Iran reaches 2017 World Cup by beating Uzbekistan

EghtesadOnline: Iranian young footballers defeated Uzbekistan 2-0 on Monday and reached the semi-finals at the AFC U-19 Championship, being held in Bahrain.

News ID: ۷۳۷۷۳۴

28 October 2016

Iran has also been qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in South Korea after reaching the semi-finals at the AFC U-19 Championship in Bahrain.

Iran’s Reza Jafari’s two goals against Uzbekistan helped his team a place in the semifinals of the competition for the first time after 16 years, reports IRNA.

The championship acts as the AFC qualifier for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, with the top four teams qualifying.

Jafari's opener 13 minutes into the match and his second in the 46th minutes were thanks to resolute performance of the Iranian defensive line that mainly restricted Uzbekistan to a succession of attempts from outside the area which made the game really easy for Iran's goalkeeper.

Meanwhile Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Japan also gained access to the semifinals and secured their way to next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea Republic.