Iran players continued to show strong form through a 2-1 victory over UAE on the evening of January 23 to top Group C with 3 wins in a row.
Before this match, Iran had already entered the next round after two wins against Hong Kong (China) and Palestine. However, they entered the match with UAE with high spirits, anticipating the strength of UAE as well as this match also having the meaning of deciding the top spot in the group.
Coach Ghalenoei fielded his strongest squad and their quality players quickly took control of the midfield and continuously attacked the UAE goal. In the 26th minute, Iran scored the first goal when Azmoun made a delicate pass for Taremi to run down and finish neatly from close range, helping Iran take the lead.
The early goal helped Iran feel more comfortable psychologically and continued to dominate the game. In the 33rd minute, it seemed like Iran had scored a second goal from Gholizaden's header, but after checking VAR, the referee disallowed the goal due to an offside.
The second half was unchanged as Iran continued to dominate the game. However, UAE had a great chance to equalize in the 60th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick, but Yahya Al Ghassani failed to convert it.
Squandering their chances, UAE paid the price in the 65th minute when they conceded a second goal. This time it was due to a mistake by a UAE defender that led to Azmoun's pass for Taremi to break through and beat Khalid Eisa, raising the score to 2-0 for Iran.
It was not until the extra time that UAE scored a goal to reduce the score to 1-2 thanks to AL Ghassani's goal. In the remaining match, Palestine beat Hong Kong (China) 3-0 to finish third with 4 points. Iran won the top spot and will meet Syria in the next round.
HIGH WALL
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