Iran's national football team, also known as Team Melli,�has achieved a surprise victory over Qatar in its opening match at the third round of the 2018 FIFA�World Cup qualification�tournament.
On Thursday evening, Iranian footballers exhibited an anemic display for most part of the first half of the Group A fixture played at the�Azadi Stadium�in the western part of the Iranian capital Tehran.
Qatari footballers went close to scoring the opener in the 11th minute of the period, when 32-year-old forward Andr�s Sebasti�n Soria Quintana unleashed a shot towards Iran�s goal.
Team Melli�s goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, however, collected the ball with a smart save and eliminated the Maroons� chance.
In the 21st minute, the�referee disallowed�Qatar�s goal�because the Arab team's player Soria had been in the�offside�position.
Iranian footballers took up a favorable opportunity minutes later, and midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh dribbled a Qatar player to penetrate the penalty area. Jahanbakhsh then hit a shot, which flew over the bar.
Iran�s Ashkan Dejagah received�a yellow card in the 38th minute after the referee called a foul on a Qatari footballer.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
The photo shows a view of the third round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament Group A match between Iran (players in white) and Qatar at the Azadi Stadium in western Tehran, Iran, on September 1, 2016. �IRIB[/caption]The rest of the first half was a particularly drab affair with both sides�unable to find the net and score a goal.
After the break, Iranian footballers played with more vigor and valor, and were awarded a corner in the 52nd minute. Jahanbakhsh, though, missed it and the ball went�out of the bounds.
The Maroons picked up a coroner shortly afterwards, but Iranian defenders managed to clear the shot.
Iran's talisman striker�Sardar Azmoun�ran the ball towards the visitors� goal in the 60th minute�but failed to pose a serious threat and relief swept over the Qatari team.
Iranian forward Reza Ghoochannejhad placed the ball at the back of the opponents� net in the 94th minute to send the hosts on their way to an overtime win.
There was subsequently a mass�brawl�between both sets of players, with Qatar�s head coach Jos� Daniel Carre�o storming the field and hollering at Iranian players and sports officials.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
Enraged Qatar football team�s head coach Jos� Daniel Carre�o (C) argues during the third round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament Group A match between Iran (players in white) and Qatar at the Azadi Stadium in western Tehran, Iran, on September 1, 2016. �Mehr News Agency[/caption]Enraged 53-year-old El Crespo was ultimately led off the pitch, and the game resumed after a minutes-long stoppage.
The straw that�broke the camel's back�for Qatar, and electrified curly Carre�o came in the 100th minute, when Jahanbakhsh doubled Iran�s lead.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is pitted against�South Korea, Uzbekistan, China, Qatar and Syria in the Group A of the third round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification�tournament.
Asian powerhouse Japan is drawn in Group B, and has joined Australia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Thailand.
The winner and runner-up of each group (four teams in total) will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, while the third-placed teams of each group (two teams in total) will head to the play-off round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The winner of the Asian play-off round will then face twice the fourth-placed squad in the fifth round of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) qualifying games.
�By Pess TV
