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Kuwaiti forward Faraj
Lahib (L) vies for the ball with Iranian defender Said Lotfi
MEF- KUWAIT CITY, April 13: Iran gave
their most inspiring performance against Kuwait in the final match of the
West Asian Games football tournament on Friday, but that wasn't enough as
both sides contented with a goalless draw, a result securing the hosts the
gold medal.
Kuwait, who started the game with 7 out of maximum 9 points and leading
Iran by two points, needed a draw to claim the gold medal, won for the
first time by Iran on home soil back in 1997.
The hosts resorted to a very cautious scheme of play throughout the game,
paving the way for the Iranians to claim the upper hand in midfield, yet
the winners' heroes were their defensive trio of Nhair Al-Shemmari, Samer
Al-Marta and Youssouf Al-Youha, who showed flexibility and resilience
against the constant pressure exerted by Iran during most stages of the
game.
Iran's Croat manager Branco Ivankovic started the game with his sparkling
centre-forward Rasoul Khatibi on the bench, opting for the attacking pair
of Nikonam and Fatimi, in an attempt to break down the defence by sending
strikers with pace.
However, with time going by, it was up to the Croat manager to add giant
striker Javad Kazemian after the interval, as Iran went on the rampage
trying to break down the Kuwaiti tight defence with long balls in the
opposite goalmouth, but the Kuwaitis held on till the final whstle to
secure a priceless draw and the goal medal.
In the other fixture played on Friday, Syria and Qatar shared the spoils
at 1-1 in a game that saw the Syrians going 1-0 up in the 43rd minute
through Raja Nafee (his third goal in the competition), with Bilal Hamda
levelling the scoreline in the 61st minute from a close-range effort.
Iran's line-up against Kuwait:
Ebrahim Mirzapour, Hamed Kavianpour (Rasul Khatibi), Javad Nekounam (Hamid
Aziz-zadeh), Faraz Fatemi, Afshin Peyrovani
Mehdi Amir Abadi, Saeed Lotfi, Sahrab BakhtyariZadeh, Yahya GolMohammadi,
Hossein kaabi, Reza Enayati (Hossein Bayatinia).
Final standings:
T------P-W-D-L-GF-GA-GD-Pts.
Kuwait-4-2-2-0-11-03-+8-8
Iran---4-1-3-0-05-04-+1-6
Syria--4-1-3-0-04-03-+1-6
Palest-4-1-2-1-06-10--6-4
Qatar--4-0-1-3-03-08--5-1
Iranian player Hussein
Byatinia (R) fights for the ball with Kuwaiti player Samer El Martah (L)
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