Iran beats Kuwait 2-0 to win Asiad soccer gold
Iran beats Kuwait 2-0 to win Asiad soccer gold
BANGKOK (Reuters): Iran, even with a player sent off late in
the game, won the Asian Games soccer gold on Saturday, beating
Kuwait 2-0 in a game played under extra security because of U.S.-
led bombing raids on Iraq.
The outcome of the all-Middle East final, played on the first
day of the holy Moslem fasting month of Ramadhan, was never in
doubt as Iran, with most of its World Cup squad on display, took
control from the start.
China won the bronze when it crushed host Thailand 3-0 in a
match 1,000 kms from Bangkok.
Kuwait's Czech coach Milan Macala fumed about the refereeing
saying tough Iranian tackling resulted in a broken leg for one of
his players in the incident that led to an Iranian being shown
the red card.
The Iranians scored in only the seventh minute when left
wingback Ali Karimi, a rising 21-year-old star who was playing in
the Iranian third division only a few months ago, popped up
unmarked at the right hand far post.
He nodded home a corner which Kuwaiti goalkeeper Khalid Al-
Fahdli should have kept out.
Missing key goal scorer Jassem Al-Huwaidi with a thigh injury,
Kuwait could not break the iron grip of the hard-working Iranian
midfield quickly enough to trouble a defense missing kingpin
Mohammed Khakpour.
Iran extended its lead in the 27th minute as Karim Bagheri of
German second division side Arminia Bielefeld won yet another
ball in midfield, charged through a static Kuwaiti defense and
rounded Al-Fahdli before firing home from a narrow angle.
Four minutes later, it should have been all over as Bayern
Munich striker Ali Daei, who scored eight goals in the
tournament, put Ali Mousavi through, but poor ball control on a
bumpy pitch gave Al-Fahdli enough time to block the eventual
shot.
The Iranians eased off in the second half, but Kuwait still
could not threaten Iranian goalkeeper Behzad Gholampour, who has
looked the most fallible player in the new gold medalists lineup
throughout the tournament.
Kuwait's 19-year-old Farj Laheeb, the tournament's top scorer,
rarely got a touch of the ball and never a chance to add to his
nine-goal tally.
Not even the sending off of Iran's Mehdi Madhavikia, a striker
playing at wingback who has interested several European clubs,
helped the Kuwaiti cause.
Madhavikia was sent off in the 78th minute after he raised his
leg high in the air to make a running interception and felled
Kuwait's Ahmad Al-Mutairi, who was carried off and did not
return.
Coach Macala said Al-Mutairi had been taken to hospital with a
broken leg and criticized poor refereeing by Thailand's Pirom
Unprasert.
"We must have better referees at tournaments like this. I saw
many hard fouls which went unpunished," he said.
"Iran has a strong team, physically strong, and the referee
helped them," he said.
Macala blamed the absence of Al-Huwaidi for the lack of bite
up front and the lack of incisive midfielder Hani Al-Saqer for
the lack of penetration.
In reality, Kuwait played only as well as the vastly
experienced Iranians allowed them.
"We were more focused," said Iranian coach Mansour
Pourheidari. "We had a plan and we didn't think about anything
except the gold medal."
Even after Madhavikia was sent off, the Kuwaitis managed to
get into the Iranian penalty area only a few times and still
could not find a move that would threaten Gholampour.