Team Omid ties Kyrgyzstan

Persianfootball.com – INCHEON, Today Team Omid failed to win the crucial game versus Kyrgyzstan at the 2014 Asian Games and now all hope for advancing to the next round lies on a huge defeat of Kyrgyzstan by Vietnam with a margin of 4 goals on September 22.

According to Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre News, after a goal-less first half Team Omid took the lead through Morteza Pouraliganji in 79 however his hard work went into vain as Kyrgyzstan equalised in the dying minutes of the game as Avazbek Otkeev scored in minute 89. Iran had 59 percent of the ball possession, while Kyrgyzstan managed to convert one of its mere two shots on target.

Team Omid’s performance at Asian Games has got worsened with each tournament. They were Gold Medalist in 2002, then Bronze Medalist in 2006 and earned 4th place in 2010. Sadly this time they could get eliminated at the group stage and only require a miracle.

Goalkeeper Hojat Sedghi who conceded 4 goals in the game versus Vietnam remained on the bench and observed his replacement Mohammad Akhbari.

Iran: Mohammadreza Akhbari – Yousef Vakia, Shahriyar Shirvand, Farshid Esmaeili(Ehsan Pahlavan, 58), Morteza Pouraliganji – Roozbeh Cheshmi, Yaghoub Karimi, Mohammad Hossein Kanaani(Ali Karimi, 90+3) – Mohsen Mosalman(c)(Mahdi Mahdipour, 68), Kaveh Rezaei, Mehdi Sharifi.

Goals: Morteza Pouraliganji(Iran) 79 , Avazbek Otkeev (Kyrgyzstan) 89

Cautions:  Shahryar Shirvand (Iran) 23 , Valerii Kichin (Kyrgyzstan) 45+1 , Marat Adzhiniaazov (Kyrgyzstan) 50 , Mirbek Kudaiberdiev (Kyrgyzstan) 52 , Murolimzhon Akhmedov (Kyrgyzstan) 66 , Mehdi Sharifi (Iran) 77 , Avazbek Otkeev (Kyrgyzstan) 90

Referee: Mohammad Khamis al-Marri (Qatar) assisted by Zakariya Kanat (Syria), Choljin Jang (North Korea) and Fourth Official Masoud Tufayelieh (Syria).