Iran into quarters, Iraq stun UAE

DOHA, Jan 16: Three-time champions Iran swept aside North Korea 1-0 at the Asian Cup Saturday to become the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals in their bid to end a 35-year title drought.

Karim Ansari Fard struck the winner in the 62nd minute as Team Melli fought hard to crack a tight North Korean defence.[break]

It put Iran on six points in Group D following their opening 2-1 victory over Iraq, ensuring them of a spot in the last eight with one match still to play -- against United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

North Korea´s defeat followed their uninspiring scoreless draw with the UAE and leaves them staring at elimination from the tournament.

UAE play Iraq later Saturday in the other group game.

"The qualification of our team into the final eight for me is a fantastic accomplishment," Iran coach Afshin Ghotbi said.

"Our group was a group of death and I still believe it is the most difficult group in the tournament."

"I´m very, very proud of my players and Iran," added the 46-year-old, in charge since early 2009.

"Iran is capable of playing much better football and I think we´ll show that in the coming matches."

North Korea captain and FC Rostov midfielder Hong Yong-Jo, who missed a penalty against the UAE, should have equalised in the dying seconds but sent his shot from close range against the bar to deny his side a precious point.

"I feel sorry that we have missed the chances and it might have a psychological impact on our players," said North Korea coach Jo Tong-Sop.

"We tried to count on fast passes and good movements to score goals in the second half."

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It was a close encounter with Iran having to work hard to unlock the famously tight North Korean backline with few chances in a cagey start.

Both sides had free kicks from threatening positions in the opening 10 minutes but neither made them count.

Bochum striker Jong Tae-Se had another chance on 16 minutes for Korea but his free kick from 30 metres was punched away by Iranian goalkeeper Mahdi Rahmati.

Iran were struggling to break down North Korea´s resolve but appeared to have opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Fard trapped a long ball in the box.

He beat Korean defender Ri Jun-Il and slotted the ball past Korean goalkeeper Ri Myong-Guk, but the linesman disallowed the goal and Fard instead got a yellow card for handball.

The dangerous Japan-born Jong was a threat to Iran and charged their goal on the break soon after, trapping the ball in the box but his shot went meekly into Rahmati´s hands.

Iran stepped up their offensive with a series of counterattacks right after the interval.

Mohammad Reza Khalatbari did well to collect a ball on the left but Myong was well placed to stop his shot in the 47th minute.

Jong, forming North Korea´s frontline with Hong, invaded the Iranian area again on 51 minutes but two defenders bundled him out of the way before he could unleash a shot.

In the 62nd minute, Fard finally drew first blood as he volleyed a cross from the right on a lightening counterattack and the ball caught Ri wrong-footed and zipped into the net.

North Korea fought back hard but missed a great chance 12 minutes from time when substitute Ryang Yong-Gi picked up a pass from Li Yun-Nam just outside the box but fell down as he tried to dribble past two Iran defenders.

Hong´s miss as the clock ticked down summed up North Korea´s night.

Three-times champions Iran became the first team at the championships to qualify for the quarter-finals after they defeated World Cup finalists North Korea 1-0 earlier in the day.

And Iraq put themselves in a great spot to join their arch rivals after the unfortunate Walid Abbas turned the ball into his own net as the clock ticked down.

In the last round of games, on Wednesday, UAE take on Iran and Iraq play North Korea.

"It was in injury time and an own-goal so it´s a bit lucky at the end, but we fought all the time and forced our luck," said Iraq´s German coach Wolfgang Sidka.

"It was an exciting game and we had three strikers on at the end, and finally we got the reward.

"We will enjoy this evening and from tomorrow we will start preparing for North Korea. We know we have our fate in our hands."

Srecko Katanec, the UAE´s Slovenian coach, cut a despondent figure afterwards.

"We must look to win against Iran and pray Iraq lose to North Korea," he said.

"We were better than Iraq, but that´s football. The players gave 100 percent. The players must now be strong and must learn something from this. We must look forward now."

Iraq had the better of the opening 20 minutes at the Al-Rayyan Stadium, without forcing keeper Majed Naser into action, in a largely uneventful start.

But it was UAE who had the first meaningful chance on goal, defender Hamdan Al Kamali leaping highest to crash the ball against the post from an inswinging corner in front of a disappointing crowd of just over 7,000.

And moments later they should have taken the lead when forward Ismaeil Matar nodded the ball on for strike partner Ahmed Khalil, but the 2009 Asian young player of the year headed the ball well over from just inside the six-yard box.

It was UAE in the ascendancy now with the 2007 champions being forced to play on the break in a game that was struggling to get going.

The pacy pair of Khalil and Matar were always willing runners. A free-kick on the half-hour by captain Subait Khater after Khalil was brought down forced Iraqi keeper Mohammed Kassid to concede a corner, but that came to nothing.

Six minutes before the break Iraq had their best spell of the match when Nashat Akram crashed the ball against the bar with a towering header, then Qusay Muneer unleashed a drive that rattled the upright.

The second-half was again sluggish in getting going, but when it did, Iraq looked the most likely to break the deadlock. Captain Younis Mahmoud, joint tournament top-scorer four years ago, forced a corner ten minutes in.

But defender Samal Saeed could only loop his header from the resulting kick well over, with both teams struggling to find their range.

Just past the hour it was UAE´s turn to hit the woodwork for a second time as Khalil´s blistering pile-driver smacked the bar.

Iraq then went straight up the other end and were denied a certain goal when Ala´a Abdulzehra´s header, which looked destined for the net, was deflected wide by Khalid Sebil for a corner. Replays suggested a whiff of handball.

With both sides badly needing the three points, they made a rash of substitutions to force the breakthrough.

On 79 minutes Saeed again went close for Iraq with another free header from a corner, but it flashed just wide, before that late unfortunate intervention.