Iran fails to break scoring dry spell

PTV - Iran's national soccer team ties 0-0 against Costa Rica, ending its third consecutive goalless match ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Iranian players were in good shape in the first half but missed several chances to score. The team's substitutions in the second half also had no effect on the result.

The tie has raised the alarm for Iran just a week before the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Syria in Azadi Stadium as it saw no spectators today due to a burst in a water pipe and its unusable lavatories.

Iran's national team lost 2-0 to Germany's Hansa Rostock on January 5 and tied 0-0 with Qatar on January 11.

Iran will compete against Kuwait, Syria and the UAE in group five of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.