Very few predicted that a team that was absent in the prior editions of the Asian Championship would not only end up winning gold but also dominate Asian soccer for the next 10 years. The 4th edition of the Asian Championship took part in Amjadieh Stadium in Tehran and consisted of five teams. The two automatic qualifiers were hosts Iran and defending champion Israel, while Burma, Hong Kong and Taiwan advanced from Western, Central and Eastern Asian qualifying zones respectively. The format for the finals was as a round robin tournament with no championship game. The high interest in soccer (and perhaps the 1-rial ticket price) resulted in a near-sellout in every game even those not featuring Iran.
Iran was lead by Bayati and had a mixture of youth and holdovers from the 1966 Asian Games in its roster. Iran made a winning start to the competition but left it late to finally see off Hong Kong with Behzadi netting the first goal 70 minutes into the opening fixture, before Jabbari sealed the 2-0 win with two minutes remaining.
In the second game Iran defeated Taiwan 4-0 courtesy of goals by Behzadi, Kalani, Eftekhari and Farzami.
In the next game Iran managed to avenge their 1966 Asian Games championship loss against Burma by defeating them 3-1. Kalani kicked off Iran’s 3-1 win with just two minutes played.
While Aung Khi equalised five minutes into the second half, Eftekhari’s strike on the hour mark and Behzadi’s 71st minute effort ensured Iran continued their 100% record.
Following this win, only Israel had a mathematical chance of catching Iran due to its two points and two remaining games compared to Iran’s six points and one remaining game which ironically was against Israel. A tie against Israel would have still granted Iran the championship due to a superior goal difference while Israel would have required a win.
Nevertheless Iran still sought a victory and achieved a 2-1 win over Israel with goals coming from Behzadi and Ghelichkhani. The game would feature a red card to each team, Farzami being the recipient for Iran. Israel took the lead in the 56th minute, scoring from close range following an opportunity created by Mordechai Spiegler, the top scorer of the previous tournament.
Bayati had been forced to sit an injured Behzadi for this game, but with Iran trailing and the spectators unanimously calling for Behzadi, he had no other choice but to send him in. Around half a century later, Behzadi would recall that he had only been able to take the field with the help of a couple of injections. In the 75th minute Behzadi equalized on a goal disputed by the Israelis after his initial shot was only partially blocked on the line before being cleared out of the box. With the Israelis protesting and the referee adamant in his decision, it would take a full 10 minutes for play to finally resume.
In the 86th minute a free kick was played short to Ghelichkhani who dribbled past one player and shot in between two others to give Iran the lead and an ultimate 2-1 win.
With four consecutive wins Iran finished in 1st place and won its first Asian Championship while Behzadi ended up as joint top scorer with four goals.
Iran roster: Asli, Zelli, Shahrokhi, Kashani, Hasan Habibi, Arab, Saedi, Haghverdian, Esmaeili, Ghelichkhani, Farzami, Jabbari, Sharafi, Kalani, Eftekhari, Behzadi. Coach: Bayati
Iran was lead by Bayati and had a mixture of youth and holdovers from the 1966 Asian Games in its roster. Iran made a winning start to the competition but left it late to finally see off Hong Kong with Behzadi netting the first goal 70 minutes into the opening fixture, before Jabbari sealed the 2-0 win with two minutes remaining.
In the second game Iran defeated Taiwan 4-0 courtesy of goals by Behzadi, Kalani, Eftekhari and Farzami.
In the next game Iran managed to avenge their 1966 Asian Games championship loss against Burma by defeating them 3-1. Kalani kicked off Iran’s 3-1 win with just two minutes played.
While Aung Khi equalised five minutes into the second half, Eftekhari’s strike on the hour mark and Behzadi’s 71st minute effort ensured Iran continued their 100% record.
Following this win, only Israel had a mathematical chance of catching Iran due to its two points and two remaining games compared to Iran’s six points and one remaining game which ironically was against Israel. A tie against Israel would have still granted Iran the championship due to a superior goal difference while Israel would have required a win.
Nevertheless Iran still sought a victory and achieved a 2-1 win over Israel with goals coming from Behzadi and Ghelichkhani. The game would feature a red card to each team, Farzami being the recipient for Iran. Israel took the lead in the 56th minute, scoring from close range following an opportunity created by Mordechai Spiegler, the top scorer of the previous tournament.
Bayati had been forced to sit an injured Behzadi for this game, but with Iran trailing and the spectators unanimously calling for Behzadi, he had no other choice but to send him in. Around half a century later, Behzadi would recall that he had only been able to take the field with the help of a couple of injections. In the 75th minute Behzadi equalized on a goal disputed by the Israelis after his initial shot was only partially blocked on the line before being cleared out of the box. With the Israelis protesting and the referee adamant in his decision, it would take a full 10 minutes for play to finally resume.
In the 86th minute a free kick was played short to Ghelichkhani who dribbled past one player and shot in between two others to give Iran the lead and an ultimate 2-1 win.
With four consecutive wins Iran finished in 1st place and won its first Asian Championship while Behzadi ended up as joint top scorer with four goals.
Iran roster: Asli, Zelli, Shahrokhi, Kashani, Hasan Habibi, Arab, Saedi, Haghverdian, Esmaeili, Ghelichkhani, Farzami, Jabbari, Sharafi, Kalani, Eftekhari, Behzadi. Coach: Bayati
