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MNA – Prodigal Bayern Munich midfielder Ali
Karimi hit two to give Iran a 2-0 away win over Taiwan in Group B and a
berth in the AFC Asian Cup 2007 finals Wednesday.
Iran’s manager Amir Qal’e-Noii fielded a
full-strength squad in Taipei's Municipal Stadium, but his complacent men
played a spiritless football.
Striker Rassul Khatibi cleared three Taiwanese markers before leaving Karimi
alone with the empty net to find from close range after 10 minutes.
Karimi should have made it 2-0 on 39 minutes following a Hamburg right
winger Mehdi Mahdavikia cross and Taiwan’s keeper blunder, but his left
drive went wide across the far post.
The Bundesliga-bound Karimi displayed his arrogance more five minutes later
when a Khatibi header hit the crossbar and the ball fell to him, but the
2004 Asian Player of the Year unmarked in the 5.5-yard area kicked the ball
so gently that the stranded keeper managed to return to his unguarded
woodwork and palm away the ball and Karimi’s tapping the rebound was blocked
by a defender in the goalmouth.
Karimi, who scotched a widespread rumor of his transfer from Bayern Munich
to the UAE’s Al Ahly, doubled his scoring 11 minutes after the restart,
picking up a striker Gholamreza Enayati through ball and finding the net
with a chip.
Minnow Chinese Taipei was forced to play with 10 men in the last 14 minutes
as Kao Hao-Chieh was red-carded for a wild foul on substitute striker Javad
Kazemian.
In another Group B qualifier, the table-topper South Korea was held by the
visiting Syria to a 1-1 tie in the capital Seoul.
Iran and Korea have 11 points each, but Korea remains on top on goal
difference. The two qualified sides will clash for the top spot in the table
in their second-leg game in Azadi Stadium in western Tehran on Nov. 15.
Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates have
already advanced to the finals to be jointly hosted by Thailand, Indonesia,
Vietnam, and Malaysia next July. The co-hosts went through automatically.
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