohammad Ridha Mezher was on target twice in the 33rd and 40th minutes for the Iraqi team.Taha Shariati scored a consolation goal for the Iranian team in the dying moments of the match.
“We tried our best but mistakes at the back cost us the match,” Iran coach Heidar Sharifi said.
“There were two main objectives for Iran team; one was to gain experience of playing in the international competition and help grow these young kids as footballers, and the other one was to win the championship.
“We got the first one but not the second. It does not matter, the main thing is to play good football and enjoy the football you play,"Sharifi added.
Elsewhere, DPR Korea defeated Korea Republic 3-1 in a penalty shootout to set up Wednesday’s final showdown against Iraq.
