TEHRAN – Iran secured three priceless points on the road to Qatar, emerging from a dramatic AFC Asian Qualifiers clash against the United Arab Emirates with a 1-0 win at Zabeel Stadium on Thursday.
A Mehdi Taremi strike with 20 minutes remaining proved decisive, keeping Dragan Skocic’s side on top of Group A with its third win from as many matches in the Final Round.
The visiting team had a golden chance to add to the scoring when it was awarded a penalty after Taremi was impeded by Abdullah Ramadan in the dying minutes, but Ali Khaseif saved brilliantly to deny Sardar Azmoun from the penalty spot.
Iran will host South Korea on Tuesday in Tehran in its fourth match in the 2022 World Cup qualification.