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Iran beat UAE 1-0 in AFC World Cup qualifiers for Qatar 2022

 New Nation
 Published: 12:00 AM, 03 February 2022  Updated: 1:10 PM, 27 September 2022
UAE's defender Walid al-Balooshi (right) vies for the ball with Iran's forward and match-winner Mehdi Taremi during the 2022 World Cup Asian Qualifier at the Azadi Sports Complex in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday. Agency photo
UAE's defender Walid al-Balooshi (right) vies for the ball with Iran's forward and match-winner Mehdi Taremi during the 2022 World Cup Asian Qualifier at the Azadi Sports Complex in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday. Agency photo

Agency :
Iran beat a spirited United Arab Emirates by the narrowest of margins at home on Tuesday to continue their strong run in the AFC (Asian Football Federation) qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. They were the first team to qualify from the Asian zone on last week.
The two teams will play their last respective qualifiers in March where the Iranians will be looking to secure top spot, while ‘The Whites,’ as the UAE national team are called, will try to hold on to third place in the standings in order to qualify via the play-offs.
The lone goal of the match came when Mehdi Taremi took advantage of a rebound in the box to cross and put the home side 1-0 ahead.
South Korea qualified for a 10th successive FIFA World Cup after beating Syria 2-0 in Dubai on Tuesday. Second-half goals from Kim Jin-su and Kwon Chang-hoon gave the Koreans a comfortable victory over the bottom team in Asia Group A qualifying.
In Group B, a first-half goal from Takumi Minamino set Japan on the way to beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 at Saitama Stadium and keeping the host on course for a seventh successive World Cup appearance. Minamino’s goal from close range after 31 minutes was created by Junya Ito. The Belgian-based winger then added the second soon after the restart with a fierce shot from the edge of the area to seal the first defeat for the Saudis in the group.
Saudi Arabia, which would have qualified for a sixth World Cup with a victory, still led the group with 19 points, one more than Japan. Australia would move on to 17 with a win over Oman later Tuesday.