Iran on Verge of Qualifying for 2022 World Cup
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A dominant display from Iran at the King Abdullah II Stadium saw Team Melli cruise past host Syria 3-0 in Matchday Six of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar on Tuesday.
Iran went into the game off the back of a five-match unbeaten run, and it cemented its place at the top of Group A with a fifth win in its last six, moving up to 16 points, while Syria was rooted to the foot of the group without a win and remained there after the game.
Sardar Azmoun opened the scoring for Dragan Skocic’s team in the 33rd minute.
Nine minutes later, Vahid Amiri attempted a cross on from the left with Syria’s number 9 blocking his path and Al Soma’s misfortune continued as he was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box, leading to the visiting team being awarded a penalty that Ehsan Hajsafi duly converted to make it 2-0.
With one minute remaining in the second half, Ali Gholizadeh broke the offside trap and went on to dance his way past three Syrian defenders before calmly placing the ball into the bottom corner to confirm the Iranian victory with a third goal.
Iran continues its campaign at home against neighbors Iraq at the start of 2022 while Syria’s chase of a first win sees the team travelling to third-placed United Arab Emirates next.
Iran sits top of Group A with 16 points, followed by South Korea (14) and the UAE (6).
