AFC Beach Soccer Championship 2015: Iran to Face UAE in Quater-finals
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Loading...The National – DOHA, Uzbekistan’s 6-1 defeat of Iraq on Wednesday at the Asian Beach Soccer Championship in Doha means the UAE will have to overcome past rivals Iran in Thurday’s quarter-finals if they are to keep their World Cup dream alive.
The Uzbeks, who shocked the UAE with a 7-6 win on Tuesday, topped Group B while the UAE had to settle for second place and a tougher draw in the knockout round.
The two finalists and the winner of the third-place play-off in Qatar will earn spots at the 2015 Beach Soccer World Cup in Portugal in July.
The UAE have a score to settle with Iran, who beat them 3-1 on penalties in the semi-finals of the Asian Beach Games in Phuket, Thailand, last November, following a 4-4 draw.
Iran went on to win the gold medal, beating Japan in the final, and the UAE’s Ali Karim said at the time that it was “depressing to come so close and then lose”.
If UAE beat Iran they will face either Japan or Bahrain in Friday’s semi-final.
On the other side of the draw, Uzbekistan will meet Lebanon while Oman will take on China in Thursday’s quarter-finals.
The final and consolation match are both scheduled for Saturday.
