Iran emerged victorious with a score of 4-1 against Palestine in their first match of the Asian Cup Group C on Sunday at the Education City Stadium. The Iranian fans and players showed a strong sense of unity, which was soon followed by a display of exceptional football skills by the three-time champions.
Karim Ansarifard, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Mehdi Ghayedi, and Sardar Azmoun each scored a goal, earning Iran a total of three points. Tamer Seyam managed to score a consolation goal for Palestine, who have yet to secure their first win at the Asian Cup.
The Palestinian team received a warm welcome from the crowd, with Iranian fans demonstrating their support by holding both the Iran flag and the Palestinian colors. Prior to the game, a moment of silence was observed to honor those who have lost their lives in the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict, which has lasted for 100 days and resulted in the deaths of approximately 24,000 Palestinians, according to reports from health officials in Gaza.
However, soon after the game began, Iran wasted no time and scored their first goal in the second minute. Saman Ghoddos passed the ball to Ansarifard, who skillfully placed his shot into the far corner.
Iran’s advantage was increased by Ghoddos’ assist from a set piece, as he sent a lofted cross to Khalilzadeh at the far post, who skillfully put the ball into the goal. Iran demonstrated their superiority in both technical and tactical aspects compared to the Palestinians, who struggled to advance past their own half. The third goal was scored by Ghayedi before halftime, after a smooth play, as he placed the ball into the bottom corner.
In the first half of the game, Palestine was unable to challenge Iran’s goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. However, in the last minute of stoppage time, they scored a goal from a set piece thanks to Seyam’s header from close range.
However, Iran quickly put an end to any chances of a comeback by scoring their fourth goal through substitute Azmoun after halftime. In the later stages of the game, the use of VAR reversed a straight red card given to Palestinian defender Mohammed Saleh for a last-man tackle.
Despite the Palestinians’ attempts at launching successful attacks, Iran maintained their position at the top of the group while Palestine remained at the bottom.
The United Arab Emirates defeated Hong Kong 3-1, with Sultan Alamiri and Yahya al-Ghassani scoring on penalty kicks and Zayed Sultan also contributing a goal. Chan Siu Kwan was the lone scorer for Hong Kong.
In a thrilling Asian Cup Group D opening match, Japan made an impressive comeback to defeat Vietnam 4-2.
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In a thrilling game at Al Thumama Stadium, five goals were scored in the first half. However, it was Takumi Minamino’s two goals that ultimately made the difference.
In the 11th minute, Minamino gave Japan the advantage, but Vietnam surprised the four-time champions by scoring two goals from expertly executed set pieces. Nguyen Dinh Bac and Pham Tuan Hai were the players who found the back of the net.
Minamino equalized just before the first half ended, calmly scoring off of a pass from Wataru Endo. Then, Keito Nakamura scored a fantastic curling shot from outside the box to give Japan a 3-2 lead at halftime.
In the latter portion, the game was dominated by one team as Japan eased up on their efforts. They secured a victory against Vietnam when Ayase Ueda scored in the 85th minute, securing three points for the Samurai Blue.
Source: theguardian.com
